Joyce slowly coming to heel
BARNABY Joyce has dropped his push for mandated penalty rates on “iconic” public holidays, saying he will accept a compromise ensuring Australian workers cannot be sacked for refusing to work on Christmas Day.
I’m not surprised. Joyce was obviously going to be brought to heel sooner or later after certain home truths were pointed out to him.
The outspoken Queensland Nationals senator last night gave his strongest indication that he would not block the Government’s industrial relations changes, telling The Australian he would not push for penalty rates if the Government guaranteed workers could not be sacked for refusing to work on significant public holidays.That’s a start. Now we should see the bill passed before Christmas
Senator Joyce said later making it impossible to sack workers for refusing to be rostered on during holidays would effectively force employers to have to offer more money on those days. “If it is really essential to work I would imagine people would have to pay you double,” Senator Joyce said last night. “My protection is then the ultimate protection. Iconic public holidays will remain such — as compass points in the Australian calendar.”Extra money for working iconic public holidays like Christmas, Australia Day and ANZAC Day seem reasonable to me but not just for working Saturdays or Sundays. It is worthy of note, however that not all workers demand extra money for working Christmas Day and neither do all unions Sharan Burrow attacks what she perceives as the weak link in the governments armour, Barnaby;
While ACTU president Sharan Burrow tried to sway the Queenslander yesterday, delivering an 85,000-email petition imploring him to block the Work Choices Bill, Senator Joyce was leaning towards a more traditional Nationals constituency, the farmers.Knowing it’s not difficult to programme emails and mass produce them with different signature blocks I’m less than impressed with Sharan’s 85,000 email petition than I am with Joyce’s apparent change of heart. I note that ABC radio has transformed the email petition to 85,000 signatures I also heard Anna Booth, saviour of the outworkers some years back, complaining on ABC radio about the requirement for secret ballots meeting a minimum of 50% voter return in the positive before a union can call a strike. I understand the idea is to send a postal vote to each member for them to decide on the issue. It can easily be said that it is mainly true believers that attend union meetings where a good speaker can, and often does wind the troops up to such an extent that they would kill Howard should he wonder by. In these circumstances a vote to strike is a given. I would rather the vote be considered in the cold light of the domestic scene; the kitchen table awash with bills and due mortgages and a clear thinking wife to counsel other avenues of dissent.
Facebook
Twitter
You must be disappointed Kev that one cant be sacked for refusing to work on a public holiday. Or were you against the proposal originally ? Can’t seem to understand where you stand on this. Or perhaps where you stand is implicit trust that the reforms are just ? Does seem weird that we’ve reached 5% unemployment without these reforms. If unemployment goes up once the bill is passed, I look forward to your condemnation.
I’d love to see the names and comments on that petition. I recall Tim Blair linking to a couple of online petition a few months back , I’m sure his commenters came up with some good ones.
I’d also be interested to know how many of those who filled out their webform for the petition were actually Australian.
Barry,’You’re using emotive language again…..I won’t be disappointed at all. I have never been against the proposals but as people come up with points in the debate that the country is having then they must be considered.
Your point on Australia doing OK without these reforms is nonsensical. Australia is doing OK because it treats IR reform as an ongoing thing. No country would reform, improve and then rest on their laurels. As the global economy changes and flexes so must our IR laws.
Would you endorse the sacking of an individual who refused to work on ANZAC Day out of respect for their fallen grandfather ??
No. I’ve had to work ANZAC Day and it never occured to me to whinge, go on strike or refuse to do other than what I was rostered to do and I have four generations before me who served for Australia.