By Chris James
In an example of nanny-statism gone wild, we now discover that under the Fair Work Act’s so-called modernised retail award, one is not able to work for less than three hours a day.
This has resulted in the sacking of six youths from a hardware store in Terang because they were working 1.5 hours a day. This is a page one story in today’s Australian.
This excessive overregulation will boost youth unemployment, reduce work opportunities for youths, part-time mums and the ageing, delay young peoples’ introduction into the world of work and damage the businesses of retail employers.
Employment details such as this should purely be a matter for agreement between employers and employees.
This kind of thing is the consequence of big government trying to regulate everything we do.
I will leave you with a suitably Orwellian quote from Workplace Relations Minister Julia Gillard’s spokesperson.
“The government does not think it’s unreasonable to have a set of minimum standards for employees, including the minimum number of hours they can work across Australia, as has been brought in under the simplified modern system.”
Quite!
Julia was actually Winston’s girlfriend in 1984, ironically enough
Big Sister Julia is obviously a fan of absurdist humour.
Many people will recall the Deputy PM’s ceaseless calls for fair workplaces before the 2007 Federal Election. I’m sure a great many of those will now be aghast at her Government’s denying young people the opportunity to gain invaluable work experience.
Many young students work part time in retail to assist in paying for their education and this will send shivers down their backs and those of their parents.
So much for Julia Gillard’s Brave New World!