Why remaining silent on the fight for other people’s wages could be bad for your health
Originally published on Polyfeministix
Many Australians will shy away from talking about, discussing and signing petitions that fight for the rights of wages and benefits for our fellow Australians.
Since the Howard era of Work Choices, and individual agreements, and his war on collectivism, we have seen a dramatic decline in union density and the Abbott Government has done its best to stigmatize and de-legitimize the hard work that Unions do in Australia.
This brings about the problem of people from all walks of life, not wanting to get involved in protests and social awareness campaigns about ‘other people’s wages and benefits.’ Many people also do not want to get involved or sign up to a union, which is simply a collective body of workers joining together to fight for wages and conditions.
Now the right-winged thinkers, Australian Liberals and Libertarians will do their best to shame you and ridicule you for fighting for wages and conditions. They will call you a dirty filthy Marxist, a Communist and a radical socialist. They will also tell you it is “unAustralian” and it is unions who have ruined the country. However, people who are not in this group and who have fought for the wages and conditions and stood in solidarity, know that it is far more than that. They know that what we value in Australian working life was fought for by the workers.
What we have now is the Liberals now trying to reap the rewards of their hard earned messages to decimate unions and collective action. In Queensland there is a situation, that is absolutely dire. Every single business owner and manager in the public sector should be fighting for the best talent. The best talent is what makes organisations great. In one area this is absolutely critical is in our Health Sector.
The Conservative arms of Government have spent years and years stigmatizing unions and collectivist fights for better wages and conditions, so they could pull stunts like they are now.
Political greedy stunts that might save a few short term dollars, but have very long term health implications for the every day Australian. For your mum, grandma, granddad, children, babies and loved ones.
The Campbell Newman Queensland Government want to introduce a two tiered wages system, which will see a lower level of wages for entry level health professionals. What this is aimed to do, is to drive the talent towards the Private Sector, where the QLD Government wants to outsource so many areas of public health.
The Campbell Newman’s next agenda (and no doubt Abbott’s) will be to:
Privatise Health, based on the argument that the Public Sector is unsustainable and cannot attract the right talent.
To maintain and attract the best talent in our public sector system, it is essential that all Australian’s stand up to their state Governments and to the Abbott Governments “pressure to sell public assets” to the States and their agenda on privatisation.
To ensure the best in health care is given to all Australians, do NOT let the QLD Government set this precedent, or your state will be next.
Please sign and share this petition, or we will end up with a poorer, ineffective health system. Don’t let the Government use the argument that they cannot attract talent to privatise our health system.
Petition: Stop Building A Two Tier Health System
Stand up and be counted! As Gough would say “It’s Time”
16 comments
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Kez -
Trish Corry -
flohri1754 -
Peter Dwyer -
townsvilleblog -
Anomander -
trishcorry -
Wayne Turner -
Wayne Turner -
Trish Corry -
Sir ScotchMistery -
Wayne Turner -
Trish Corry -
Win jeavons -
Lee -
Shaun Newman
Return to home pageAppallingly, I hear that this has already started in Qld with new doctors’ wages to be about 25% lower at the start of next year.
Thanks Kez – do you have anymore info on this please?
As the result of an almost insane train of thought, many in the Liberal/National and IPA camp seem to have an overwhelming desire to take Australia down the American path. Just viewing the calamity that often ensues in that country as a result of so many of its blinkered policies being enacted by people with no empathy for others almost overwhelms. Almost proof that humans can’t learn from the mistakes of others — they have to experience the pain themselves before they realize the need for a caring society …..
Discusting what the right gets away with since Federation never paying Tax etc thats what last election was all about the greedy getting greedier to get rid of a social justice ALPGovernment shame shame
peter
Trish privatization has a domino affect where the more that is privatized the more has to follow until there is nothing left. Every privatization restricts revenue to government, making it even more difficult to maintain existing services until there are no government services left i.e. USA and those without income cannot access services and so slowly, painfully exist on stale bread.
This is the overwhelming Libertarian message – that you are better off alone, without government intruding into your private life – that we all need to out-compete each other in a dog-eat-dog world where only the fastest and smartest deserve the right to survive and those who can’t should fend for themselves. The trite argument – why should my hard earned tax dollars pay for dole bludgers and single mothers?
Brainless, mindless, soulless consumerist idiocy.
Our species survived to reach ascendancy predominately because of our capacity to share knowledge and work, so each was supported under the division of labour.
Thanks to such rabid Libertarian thinking humanity is on a rapid downward spiral to extinction.
Spot on Anomander. The liberals are not conservatives anymore, they are neo-liberalists. Friedman style. There are so many flaws in neo-liberalism, It would be a blog post every day for years, so I won’t go into it. Let is just say it is the ideology of selfish bastards, that is very, very flawed, with very bad ramifications on society.
Great article.
Just look at how these Libs treat their so called mates in the military,with the piss poor pay (dis)agreement they have been forced on.
The rest of us should be correctly worried for the rest of us aka the non-Libs mates.
If people don’t fight for others working rights and conditions,who will fight for them when they are being screwed over.
it’s clear these Libs game is to destroy (DEMONIZE AT THE LEAST) unions ie: Royal Commission,etc,etc…….
Then bring back Work Choices without the name of course.
AS WORKERS WE MUST ALL FIGHT FOR DECENT WAGES AND CONDITIONS TO STAY..
Selfish bastards sums them up beautifully.Sadly they encourage the ignorant to be selfish too,but the ignorant that are selfish,are too ignorant to know what is in their own self interest.
Hear, Hear Wayne – well said. We must fight for everyone’s decent wages and conditions to stay.
Well written article but for one single item:
“Right wing thinkers…”
An oxymoron of epic proportion.
Agree they don’t think,they blindly follow….. MSM mainly.
Hahaha good pick up scotch ministery so true
Revolutions are ugly but happen when the alternatives are worse. I wonder when the US will reach that point followed as ever, by us?
I’ve worked in the public health sector since 1987. What is “better” health care? It all depends on one’s situation. In an acute life-threatening situation I’d rather be in a public hospital. If I have a rare problem awaiting a diagnosis I’d rather be in a public hospital. If I’m having a critical bleed I’d rather be in a public hospital. If I experience problems during labour and birth I’d rather be in a public hospital.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-12-17/almost-600-companies-did-not-pay-tax-in-2013-14/7036324 The LNP has not sought to deliver a fair amount of taxation, which big businesses have been avoiding payment of for years. These figures are only now available because of Labor legislation under the Gillard government.