Australian Strike

Would you ever work an extra 9 minutes at your job every day for no pay? Well, that’s exactly what is happening to Australian tax workers. The Australian Tax Office recently announced that they expect to put forward a proposal soon that could force staff to be at their desks for additional time every day for no extra pay. What a shock? Well, in all schisms between workers and large organizations in unionized places of the world, there is always a fighting force to negotiate and bargain employment conditions. Geoff Lapidos, a representative from the Australian Services Union told MailOnline that ASU will not accept any push from the government to make staff work closer to 5:00 p.m. and they will not make any compromises on working conditions or employment changes.

Yet, this is not the first time that public sector unions refused to compromise on a deal with employers. The Public sector unions have already put up a fight against the government agency Geoscience Australia the Defense Departments for trying to make the same decision that the ATO is making, but have had reasonably little success. Throughout Australia’s history, the country has faced numerous strikes and had multiple conflicts with unions. A few of the most famous ones have included:

1. The Great Shearers Strike of 1891 which occurred due to a result of a lack of pay, poor working conditions, and an influx of foreign workers taking jobs as shearer for low wages.

2. The 1929 Timber Workers Strike which occurred as a result of distressed lumber workers having an extended work week from 44 to 48 hours. The unions fought for their rights and thousands of workers went on strike, but eventually the court’s decision to extend working hours was upheld.

3. The 1946 Pilbara Strike was a dispute by native, Australian pastoral workers in Western Australia for human rights recognition and payment of fair wages and working conditions.

4. The 1949 Australian Coal Strike was the first time that the Australian military took action and used force in a labor excursion. This strike was caused as a continuation of the 1948 Queensland Railway Strike, a demand by workers for a shorter work week, an increase in wages and an inclusion of a long service leave.

5. The 1989 Australian Pilot’s Dispute was one of the most expensive and dramatic strikes in Australian history. The union’s purpose in striking was to fight for higher wages, better working conditions, and to have a 9-5 P.M. workday.

All of these strikes had reasonable size impacts, but the unions have had a difficult time actually making reforms and creating better employment conditions. Will the ASU have any significant impact on the ATO’s decision to increase workers week by 45 minutes? Only time will tell.  See more Tax News on Australiantax!

Photo via Nationaal Archief