IR reform no bad thing

For instance, given the choice, 99 out of 100 workers would take the cash value for sick pay and 100 out of 100 employers would jump at the opportunity to offer it. But in legislation called "work choices" the government has denied them that choice. So the bad news is that the permanent employment designation simply won’t be used very much at all.

However, it’s fortunate that the words "permanent" and "casual" no longer have their original meaning because this has left the door open for everyone to go down the "casual" route under the legislation. Therefore, the good news is that in every practical sense employers and employees have real choices that will translate into dollars for both. Hooray! Mr Howard has done good after all.

Workplace arrangements are all about keeping the machines running and paying people for what they do irrespective of when or where they do it. I predict that almost universally small businesses will move to both simple two or three page individual and collective agreements that set flat rates for every day of the year because it’s simpler and cost-effective for both parties.

Employers can better predict their costs. Workers can either earn more or work when it suits them. They can also get better regularity of income. They all know this. It's only the do-gooders, professional worriers and mediocre middle management who don't understand it. To keep good staff, even if they are technically designated “casual”, switched-on employers will also set up holiday pay arrangements and agree to reasonable termination provisions. No employer wants to sack people without good reason or reasonable notice. What else is there? Certainly not sick pay.

We will still keep Christmas, ANZAC Day, Australia Day and other public holidays, not because of Barnaby Joyce’s amendments, but because that's the way we are. Whether there is a specific penalty rate or not, if your particular job requires you to work on public holidays, it won't change our public holiday culture.

Apart from a lot of professional worriers, busybodies, interferers, serial pests and mediocre middle management losing their livelihoods, what on earth has all the fuss been about? Let me predict that in six months time everyone will be just quietly getting on with their lives, secure that finally the reasonable workplace arrangements to which they have agreed are not only legal but can't be interfered with.

This is no bad thing.