fair or foul?

It is good to be back. It is great to be back. Thanks to all those e-mailers who invoked the latest Aussie slogan:  Where the bloody hell are you! Thanks to 3AW management for being so understanding. And thanks to everybody at Cabrini who treated me so well. And then I caught a cold. Ah, well, you can’t kill weeds.

Anyway, down to business. The new Federal Industrial laws came into effect across Australia today.  And the question is: Who is telling the truth? The Howard Government says this is better than sliced bread. That the Labor Party and the ACTU are guilty of “ scaremongering”

The opposition claims this is legislation that means more money in the pockets of the bosses and gives them carte blanche . Gives them permission to sack workers without reason. And if you work for a company with less than 100 workers there will be now such thing as unfair dismissal.

Opponents claim John Howard has dreamed of drastic changes to our industrial laws for about thirty years and now – with control of The Senate – he has rammed the legislation through.

A national poll today showed that more than 70 per cent of people questioned think they will be worse off and less than thirty per cent are in favour.

At least, we are more civilised in the debate than France. There, they have introduced legislation giving an employer the right to sack any worker, without showing cause, up to the age of 26. That  has prompted a  wave of street riots across the country, especially in Paris.

So, what happens? I guess it is a case of suck it and see. Howard, by virtue of being in Government, holds all the high cards. And there will be test cases on various issues with ACTU boss Greg Combe talking about going to jail on principle.

So was there a spate of sackings today? Frankly, I can’t see an employer sacking a hard-working employee merely because he or she can.

Monday, March 27, 2006

©Copyright Derryn Hinch 2006