Modell for full Employment in Australia
Content:
The four pillars to full employment
Social Inclusion - Employability
Equal Opportuntity - Democracy
Continue to
Pillar 1
Pillar 2
Pillar 3
Pillar 4How to browse this site
This page contains the the overview of the modell and the introduction to the four pillars of full employment. Double click on underlined and differently coloured links to get to other places on the web site or visit web pages outside of this page. If you want to come back you have to click on the Back button of your browser.
The pillar pages contain many links and more in depth outline of the topics covered. A sidebar with a pillar serves as navigation tool to get to the topic of your interest and link to the model home page and the other pillars.
Under each major topic you will find a link to submit your ideas, use it as often as you like. Or collect you ideas all in one e-mail and send it off from anywhere on this site.
Innovative Browsing and many happy ideas!
Disclaimer
Many of the ideas on this page will be old and have come from other people's hard work. We do not claim ownership on any of these ideas as we have off and on discussed things with friends, listened to other comrade's stories and spoke to academics and other learned experts.
Wherever we could identify a source of our ideas we have added a link, sometimes we come up with ideas others have had and we are not aware of those. So this is an idea bank, not a referenced journal. We apologise if someone feels we have stolen their idea and ask anyone to contact us and submit their ideas and links.
This site was put together by volunteers, unpaid and unemployed (one employed person) people.
Anyone is invited to contribute. Please send us your messages by clicking on the links on the pages
Please forgive hasty and sloppy editing, there was not much time but an urgency to get this into the public forum.
The web master and the Un(der)employed People's Movement against Poverty Inc. does not carry any liability for the damage arising from using one of the links to outside web pages. We are not responsible for other rganisation's or individual's web sites.
We also do not necessarily share the opinion of contributors to these pages.
Enjoy your creativity!
Each good and solid construction is build on a strong foundation, something everyone can relate to, principles which have shown over time to build stable, wealthy and peaceful societies.
Every human being has physical, emotional, mental and spiritual/social needs.
These are four levels of being and belonging, of existence and they are forever interwoven.
These four levels are reflected in the four elements of our foundation. These elements are building the floor on which our construction, the model of full employment will sit. Without these essential values and principles in our society we cannot build the wall and put a roof over our society. Our foundation is build on the principles:
- Sharing - of commonly owned resources and equal and fair distribution of profits, protection, management and maintenance of our environment, food and water resources
- Solidarity - with and appropriate support for the weakest links of our societal and global chain
- Democracy - participation in decision making processes for all
- Respect - for and observance of the International Conventions of Human, Social and Economic Rights
Any society will have members who produce and maintain goods and services, those who care for those who need a hand, those who plan and manage distribution and rights and those, who need a hand, sometimes for a short period of time, sometimes for life and those who live off the back and production of others, the profiteers.
It is unrealistic to expect that this basic 'class division' will be eradicated in a swoop of insight or a revolution. Australia has come a long way, the ethic of a fair go has served this society. Some policies have created division and injustice, therefore despair, anarchy and crime: the relentless attempts to suppress the rights of the Indigenous people here have created despair, alcoholism, suicide and violence, unemployment, ill health and shocking living conditions for our First Nation. Australia does not value its whole history, and the parts it values are often hollow. The fight against German Fascism, here against the Japanese, happened mainly off shore. While the suppression and inhumanity in Australia was considered justified, and still is, as the current support for the policy of keeping refugees in concentration camps shows, the fight against foreign fascism was glorified (and still is). Those who fight for Australia against foreign fascists are made into heroes, those who fight the fascists in Australia are labeled traitors and at best 'do-gooders'.
Each of the principles of the foundation contain a rafter of issues, none of which can be touched on here. However other sites may are already exploring the foundations of an ethical society. If you do want to explore the topic further or can offer more information and links on this issue please contact us!
We will publish received links on our links page under 'ethical society'.
The image of the four pillars has been taken from the European Union and other countries (such as Denmark and Germany) who adapted their four pillars in their planning. For further information on the Amsterdam Treaty and the Agreements relating to achieving full employment go to http://europa.eu.int/comm/employment_social/elm/summit/en/papers/concl.htm
On this foundation stand four pillars which are capable of carrying a strong roof, which enable all of us to live in a protected and strong society and to lead a fulfilling life, enjoying the privileges of employment and other remunerated contributions that come with them.
