Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
the widening inequalities in wages are curtailed, social solidarity is unlikely
to be achieved and, therefore, for those who are underemployed, receive low
pay, or who have casual contracts it is implausible that they will achieve a
reasonable work/life balance. This may be because they are trying to hold
down two jobs to achieve a reasonable working wage or working very long
hours in one job to try and retain them.
Implications for the future of work?
Polarisation and workplace inequality is likely to intensify as employment
regulations become more difficult to enforce and the diversity in rewards for
highly skilled and low skilled workers increase. Those who are mobile, highly
skilled and adaptable can take advantage of the opportunities offered by the
global labour market. Those who are not will be tied to the limited opportu-
nities offered by local labour markets. Table 10.2 illustrates that trade union
activity is declining while unprotected forms of employment are growing.
Accordingly trade unions will have to rethink their organising, mobilising
and servicing strategies in the face of more fragmented and insecure work
arrangements. As a British trade union official commented recently, unions
need to represent the small groups, all the independents who are outside the
organisation and who desperately need an association to provide a range of
ancillary services, such as education, legal help, protection, and advice. In
addition, businesses will have to consider how to arrange their operations
and labour in the context of global production, extensive outsourcing and
sub-contracting possibilities and the restructuring of work through time
and space.
What are the fundamental challenges facing policy makers and the com-
munity regarding the future of work? We believe there is a need to rethink
and re-conceptualise work. In Australia it has been given a narrow meaning,
largely connected to market activity for the purposes of welfare policy
design. Consequently, worth and status have been accorded too much
weight. Outside of the market there is an ongoing and significant amount of
work occurring that is frequently not officially recognised nor rewarded.
This needs to change, as without this type of work our communities and
economy would not be able to function. Moreover, Broom (2003) argues
that although these are supposedly post-feminist times, gender is still inade-
quately addressed in considerations of work. She contends that in the
absence of gender, there is little interrogation of the relevance of market and
