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October 4, 2007
If Australia@Work report from the Workplace Research Centre, University of Sydney is accurate, then the figures quoted should be a true reflection of the state of play in Australian workplaces. With more than 8300 survey participants, it is the largest study into workers and their attitudes ever undertaken.
It shows that low-skilled employees, like childcare workers, call centre workers labourers or shop assistants, are earning less on Australian Workplace Agreements (AWAs) than those on collective arrangements. On average those on AWAs, according to the report, are earning $100 a week less. This kind of unfairness is what we suspected. We also know that Work Choices has significantly reduced the legal protections of job security for Australian workers and boosted the power of employers to “hire and fire.”
There is now an imbalance between the competing objectives of managerial freedom and employment security.
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Gary,
Rudd is offering to both remove the unfairness of Howard's anii-union Workchoices and to invigorate reform in education and traaining and health care where the payoff is productivity gains for th economy.
It's an attractive package in terms of electoral politics. It has caught Howard + Co flatfooted and they are trying to play catchup.