Why complain?

I don't understand why everybody's getting up-in-arms about Howard's new Industrial Relations reforms. They seem more of a reinforcement of fair employment than a conspiracy against blue-collar workers.

If you believe the ads Labor aired on TV a few weeks ago, then you believe that a poor old single mum could be kicked out of her job if she falls pregnant or has to take time off to look after her children. This idea works on a very shallow level of truth. In actual fact, the IR reforms invite employees to consult their employer and refer to the Australian Workplace Agreement codes to negotiate an outcome.

As far as 'the biggest reforms in Australian Industrial Relations' are concerned, nothing much has changed. Anyone who's bothered to read the 4-page outlines in the newspapers, instead of the politically-biased editorials, will see that they are a positive attempt to provide structure to the out-dated IR policy of the past economy.

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image provided by AnneKarin Glass, visual art, San Fransisco
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