If you don't like your job, quit and get another one

From the department of all-jobs-are-equal-apparently:

Federal Health Minister Tony Abbott says workers who are unhappy with their employment should just look for a new job.

Mr Abbott was captured on amateur video speaking at a local electorate function earlier in the week, and admitted that workers' rights have diminished since WorkChoices was introduced.

The footage was screened on ABC TV's Lateline last night.

Mr Abbott said the best option for aggrieved workers was to find alternative employment.

"That is the best protection. Not going off to some judge, or industrial commission, that might order your employer, who you don't like, and he doesn't like you, to keep you in an unhappy partnership forever," he said on the video.

One week to go, the Coalition government is trailing significantly in the polls and then Tony Abbott has to say this. Honest? Yes. But his entire attitude comes across as blinkered and arrogant. With this sort of thinking, the Coalition deserve to lose.

People don't just want jobs, they want security, of which a steady job is an essential part. A worker would much rather stay and fight for his rights in one job than simply quit and find another one, especially if the pay is lousier, the hours worse and the location difficult to get to.

The entire IR legislation that the Coalition government imposed on Australian workers has resulted in higher employment levels (see the section on the Labour Market here). Yet since the legislation was passed studies have been showing a drop in median income levels. The statistics look good, but the people feel bad, and the reason is that unemployment stats don't recognise how important "feeling secure" is in a job.

Having studied the IR laws a bit more over the past few months I have to say that, while a change from the old system was necessary, the model imposed by the Coalition has not impressed ordinary Aussie workers. Certainly some businesses and employees have ended up happy with it, but the majority have not.

As a result, the people have abandoned the Coalition in droves. Rudd and co. aren't going to provide a Socialist utopia, but obviously people are sick of Howard.