Arise, Ye Workers
There have been a few well-publicised cases of unfair dismissals taking advantage of the government’s new industrial relations laws already and a few instances of the government being embarrassed into forcing some instances to be reversed, but this is only the beginning. Small businesses and franchises may find themselves having to pull their heads in a bit, at least initially, but that’s not going to last and it’s not at all true of the big companies, who’ll be better positioned to take advantage. There are plenty of ads in the paper for Human Resources specialists in the new legislation, and it’s obvious what that’s about. While office workers aren’t often members or even eligible to be, the unions are gearing up for the battles to come, and there’s a whole political party with its roots in the labor union movement. Meanwhile, head out to Hyde Park North on Sunday, 7 May at noon for the May Day International Day of Workers Rights & Peace march. Let ‘em know you want to work and your rights.