When can we come eat at the restaurant you own?
1 Like
Just a slightly amusing (if irrelevant) anecdote on the Painters & Dockers - my old man worked in that industry back in the day. Gave me one of their union t-shirts which ended up in my bottom drawer. When Mrs Two Dogs was heavily pregnant she needed something oversized to cover her big belly and chose the t-shirt as her nightie. Always raised a smile as she waddled down the hall with the words ‘We Catch & Kill Our Own’ emblazoned across her back.
7 Likes
3 Likes
■■■■■■ good band. And they had a trio of REAL musos too — Mick Morris on tenor sax and Dave Pace on trumpet, as well as Paul Stewart, vocalist & song-smith who also played trumpet.
2 Likes
I’ll always remember them as the Band whose crowds started “Moshing” as it eventually came to be known.
Great post. Quoted again so people can take it in.
4 Likes
Yes, that was an awkward surprise. For the young ones here, Malcolm Fraser and the Libs called a RC thinking they would have an almighty bash at unions.
The surprise was that the RC discovered the biggest crooks were in fact at the top end of town, swindling billions of dollars via “bottom of the harbour” tax swindling schemes.
5 Likes
Strange isn’t it that when Unions are front page news for days - it’s over amounts from $10k to, I dunno $250k, or over some taxi vouchers. Someone will no doubt correct me.
But when business steals $7 billion from superannuation entitlements, or $3, $4 or $5 billion in stolen wages, it dissapears off page-1 after one day, if it ever gets there. I reckon it’s more often found on page four in a 3cm by by 1.5cm article.
Yeah, my impression, probably left wing leanings but it’s still how I view it.
6 Likes
Don’t own one, never have, never will- don’t have family or friends that do either.
Happy to fry you some eggs cause that’s the extent of my hospitality
And that’s not bad. I great knocks at the door by firing a sawn off shotgun loaded with salt peter through the mail slot.
*May or may not be true.
*Salt peter might, or might not be swapped out for elephant shot if the perpetrators are identified as Fark Carlton supporters.
Actually the fall in union density is complex and certainly not attributable only to ‘union bashing’. I was employed in one industry for 30+ years and was a union rep for a short while. My observation over that time was that union membership uptake declined largely through the indifference and selfishness of younger, newer staff members. The union, irrespective of workforce participation, was always a vigorous negotiator come enterprise bargaining time, a reliable ally in the arm-wrestle with management over terms and conditions and it achieved a host of benefits for members and non-members alike. So why pay $50+ a fortnight when someone else’s contribution can pay the reps’ wages. Selfish.
3 Likes
Totally shooting off the hip here but it seems a lot more people are self employed or employed in smaller business now.
I would guess union membership hasn’t changed that much in big workplaces (ie hospitals, big construction sites, Aus post, universities etc) - they just aren’t as big a proportion of the workforce.
2 Likes
My cousin, Chris O’Connor is the guitarist with the ponytail in the clip at the back. Loved their music and loved their film clips.
I asked him once about how they came to be called Painters & Dockers, and it is a very amusing tale that shall not be repeated.
2 Likes
And casual workers are a significantly greater proportion of the workforce than when unions were at their most effective.
If you’re casual you’re pretty screwed, union or not.
4 Likes
Casual sex is a bad thing now?
Post deleted.
People leave jobs much more easily these days too.
If the conditions or pay aren’t good you get another job. 50 years ago you wanted to work for life at one place and thus had a vested interest in making sure the conditions were the best they can be.
Workplaces like health, education and police are different beasts with standard conditions across all workplaces so unions still have a big role to play.
David Pace was my Grade 5 school teacher.
The law says conditions are standardised across industries, whichever industry it is.
Yeah nah,
Minimum working conditions sure, but if your lucky enough to be white collar professional you aren’t assessing a workplaces adherence to minimum standards. Your picking between a whole heap of non standard perks.