Welfare to Work
Losing a job may be just the beginning of problems for workers when the Howard government's IR system interacts with its so-called Welfare to Work policies. Under the Social Security Act, losing a job for alleged misconduct, leaving without a valid reasons as determined by Centrelink, or refusing a job offer is regarded as a breach of the "mutual" obligation activity test. The penalty from July 1 will be the withdrawal of Newstart or Youth Allowance for eight weeks.
Centrelink is obliged to investigate the circumstances before a penalty is imposed. Individuals are required to prove they've done nothing wrong but employers have no obligation to cooperate with inquiries. In fact, only reference to an employer's side of the story may be a mandatory Employment Separation Certificate. What if the certificate states that a worker was sacked because they were "unsuitable" or "unsatisfactory" or that they resigned for "personal reasons"? How will Centrelink respond?
A refusal to sign an unfair AWA contract could easily be interpreted by Centrelink as refusing a job offer, which results in an eight-week non-payment period.
The threat of arbitrary dismissal is likely to increase the incidence of workplace bullying, harassment, discrimination and unsafe conditions.
Workers could be faced with an odious choice between tolerating abusive conditions or leaving a job win the risk of being denied a social security payment for two months.
During 2005, 11,000 newly unemployed people were penalised by Centrelink. The government is forecasting that this year that 14,000 will suffer the double jeopardy created by it's feudal work and welfare regime.
Ron Baker
Director, Australian National Organisation of the Unemployed
South Brisbane
Apprentices
My stepson works as an apprentice for a local plumber in north-west Tasmania. He left school not long after he turned 18 and he began studying at TAFE, doing a certificate 1 and 11 in automotive trade. About six months after commpleting his TAFE studies, he got a job as a small-engine trainee with a lawn-mower business. He worked for these people for a very low income and had to work at Mitre 10 as well to supplement his income. This continued for a couple of years.
The small business was sold off and my stepson was out of a job before he could get an apprenticeship. Last year he got a job working for a small roof-plumbing business as a casual. Six months later, and at 21 and a half years of age, he was offered an apprenticeship with this firm.
His first year wage is $7.50 an hour. He has to find his own way to the job at hand from the employer's headquarters, getting no travelling allowance. This gives him $248 a week to pay for his rent, his car and petrol, food and not much else.
This is a boy that went to grade 12 and has now discovered his niche as a plumber and enjoys his work, but one wonders how anyone goes on to do an apprenticeship these days considering they are paid shocking wages. Little wonder we have a skills shortage in this country.
Andrew Paterson
via email
[Abridged]
ABC
Historian Keith Windschuttle, who has just been appointed to the ABC board, claims the ABC is in the grip of Marxist and radical values. On what basis does he make that assertion?
How about the Murdoch newspaper empire? Isn't it a hotbed of right-wing values?
The ABC gives extensive air-time to members of hard-right think-tanks, business lobbyists, and conservative politicians and authors. Peter Saunders from the Centre for Independent Studies has appeared on the ABC very many times to express his harsh views on social security.
If the ABC also gives some space to less conventional ideas that are rarely if ever covered by commercial stations, good on it. A public broadcaster should fill gaps left by private broadcasters.
One News Limited columnist recently claimed Kim Beazley's industrial relations policies will turn Australia into an economic Albania. Anyone concerned about journalism as propaganda should get their priorities right.
Brent Howard
Rydalmere, NSW
Friends of the poor?
Prime Minister John Howard's comment on June 19 in reference to his industrial laws and the creation of more jobs, that "we are friends of the poor in Australia", flies in the face of reality. On the same day, figures were released showing that housing unaffordability had risen to its highest level on record. Please explain, Mr Howard, the logic in how pushing down wages to an all-time low actually helps the aspiring voter to purchase their own home? Figures released by the productivity commission show that under the Howard government owner-occupied home purchases have fallen from 90% to now less than 60%. That means that 40% of future generations will never be able to afford their own home. While investors and landlords grow richer from negative gearing, capital gains and soaring rents the working poor have to pay more for everything else including health care, education and petrol. With friends like Howard who needs enemies?
Dr Colin Hughes
Glen Forrest, WA
East Timor
Sending soldiers to East Timor and criticising Indigenous people and Pacific governments is fairly sickening. After travelling through East Timor last July I thought of 55 simple projects that were desperately needed. As Shirley Shackleton says, if we had dire poverty and trauma upon trauma there would be unrest in Australia too — especially if half the army was sacked. Let's give back the oil and the land and show some respect. Peace comes from compassionate, viable and independent economies — unless George Bush writes Australia's policies.
Yvonne Francis
Queanbeyan, NSW
From Green Left Weekly, July 5, 2006.
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