As Shaun Micallef says in his program title, I’m mad as hell!
Posters will accuse me of being biased and that’s just bad luck. I have nothing to gain from my outrage on this subject so let’s get that out of the way pronto.
As if the Government doesn’t insult the servicemen and women enough by offering them a pay rise of way below inflation, they are now offering, yes offering, nothing to their own employees, in the latest round of EBA bargaining, after delaying the discussions interminably.
They still want offsets though! Offsets for what? They say, let’s have productivity increases but we’re not going to pass any savings or productivity increases on to those who deliver them!
I’ve heard of ambit claims but a zero pay increase is just about the limit.
The CPSU and other unions are rightly upset on behalf of its members. It was good to see the members of the CPSU flex their muscles in Garema Place.
Guerrilla warfare by not answering phones; not doing some correspondence is ok to a point. Black listing any ministerial support, any support for senior departmental executives will have just as effective an outcome. It may come to strike action but look out for balaclavas and attack dogs. Remember Mr Abbott worked with Peter Reith!
But I’m not sure that the private sector is supportive of their public sector colleagues in this war.
They talk about shiny bums, fat cats and lazy bureaucrats. They don’t acknowledge that these are the same people who use their wages to keep them in business, especially small business. Small and medium business needs to remember that they are in a vulnerable slot in the economic food chain.
I’m also not sure that the general public are on board with the fight either. This calls for action.
Because, if the government gets away with this theft of workers’ rights and conditions, the private sector will be next. The business mandarins will take heart that they too can offer zero wage increases while putting up their prices and pay packets.
Zed Seselja says that addressing the budget crisis left by Labor is more important than pay rises for ordinary families. What? We are not in a budget crisis. This fallacy has been blown away ages ago.
We can spend billions blowing people up in the Middle East but we can’t afford to offer the lower paid public service family some hedge against the inflation which has been caused in recent times by price increases far more than wage increases.
Where is Senator Seselja’s loyalty? Where it has been always – to Zed Seselja. He won’t ever get a ministry in an Abbott government while he sticks up for the predominant employment group in his electorate of the ACT.
Interesting that at least Gary Humphries tried to buffer the effects of the Howard government’s assault on Canberra! With little effect but at least he tried. His successor doesn’t even try!
Now for those who accuse me of self-interest or political bias… I got a pension increase last time of a net near nothing. I had a whinge and got on with it. But I don’t have a family to support. I don’t have dependent costs such as school fees and kids’ sporting costs. I don’t have a large family with a lot of hungry mouths to feed. My daughter didn’t get preferential treatment with scholarships either!
So if there is going to be a zero wage increase let there be zero price increases as well. Like this is going to happen! Not!
I’d like to see the government become reasonable about a decent and legitimate wage increase and in lieu of this real industrial action – work to rule and national street marches.
Just let me know where and when and I’m in! I’m mad as hell!
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