The four pillars are:
1 Health and wellbeing at work
2 Social justice, increase employability
3 Strong support for innovative and committed entrepreneurs, training and research
4 Equal opportunity, a fair tax system and a supportive Social Security system,
Key Partners in this scheme must be:
- Politicians, leadership is required on all levels of government
- Lifelong lerning and vocational education sector, create a culture of learning
- Employer Organisations and employers supporting training, up-skilling, family friendly workplaces, greater creativity and an orientation towards the future competitiveness of Australian business
- Unions, committed to the creation of family friendly workplaces and cooperative jobshare and rotation practices
- Community Organisations representing the rights and interests of people with disabilities, single parents, carers, and the unemployed to monitor the balance between incentive and sanctioning
- and the job seekers of all walks of life.
We, UPM against Poverty's members invites you all to participate and contribute your ideas. Send them to us by e-mail, we will find a way to publish them on this web site.
Once we have build the whole system the four pillars can hold a roof.
Monika Baker created this final 'triumphant' model of full employment and where the foundation and these pillars can lead us. See for yourself and improve these graphics! Send us your concepts if you wish them to be published.
Pillar 1: Health and Wellbeing at Work
Create healthy, less stressful work environments, eradicate bullying and include staff in decision making and planning activities. Call on the potential of all staff members. Allow family friendly practices, introduce family leave, by employing an unemployed person over the period of leave. Restrict overtime and shorten the working hours per week.
The introduction of the 35hour week and restricted overtime has created in itself a significant increase in full time employment in France. It has been expanded and exported to other countries such as Italy. According to most employees they have felt less stressed and enjoyed their free time with the family. Unfortunately many have not benefitted as much and feel the result of the wage freeze, introduced in exchange for no wage loss when the working week was reduced by 3 hours per week.
As a result profit and turnover have risen, while absenteeism and sick days have been markedly reduced.
Most importantly: Review career goals of staff and send certain staff members (who so choose) on study/training leave. Training incentives ought to be funded by Government as well as financial support during time of study. Employer hires unemployed and trains them or the unemployed person has already been trained in anticipation of this job coming up by identification of job bottlenecks in certain industries.
The maintenance of a bully free work environment with good career opportunities, supportive managers and family friendly work policies guarantees the loyality of staff and a job rotation scheme supported by training increases job satisfaction and greater cooperation in bigger companies. All these measures supported by ethical management must have a positive influence on the health and well being of staff.
The union's role needs to be more promoted and it should be extended to focus on building liaisons and networks with other key players interested in creating a new model of work and economic strategies to increase growth.
For further expansion on Pillar 1 policies please go to our Pillar 1 page. You will find many more ideas and comments to this part of the policy packet.
Pillar 2: Social Justice - Increase Employability
Social Justice is about inclusion and achieving maximum participation and access to those institutions which advance job seekers career goals.
Social Justice is also about the right to participate fully in decision making processes, especially if the policies created affect a particular group of people. Democratic participation strategies and mechanisms need to replace the old system of representing the interests of someone else. it is not good enough to consult with the experts or academics. They need to be consulted, but so do the people having to live with the consequences.
Advocacy agencies run by disadvantaged groups, affected individuals, community members and citizens especially from low socio-economic backgrounds, people with disabilities and especially the unemployed are not asked for their advise. Advocacy bodies are overstretcht and cannot adequately respond to all the calls for assistance.
So how can more social inclusion be achieved? Obviously by increasing the employability of everyone and supporting participation of ordinary people in decision making processes.
In regards to employment, the increase of employability is very important. The provision of employment services to assist job seekers and employers is crucial. The European countries have taken or are suggesting many interesting measures to improve their service delivery.
Without focusing too much on sanctions and breaching, one thing has to be stated: the current punitive measures are absolutely unacceptable and increase the cycle of poverty for individuals and for our communities. They are unnecessary and only serve one purpose: to increase the availability of cheap labor at appalling conditions. They are actually counterproductive to full employment.
So is the current Work for the Dole scheme. It prevents the creation of more employment and undermines self directed and truly voluntary contributions to the community. It keeps people busy and puts them at the same level as people who are serving their sentences for criminell offenses in the form of community services work. Only the people working off their sentences finish after a period of time, while Work for the Dole and Community workers have to repeat their sentence year after year. (see also letter under Volunteers)
See UPM's newsletters and Research and Information page for more on the topics and further links
We suggest the following:
- improve the existing Employment Services sector
- increase Lifelong Learning facilitation and access
- ease the process of Recognition of Competency
- assist Carers in fulfilling their career ambitions
- enable People with Disabilities to get to work and stay there
- discuss more broadly the impact of volunteering on the employment market.
Find more details and ideas about Pillar 2 by clicking here
Pillar 3: Support Entrepreneurship - Sustainability - Innovation
New enterprises, innovative technology and service development, and sustainable quality small business creation needs to be supported through incentives and subsidies. If we want to become a flexible, skilled, responsive, innnovative workforce, we need access to decent training. If we want to develop new technologies, products and energy usage we need research and development capacities and resources.
