Thought of the Moment

[aesmael]

There is a lot of talk going on here at the moment about is about Industrial Relations laws and the reforms our government has put through despite vocal opposition from the public, where employers can require employees can require their employees to sign workplace agreements without rights and benefits Australian workers had previously been accustomed to.

The common defence, when people object to this, is to say something along the lines of 'If you don't like it then go take a job somewhere else instead of whining'. At the moment I am on unemployment benefits. One part of the agreement I was required to sign for this stipulates that I will be penalised by having my payments stopped for 8 weeks if I refuse to accept any suitable job offer - suitable being any job I am capable of doing. So if I find myself presented with job conditions I consider unfair I have the options of taking it anyway or dealing with zero income for perhaps two months. Fortunately I am in the position of having a family I can turn to for support when it is needed (indeed it was at the urging of my mother who considered the conditions I was working under disgraceful that I quit my previous job as soon as I did; I have no personal experience to judge what is fair and what is not), but I don't expect that everyone would have that option. Sometimes, you take what is offered or you don't eat.

Confession, that I am admittedly naive and ignorant on the matters of politics and economics and that economics particularly I must struggle to maintain any interest. These are nonetheless the thoughts I have formed.

Comments

[lost-angelwings.livejournal.com]

I'm tired of the "if you dun like it, leave" argument. :(

Life doesn't work that way... and people in societies and communities in theory should be working together instead of against each other. :\

Ppl who say that "defence" are ppl who dun have to worry about their next job or not having nething to eat. So to them, there's no problem. >:O

You're not naive. :)

[aesmael.livejournal.com]

I agree completely, except I still get to be naive, just intuitively right. :-P

[mantic-angel.livejournal.com]

This does indeed seem to be two policies which combine to put people in a very nasty and, to my mind, not terribly acceptable position. But then, I rather dislike how much of our* economy is built on jobs that only the desperate, who have no other recourse, would accept anyways (I find it more pleasant to think that spamming and cold-call sales are the sort of thing no decent person would do if given a choice)

*our seeming to encapsulate both countries, and I'd assume most all others as well.

[aesmael.livejournal.com]

*prompted to imagine a world in which willingness to spam and cold call is considered symptomatic of mental illness*