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| Issue No 112 |  |
21 September 2001 |
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NewsFatigue a Life ThreatBy Michael Gadiel
Working hours should be considered a safety issue first and an EBA issue second, according to Drew Dawson, speaker at the union sponsored conference on fatigue. Drew Dawson, from the Centre for Sleep Research at the University of Adelaide raised concerns that the EBA process had undermined the standards governing hours of work. Effectively the concept of standard working time has been eroded largely in the pursuit of wage increases. By treating working hours as an industrial issue employees and unions are inevitably put in the invidious position of having to choose between income and fatigue. The solution is to treat working hours as a safety issue first and an industrial issue second. In this way the industrial parties would be free to negotiate working hours - but within the safety envelope. Drew also informed the delegates of a software program developed by the University called FAID - downloadable from the Internet from http://www.unisa.edu.au/sleep/links/default.htm. A roster can be loaded into the program and then analysed to assess the risk. Such a tool could prove very useful for Officials and delegates in negotiating safe rostering arrangements. The conference also heard speakers from the ACTU, ACIRRT and the Australian Democrats. They discussed the polarisation of working hours. With only 36% of the workforce working standard hours, the trend has seen the under utilization of employees working part-time and excessive hours for full time employees. Employers have been highly successful in the quest for an increasingly flexible workforce. The result has been, that employers have chosen to maximise the hours they can extract from their existing workers, rather than allowing individuals to better manage their work and family/life balance. According to the ACTU, the number of people working more than 49 hours per week as a percentage of the workforce has increased from less than 20% in 1978 to 32% in 1997 (ABS labour force surveys). This figure is the second highest in the developed world. Associated with this has been a dramatic increase in the use of compressed and extended shifts. Compressed shifts are where employees work a longer shift (usually twelve hours) however this is balanced by longer breaks between groupings of shifts. The three days on, four days off pattern would be typical. Extended shifts are the same but with fewer days off in-between periods of work. The conference concluded with a briefing from the ACTU regarding their reasonable hours test case. They are pursuing a reasonable hours clause for all awards setting new standards for working hours. Details of the ACTU reasonable hours case can be found at http://www.actu.asn.au/vunions/actu/article.cfm?objectid=88B1DB59-51A9-4EAB-96947A6FC111FD7E.
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   Interview: Exit InterviewMichael Costa looks back at his 14 years with the Labor Council to chart the highs, the lows and the bits in between. Parliament: Opening SalvoIn his Maiden Speech, delivered this week, Costa gave vent to his views on immigration, Marx, globalisation and mental health. Scandals: My Evil TwinCo-conspirator and 'intellectual soulmate' Mark Duffy recounts the legendary 'Leaked Paper' Affair and how its predictions soon came to pass. Politics: An Agent for ChangeFormer secretary Michael Easson argues that Costa was instrumental in redefining the factional balance in NSW in the wake of the Cold War. Review: The Thoughts of Chairman MCNeale Towart trawls the collected works of Michael Costa and looks at his love-hate affair with Marx. Factions: Kyoto SunsetNaomi Steer - the first left-winger to work at Labor Council in decades - recalls how she discovered the real Michael in a Karaoke lounge. History: A Proud TraditionFormer Premier Barrie Unsworth argues Costa enters Parliament as the best qualified Labor Council leader ever to make the transition. Psychology: The Man Behind the MaskCosta's predecessor Peter Sams argues that behind the bluff facade lay a loyal and caring friend. Seduction: Michael and MeChris Christodoulou recounts how Costa convinced him to cross the factional divide and take up residence in Sussex Street. Satire: Ode to LeonLong-time sparring partner, Peter Botsman submits this lyrical tribute to Costa's career.
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