WORKPLACE RELATIONS FRAMEWORK INQUIRY SUBMISSION: Mary Tehan; Ultimacy February 1st 2015 This submission will appear in point form for ease of reading and is being made in for the Productivity response to the Australian Government’s request Commission to explore possible improvements to ’s workplace relations system. Assumptions Every system is limited by its overarching structure/s and policies. Apart from death at work, the greatest concern in 21st century workplace relations is fear of unemployment and fear of business viability (includes income security and identity issues). the majority of 40-60 year old The “options” (“choices”) generation, that is, employed people, have a different perception of the meaning of the term (choices) of working/school age. For “options” than today’s young people these 40-60 year olds, have been embedded in their culture in “options” ways that nurture and support life-long commitments. Mutuality and shared responsibility are possible within this culture. For younger people, work casualisation has also become embedded within a highly, fragmented, postmodernist culture. In this unprecedented period of rapid change, the notion of commitment now means: serial monogamy; health, family and work relationships increasingly forged and maintained through use of technologies; and a capacity for high mobility (local and international), resulting in a redefinition (and loss) of the notion of shared responsibility. in this other culture, has the markings of “Options”, “project-based the notions of mutuality and shared responsibility have styles” where become distorted and more fragmented. Background The current Workplace Relations Framework (WRF) has been responding to work-related issues based on an outdated set of assumptions (points 1 & 3). An ageing population, changing labour markets, increasing constraints on economic performance, reduced government spending capacity, and increasing youth poverty and social exclusion, are all contributing to the need to maintain social protection policies whilst also ensuring the strengthening of preventative
WORKPLACE RELATIONS FRAMEWORK INQUIRY SUBMISSION: Mary Tehan; Ultimacy February 1st 2015 This submission will appear in point form for ease of reading and is being made in response to the Australian Government’s request for the Productivity Commission to explore possible improvements to ’s workplace relations system. Assumptions Every system is limited by its overarching structure/s and policies. Apart from death at work, the greatest concern in 21st century workplace relations is fear of unemployment and fear of business viability (includes income security and identity issues). The “options” (“choices”) generation, that is, the majority of 40-60 year old employed people, have a different perception of the meaning of the term “options” (choices) than today’s young people of working/school age. For these 40-60 year olds, “options” have been embedded in their culture in ways that nurture and support life-long commitments. Mutuality and shared responsibility are possible within this culture. For younger people, work casualisation has also become embedded within a highly, fragmented, postmodernist culture. In this unprecedented period of rapid change, the notion of commitment now means: serial monogamy; health, family and work relationships increasingly forged and maintained through use of technologies; and a capacity for high mobility (local and international), resulting in a redefinition (and loss) of the notion of shared responsibility. “Options”, in this other culture, has the markings of “project-based styles” where the notions of mutuality and shared responsibility have become distorted and more fragmented. Background The current Workplace Relations Framework (WRF) has been responding to work-related issues based on an outdated set of assumptions (points 1 & 3). An ageing population, changing labour markets, increasing constraints on economic performance, reduced government spending capacity, and increasing youth poverty and social exclusion, are all contributing to the need to maintain social protection policies whilst also ensuring the strengthening of preventative
sub0016-workplace-relations.docx