Frankly Labor has been taking advantage of the unions for a very long time, consistently kneecapping them, and has been doing so back to the Hawke / Keating years. This isn't a "compromise" anymore, because the right just keeps on taking and taking.

[–] Gorgritch_umie_killa@aussie.zone 2 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Problem is theres a hard to break narrative about Unions in the public consciousness. So anything that can be spun as a handout to the "Unions", ~in common parlance, workers~, is easy fodder for media beat ups, and the people consuming those articles to 'tut-tut' about those "lAzy ANd coRrUPt UniONS".

[–] dillekant@slrpnk.net 4 points 1 month ago

I'm sorry, this could have convinced me in the early oughties but I'm worn out now. There's a song and dance about how powerful the Murdoch media is but firstly that's no longer as true as it was, and most importantly, any time Labor has had the chance to shut them down, they haven't taken it. Literally the laws which got Labor offices raided were supported by Labor. At some point I'm going to stop believing the "small target" strategy is a real strategy and start to believe that this is what Labor actually is deep down. The toothless NACC, the active protection of the perpetrators of Robodebt, making a rod for their own backs, this is just who Labor is.

There are other unions, and if I can take a minor detour, some of them, eg teachers and nurses unions are majority women, and Labor walk over them, time and time again, whereas unions like CFMEU and TWU will strike. Health and Education are being gutted from a skills perspective, and the lesson they're being taught is that if you stand up like the other unions, you'll get your necks cut off. COVID came and "went", and Labor were in power for a good chunk of it, and they've not had the Unions or the workers backs. The majority of deaths happened / are happening during Labor in government. How many of those were Teachers? Nurses? With friends like these...

What even is the point any more? What is there to lose when unions are basically unable to stand up to their own? When Labor must shunt to the right of the coalition. Some people blame the right for the "right wing ratchet", but to some extent this has been engineered by the left to make the right look less favourable to their voters. I don't give a shit about Labor, I want some fucking solidarity.