Mordor

KEVIN ANDREWS: “Over the last couple of days we’ve seen a continuation of the hysterical overreaction by the union movement to the Government’s proposed workplace relations changes.”

Actually I think the hysterical overreaction is more likely to be found within the legislation itself. It appears that the justification that this is necessary for economic growth doesn’t have much backing from economists, and in my view the support from industry groups has been a little lukewarm.

I attended the Canberra meeting this morning – apparently there were about 3000 people there, with attendance in the hundreds of thousands across the country. I think this will be a test for the unions. I also attended a briefing for CPSU members a few weeks back where I felt the key message was that we were just going to have to sit this out over the next two years and hope that the impacts were felt before the next election – a rather bleak and meek attitude I thought. Greg Combet’s statements today about the fines that could be imposed on union reps perhaps indicated a little more spirit (can’t find a link for that).

The tone of the warnings issued today by various employers regarding repercussions (supposedly under current laws) for those attending the rally made me wonder how much worse this sort of thing would become under the new legislation.

It seems that according to Kevin, its no use protesting now, we will all just have to experience the impact of the new legislation before we can properly reach a conclusion regarding its worth:
“Look, I think ultimately a thing like this, that the message as you say is the actual experience of it. It’ll be when people live and work under the changes that they will make their judgements individually and within their families about it.”

As has been said by many commentators, this legislation is likely to hit unskilled workers hardest (does that include people like me with only an arts degree?). It is also going to take some time for the impacts to be really felt.

The ABC reports that “Mr Andrews says the industrial relations debate in the Parliament, not in the streets, is the important thing”. Oh, that would be the debate that was cut short in the House of reps would it???

Walking out to the carpark at lunchtime today I observed dark clouds brooding over the parliament house flag pole, and, as thunder rumbled, it caused me to think a little of Mordor. Overreaction can be infectious I suppose.