I table this article for general awareness.
Peter Reith is the Federal Minister for Industrial Relations. He's loved by the big-end-of-town. His mission in life is to break the unions. All methods are legit. He's says so.

STORY LINK

Reith recipe for ritualised slaughter of the innocent
By PAUL ROBINSON
Wednesday 9 February 2000

In the sullen aftermath of the failure of his "second wave" of new industrial laws to pass Parliament last year, Peter Reith courted Victoria's big builders and manufacturers.

If the unstoppable Workplace Relations Minister could not get laws to outlaw industry-wide or "pattern" bargaining, then better to put a bit of steel into the employers. "Stand up to the unions" was Mr Reith's cry.

That is what is happening now in the building industry over pay and a 36-hour week and in the manufacturing industry where employers are opposing the unions' "Campaign 2000" for pay rises, shorter hours and limits on contract labor.

Employers are also playing hard in the power industry: BHP has been talking tough over contracts and airline employers are refusing to sign agreements without deals to outsource labor.

What is common to all is that old enterprise agreements have come to an end and new negotiations have begun. Under Mr Reith's radical laws, unions may take legally "protected action" - or, to some, "institutionalised thuggery" - in support of claims during this period.

There has been no sudden spate of union militancy. If anything, militancy is coming from employers who see legal room for modernising labor practices under new laws. Disputes have also risen as unions exploit loopholes in the Workplace Relations Act. This is now being tested after three years of operation, much to the angst of the courts.

Just this week Justice Howard Nathan said in the Supreme Court that Mr Reith's act had reduced industrial relations to a fight "redolent of the Grecians and the Spartans".

Justice Nathan said the courts had become the new industrial battleground and said Mr Reith's act had invoked "ritualised mayhem in which only the innocent are slaughtered".

Present industrial action is also cyclical. When Mr Reith used ABS figures to show rises in industrial action in the building industry, he was being cheeky. Rises corresponded with the end of many enterprise agreements in December and January, which paved the way for legitimate action.

What is different is that Victoria's employers have, for once, stood up to the state's powerful building unions. They have talked tough, they have gone to court, they have threatened stand-downs. But unions have the power to delay, putting intolerable cost pressure on projects. That is the law of the market.

Mr Reith's laws direct bargaining between employers and employees and do away with centralised wage fixing under the Industrial Relations Commission. They frown on, but do not outlaw, pattern bargaining in building and manufacturing. They do not outlaw power unions from taking protected action in support of their enterprise agreement and they permit employers to stand down workers in intractable disputes. It is a recipe for confrontation.

Color aside, current industrial action is also cyclical. When Mr Reith used the latest Australian Bureau of Statistics figures to show rises in industrial action in the building industry, he was being cheeky. Rises corresponded with the end of many enterprise agreements in December and January, which paved the way for legitimate action.

Mr Reith's laws direct bargaining between employers and employees and do away with centralised wage fixing under the Industrial Relations Commission. They frown on, but do not outlaw, pattern bargaining in building and manufacturing. They do not outlaw power unions from taking protected action in support of their enterprise agreement and they permit employers to stand down workers in intractable disputes. It is a recipe for confrontation.

The Premier, Mr Steve Bracks, has used emergency powers to intervene, in the public interest, to bring intractable employers and unions to the table. But the noble and political act has its pitfalls. Has Mr Bracks set a precedent for overriding federal workplace laws in the public interest? Would he intervene in a dispute over enterprise agreements with prison officers or child-care workers? Even Mr Reith would be wary of that.

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Comment:
When Peter Reith did not get his way he took his ball and bat and went home to mum. After spitting the dummy he dwelt on revenge. He's fanning the flames and supported by the big rough-n-tumble boys. They hadn't counted on voters tossing out the Liberals in Victoria though. It's a deep shock to them. Stay tuned for the next exciting episode....hehe

Regards from OZ

-- Pieter (zaadz@icisp.net.au), February 08, 2000

Answers

Jeez, who cares about this nonsense. Why are political posts like this allowed on this bb?

And please, enough posts about "Two-headed calf born in Melbourne" "75 homes in Sydney lose power" etc etc. Who cares!

-- (a@a.a), February 08, 2000.

"Jeez, who cares about this nonsense. Why are political posts like this allowed on this bb?" (a@a.a, February 08, 2000.)

Same reason pointless kvetching like this is, probably.

Anyone bored with a thread or any post therein should feel free to use their keyboard to explore "fresh fields and pastures new."

-- Tom Carey (tomcarey@mindspring.com), February 08, 2000.

And who cares to hear senseless babble about how those ignorant of their circumstance want different from what they've chosen. Learn to accept tyranny creates only misery and choose to get on the freedom train and appreciate those who pull it! Hint: Bureaucrats are excess baggage!

-- Howard Roark (nowork@noeat.com), February 08, 2000.

a@a.a

"For the same reason you post *your* blather..."

Simple...huh?

What, don't tell me you're a hypocrite too? oh my...

ummm...if you'd like to see "why" 'two headed calf' is so -"un- important"...why not visit http://www.bashar.com/GSP/houston1.htm

and "see" for yourSelf? Then maybe you will understand why it's "such a funny joke" (IMHO).

Just scroll down the webpage there until you see "The Farmer".

Have Fun!

(BTW: wasn't it also Hitler who said as you did above, "Hell, who Cares! Ah ha ha??")

Actually "a@a.a" a lot of People do; *that's* what holds the World together in case u didn't notice.

-- steve (WhoCares@nymore.Right?com), February 08, 2000.

Howard -

'good call...'

-- steve (WhoCares@nymore.Right?con), February 08, 2000.

Pieter, as you can see, there are a lot of nice people here who appreciate your post and your unfortunate situation in Australia. The Aussies are great people...we have a lot of them with our firm who come to our offices regularly, and my brother during his Navy duty during Vietnam said they were the only ones who met his ship at the dock and said, "Yankee come home," rather than "go home," and he had many wonderful dinners with a really special family there. May there be a good outcome to a bad situation in your country.

-- Elaine Seavey (Gods1sheep@aol.com), February 08, 2000.

Pietre, please keep up the posts about what is happening in your country. I am so ashamed and sickened by our US "news" media that none of these events have even been mentioned.

NH

-- NH (new@mindspring.com), February 08, 2000.

Pieter, don't let the trolls get you down. Remember every society has its fair share of ignorant jerks. People seem to forget we all belong to the human race.

-- David Whitelaw (Dande53484@aol.com), February 09, 2000.