Unions Across Australia Mobilise to Defend Workplace Rights

[MrSystematica]

how about we wind the clock back- would management back in the day grant the workers 'time off'? or something called 'paid annual leave'??? i highly doubt it

it took union rallies like THIS one to fight for the rights we have now. And the moment we stop- management will strip them back as soon as they could.... all in the name of 'profit'

[PanzerBlitz43]

btw aussies should do something original and quit copying every move of republican dictators in the USA.. bet you never even noticed that europe is unionized and living standards are high.. example germany is 90% unionized, salaries and living standards are excellent and their companies are the powerhouse of europe.. bunch of downunder dumbasses.

[PanzerBlitz43]

This proves australians are as hypocritical and dumb as americans.. for example they complain about global warming and they get stronger hurricanes and massive floods, yet they won't give up being biggest exporters of dirty coal-the biggest factor in climate change-and 90% of their country is powered by that crap.

[davedidashit]

Major mistake by the speaker in the blue hat. We (Australians) do not own the natural resources. The coal mines, gold mines, and iron ore mines in Australia are owned by overseas companies. They only employ Australians for a wage but the profits go overseas. Please learn your facts before making an idiot of yourself in front of an educated audience.

[wnxsystem]

@Kastralis "The bottom line is that it is the business owner who should run their business. Not the unions."

there are corrupt business owners as well as unions- 'more' rights under workchoices??? give me ONE example. It gave the managment the LEGAL right to strip entitlements like annual leave and overtime etc for less pay- and if that person didnt want to sign it "well, we have 5 other people willing to take the low paid job". How is THAT fair?

[79HZGTS]

@wnxsystem,

So the worker who "didn't want to sign" should go and find a job somewhere else. If he can get more money elsewhere then that's his good luck.

If he can't get better money then maybe that is because he is not worth more money.

Any business will give their valuable workers good money and conditions, otherwise the good workers will find employment elsewhere.

The poor workers should get what they deserve.

[wnxsystem]

FIGHT FOR WORKERS RIGHTS

REMEMBER THE EURIKA STOCKADE!

TOGETHER WE ARE UNION! I AM PROUD TO BE UNION!

AWU FTW

[Kastralis]

Why do people think work choices is so bad? It actually IS good.

Unfair dismissal is bad? If you're a good worker, you don't get sacked. An employer doesn't want to sack their good workers.

IF YOURE A SHIT WORKER YOU GET SACKED! and then i guess you complain and go vote labor.

[iufasia]

@Kastralis thanks for the comment. Unfortunately workplace relations are not so simple. Workchoices made it harder for workers to join unions. Workchoices gave bosses excessive power to make decisions on things like pay, leave and entitlements with no input from workers. Workers have rights and Workchoices was about destroying those rights.

[wnxsystem]

@Kastralis

imagine a 17 year old trying to negotiate their wages infront of a business manager? it wont happen, its not just about working hard- its about wage rates, superannuation, OH@S, and annual leave/sick leave

small business is rife with bad working conditions/low pay/bad worker safety standards- and workchoices made these practices LEGAL

[Kastralis]

@wnxsystem Okay.

Now imagine a 17 year old who is a hell of a good worker trying to negotiate their wages by threatening to quit.

Who has the upper hand now?

The worker takes care of their employer and in turn the employer will take care of the worker. People seem to forget that the employer is hiring the person into THEIR business. A union shouldn't take control of someone else's business.

[wnxsystem]

@Kastralis

but when the business ignores basic OH@S regulations, and fair pay rates, that is when the boss is doing the wrong thing, and that is where unions come into play- to fight for EQUAL rights for workers- if it weren't for the union movement we would still be working 24/7 with no decent pay rates and no time off.

to assume anyone in a union is a slack worker is insulting- I am a proud member, AND i work hard- and i expect equal rights for everyone

[79HZGTS]

@Kastralis,

Yes. Unions = collective agreements. Collective agreements mean that everyone gets the same payrise. Why should the losers be allowed to benefit off the high performers? Doesn't seem fair to me.

[iufasia]

@79HZGTS thanks for the comments, but what you are saying is false. Collective agreements do not mean everyone gets the same. A collective agreement can include items such as incentive bonuses and differential pay scales according to skills and qualifications.

[MrSystematica]

@iufasia also you get examples of young workers starting off- and the boss states "oh your first week is training, so you dont get paid" how would the liberals out here such as kastralis justify this?

[MRMILO57]

ONE THING IS FOR SURE......ANY GOVERNMENT THAT MENTIONS 'CLIMATE CHANGE'....ETS....CARBON TAX....SUPER MINING TAX.....will self destruct and it's very clear now, the above mentioned is pure poison!

Rudd always was a dud.

[DaveC86]

how stupid the union movement has become.... you guys want to have your cake and eat it too, with absolutely NO understanding of economics... go read some Henry Hazlitt, Walter Block, Ludwig von Mises, Murray Rothbard etc. and learn how union coercion has only served to lower real wages and slow the improvement of working conditions in australia and all around the world. im all for higher living standards and safe work, but the union policies (morally and economically) have it backwards.

[iufasia]

@DaveC86

Thanks for the comment. The evidence on real wages is exactly the opposite--countries with strong unions enjoyed the most significant real wage growth in the 20th Century. The inverse (low/declining union density = low/no real wage growth) also holds true. Right-wing libertarian economics (von Mises et al.), aka free market fundamentalism, is the root of the worst economic disaster since the 1930s.

[Tuathalful]

LOL, you bloody LIAR. We both know that's untrue. Perhaps you should read a little on ethics and morality before you continue to spew such unsubstanciated mis-information? Shame on you. The fact is you ARE NOT for higher standards of living, or workers rights or safe workplaces. Please either piss off for being lying union bashing scum, or educate yourself. The authors you mention respresent only very narrow and debunked mythologies concerning capitalist economics; yet u treat them like Gospel?

[malachy1847]

@DaveC86 Remember the Eureka Stockade!

[Travixius]

I will never forget that day. It was the biggest example of media manipulation of facts ever presented. The largest protest in Australian history and the news opened at 6 with motorists being interviewed about how they were annoyed at the road closures for the march. Disgusting! Mr. Murdoch and the Packer Group had a vested interest in Workchoices maybe?

[Socrates1854]

Unions have a place protecting workers rights to fair treatment and good working environment. However they have no right to decide how businesses should be run and the direction they take.

Australian Unions are hamstringing our economic flexibility!

[iufasia]

Workers and unions have every right to negotiate and influence conditions which exist in the workplace and in broader society. That's what democracy is all about and why unions have spent more than a century fighting to defend and extend democracy around the world.

[iufasia]

It's easy to complain about unions, but unions are dependent on people joining and being active in the union. That's what this video is about--workers in unions being active and defending rights--everybody's rights!

[crackers95]

Thats so Ture blue

Go the Workers

[SnottyAust]

Unions defend workers...the people who made this country great. Howard and his fellow rodents on multi-million packages are the biggest bludgers in Australia and the cops are now thier police agents.

[torpedodropkick]

slavery :the next step down fron workchoices.

[bluecheese202]

Great video mate! I am 100% supportive of the Union movement in Australia.

[sgtkicker111]

you would have to be mad to vote him in anybody could cop this in there work place know one is safe.

i have a brother that was sacked for not signing on the dotted line.

[SavannahR8]

I'm sick of companies and this federal government saying that Australia is struggling, they are right we are rich in assetts and cash. This vid is well done because it's everyday people taking a stand.