You'll Lose Your Job, John Howard, If you Don't Protect Mine ! 21/7/2006

You'll Lose Your Job, John Howard,  If you Don't Protect Mine !

That's what the "aspirational" voters who put   Howard back into power at the  last three elections are saying in response  to the new Workplace laws.

You see, they  have no "aspiration" to lose their jobs to cheap overseas labour, take a pay cut for doing the same amount of work or to go backwards on working condiitions.  This is their estimation of what the new Industrial Relations regime means for them. They are also worried about what future employment prospects await their children.

It's all very well for MPs who have security of employment with their 3, 4,  6 and 8 year terms plus generous perks and superannuation (not to mention lucrative "jobs for the boys" as consultants after they leave parliament) to talk about flexibility in the labour market.

The way things are going IR Laws could be for John Howard what the Poll Tax was for Margaret Thatcher.

One Nation's Industrial Relations Policy, on the other hand,   is based on fairness for all parties,  protecting  employees' entitlements while also protecting employers from dishonest, disruptive or otherwise unsuited employees or the abuse of power by  unions. It recognizes the important role unions have played in Australia and acknowledges the  need for
workers to have access to union assistance to protect them from unscrupulous employers and to negotiate their  conditions.

Which of the two policies sound like they would most appeal to Australian workers?