While existing industries ought to be maintained, in the long run all big industries need to make profits, ever increasing profits, and usually this happens by shedding jobs or finding cheaper labor. Does Australia really want to spend millions on enticing the big industrialists to shed more jobs and provide labor cheaper? Or do we need to look at who really creates growing employment?
Currently we are paying for development aids to Third World countries, which pay big companies incentives to move out of Australia and use cheaper labor. We cannot afford such policies, yet we may not be able to stop the trend.
However, many unions have made submissions to the government containing innovative ideas, for example to strengthen the manufacturing sector. The AMWU has presented more than just plans to promote a manufacturing cluster of small manufacturers who can work together and use common infrastructure and advice. Together several small manufacturers can produce something gigantic, for example in the alternative energy field or car manufacturing area.
Service Clusters could also be useful in the tourism and cottage industry area. These clusters could be combined in smaller regional and rural areas and expanded to a model of a cooperative owned by the local community which offers jobsearch, advise on subsidies and incentive schemes for employers, training and business creation, home care and maintenance services, tourism services, cottage industries and one or two industrial ventures based on local resources and expertise (for more info see ComCo-op model)
Not only do we need to create more employment, especially full time jobs, we also need to coordinate employer needs with available job seekers. Better identification of bottlenecks in the job market and responsive training coordination with employment services and industry are urgently needed. While the training sector seemed to be able to identify training needs, it has difficulties at times with the choice of priorities, largely due to restrictions in funds. Therefore only the telemarketers get trained, but not the teachers and doctors we need, they are too expensive.
Investment in training and development, higher education and research are the most crucial investments in our nation. Not training to educate a compliant workforce, but training to initiate a storm of creativity and opportunties.
Produced too many doctors and teachers? Oversupply only hurts if the market is saturated. Where the money should come from? Why does real investment for the future of this nation have to be financed with cake stalls, while the weapons and military industry spends 15 billion dollars of our money? Whom are we at war with? A handful of isolated and frightened refugees in leaky boats? Or do we think New Zealand is about to attack us?
While this kind of industry may create employment, the human and material resources could be put to better use. Learn how to convert salt water to drinking water and provide Third World countries with this technology, preferably at no cost and with no debts (technology has to be simple). The military research capacity could be used to heal the wounded from the many wars and detonate the millions of landmines still maiming people years after the conflict. We suggest to never again accept the argument that there is no money!
To get our economy going and create employment we need:
- A skilled and continuously learning workforce
- Social Enterprise
- Enterprise Clusters and other forms of small scale manufacturing
- Support Innovation, Training, Higher Education
- Co-Operative Economy
- Alternative Energy Developments and other Research and Development
Find more details and ideas about Pillar 3 by clicking here
Pillar 4: Equal Opportunities
Equal opportunities must also be a principle in every work place. Equal opportunities for women, equal rights for casual employees in long term relationships with their employers, no discrimination on the grounds of disability, racial background, age or sex.The International Convention on Human Rights outlines not only individual/personal and political rights, but also basic social and economic rights. The founding members of the Convention intended to put emphasis on the combination of these rights, whereas the western world has taken to the individual and political rights and neglected the focus on social and economic rights. Very few people are aware that one of the grounds a person should not be discriminated against is property status.
We have severe discrimination on the grounds of property. Unemployed people have to donate their worktime for free, or they do not receive social security, a basic human social right.
Herb Evatt, Australian delegate to the Committee drafting the Convention, argued "that the plan for collective security could not succeed unless it had a foundation in economic and social justice, especially full employment. He told the delegates: 'The great threat to human freedom we have been combating for five years arose out of and was made possible by an environment dominated by unemployment and poverty.
He predicted that the issues in the post-war era would be mainly economic. There was broad support for that view and it led to the adoption of a proposal that the UN Charter should list among its purposes the promotion of – again I quote - "higher standards of living, full employment, and conditions of economic and social progress and development." (Transcript Radio National, Encounter, Sunday, 11/8/2002) at http://www.abc.net.au/rn/relig/enc/stories/s642595.htm
The following themes are suggested in addition to expanding on equal opportunity and human rights.
Pillar 4 web page contains more information on
- Affirmative Action
- Community Participation
- Fair Tax System
- Social Security
- Reclaiming Ethics
To view ideas in more details and find articles and ideas go to Pillar 4 web page.
Summary
Should maternity leave, restricted overtime, job sharing and training/study leave be introduced in a company and they employ long term unemployed, mature aged people and/or people with a disability in positions which have become available, there is a chance that this measure alone will reduce unemployment significantly.
