fatvegan

Mr Howard said the fairness test would guarantee that, if people traded off their penalty rates and overtime loadings, they received fair compensation in return.

"I would have thought that was a very fair proposition," Mr Howard told Parliament.

"It was never intended when we introduced this legislation that it would become the norm that that would occur.

So Howard never expected that employers would negotiate the best deals they legally could? That seems a little naive, even for Howard. The whole point of Howard's workplace laws are that there is no such thing as "fair compensation" and that the market should determine appropriate compensation. Does he want fairness, or does he want efficiency and flexibility?

I think Howard has realised that people actually give a shit when you cut their wages or benefits. They won't just take it on the chin, and comfort themselves with the thought that it's for the good of the economy.