After months of complaining claims about the impact of the Fair Work Act being made by IR hardliners lacked evidence, Crikey was thrilled this morning to receive a media release from the Australian Mines and Metals Association claiming to demonstrate problems with the Fair Work regime based on “independent research”.
The AMMA is the outfit that, unusually among employer groups, not merely claimed responsibility for WorkChoices (it “did not occur by accident or as a result of a blinding flash of inspiration when the Commonwealth found that it had a majority in the Senate”, CEO Steve Knott told a gathering at the Launceston Country Club in 2006) but complained it didn’t go far enough in entirely destroying the award system.
The “independent research” is being conducted by former Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry economist Steven Kates at RMIT, but is in fact based on a survey of AMMA members conducted by the AMMA itself. Dr Kates’ job appears to be to collate, tabulate and comment on the responses to the survey and stick the RMIT logo on the result.
And, in a surprising outcome, it turns out asking employers in the most bitterly anti-union industry in the country what they think of the system that replaced WorkChoices yields the answer they don’t like it.
It’s the basis on which they object to it that is interesting, though. Apart from the usual, unevidenced claim about a decline in productivity — no detail on how big a decline (eg: was it as big as the one that occurred under WorkChoices?) or what was causing it — employers complained to AMMA about such outrages as:
- Spending more time in meetings and negotiations with employees;
- Not being able to convince employees wage rises (whether real or nominal isn’t clear) should only be granted in exchange for higher productivity;
- Higher wages in related industries driving up wage claims;
- More litigation from former and current employees; and
- An increase in union-specific clauses in contracts.
Apart from the traditional employer hypocrisy about the operation of labour markets — they like market forces when high unemployment undermines wage growth, but demand intervention when low unemployment drives higher growth — the AMMA report pathologises unions and workplace activity of any kind. That “spending more time and resources in meetings and negotiations” is seriously touted as a major productivity impediment under the current IR framework says a lot more about (likely foreign-owned) mining companies’ hostile view of their own employees than about the Fair Work Act; ditto for the idea there may be legal consequences of the way they treat employees.
Still, a press release headed “Employer survey: employers don’t like workers exercising basic rights” wouldn’t look quite as good as “Rhetoric v Reality of the Fair Work Act”. Sadly, IR reformers still aren’t producing any evidence of what they insist is reality.
Well! Well! Surprise! Surprise! They don’t like workers having any rights? Now why doesn’t that surprise me?
I remember very vividly watching ABC News the night the last Senate seat was decided – Barnaby Joyce was the one? One of Howard’s ‘mates’ a Senator almost said, ‘it’s Open Slather’? I’ve seen that interview replayed on several occasions, but that little bit has been removed. Another surprise!
These bastards will only be happy when we adopt work practices like Indonesia or Malaysia – including caning people who complain about their lot, or throw them in jail or whatever. No wages at all is their desired position. Anything else is repugnant to them!
I’m also not surprised that 3 rip off merchants are advocating an early Election. No doubt, if the result didn’t suit them, they’d advocate a repeat occurrence – until the great unwashed get it right!
These pesky elections are like Industrial Courts etc – a real menace to their divine right to use people as slaves – with no redress!
Liz – surely it was only a coincidence that the unholy trinity are calling for an early election just as the Greens take over the balance of power in the Senate…
Of course that makes their claim even more ludicrous – the full Parliament from the *last* election is only just taking office!!!
Liz, you may not have noticed but we already have mining work practices that have destroyed the relevent unions and taken away any vestige of worker consultation about their conditions. You only had to see that wanker on Q and A the other night talking about his “6 x 12 hour shifts and may get called in today” to realise that these idiots are just industry fodder and are too stupid too realise it.
There is no effective worker representation in theAustralian mining industry, sadly. There is no impact of organised labour within the mining industry.
There are only people who are too stupid to realise that they are destroying not only their own physical and psychological health by working these crazy, ILO illegal hours, but also destroying thier own families. Have a look at DV amongst workers on 12 hour shifts, oh, no records kept? Strange about that. Ask the child safety and DV workers, they’ll tell you.
This is crazy stuff and it all happened underLlabor governments.
Jeez Liz45, leave something for me to say – you hit every salient point, esp “vote until the electorate gets it Right”.
Most mine workers wouldn’t get out of bed for less than 120K. They are well compensated for the inconveniences of the job. A young person could work in the industry for a few years, set themselves up financially and then move to a family friendly job. Unfortunately, some get hooked on the money and want the family friendly conditions plus the hardship money – that’s when the employers dig their heels in.