EMPLOYMENT POLICY

PREAMBLE

• The Progressive Labour Party rejects current economic orthodoxy that treats the persistently high levels of unemployment as an inevitable result of sound economic management. For many reasons, without specific intervention, many long-term unemployed people may never return to the workforce and the base unemployment rate is ratcheted up. Labour market programmes can thus result in a lower rate of unemployment through each stage of the economic cycle.
• Labour market programmes fall into two main categories, (1) wage subsidy schemes going to private employers and (2) direct job creation schemes traditionally utilised by councils and community or environmental organisations. These may be supplemented by specially targeted training schemes. Both types of schemes are needed to suit different needs and provide a more balanced range of work.
• The PLP approach to employment policy in the short to medium term is social democratic. However, in the long term the PLP sees the solution to unemployment as democratic socialism - a system in which larger scale industry is publicly owned and medium and small scale enterprises may be privately owned. Public restraint on market forces becomes systemic and wide public participation in the decision-making processes of such a system can restrain bureaucracy. This long term aim is to take the form of such work structures as state enterprises, co-operatives, collectives, work councils and social charters inside enterprises. The nature of the work performed and the conditions under which it is performed are factors which can be more easily turned to the benefit of the workers and society outside of a market dominated system.

RATIONALE

Continuing high levels of unemployment are wasteful of human resources and destructive to the individuals who can find no useful ways of exercising their labour power. Unemployed people also face poverty and the longer the unemployment continues, a downward spiral occurs in chances of living a secure, happy and healthy lifestyle. The absurdity of the current situation is that it need not exist. When there is a dire need for the improvement and expansion of community services requiring the employment of hundreds of thousands of people and there are hundreds of thousands of people wanting work but no government action to bring the two together, then an absurd situation can be seen to prevail.

The employment policies of the PLP come at a time when the unemployed can no longer credibly be scapegoated as dole bludgers. The high levels of unemployment are now a great concern to very many Australians. It now remains for the NLP to link these unacceptably high levels directly to government policy, i.e. the near identical policies of the former Labour and the now Coalition government. The PLP is in the unique position of being able to offer a real alternative to high levels of unemployment and a declining community services and facilities: jobs for all and a social system nurturing of human beings.

OBJECTIVES

Objective 1 The growth of employment through an enhancement of the social infrastructure

• Publicly owned assets such as public transport systems, national parks, water treatment systems would be expanded and improved in those areas with low level provision and many new jobs created and maintained on an on-going basis.
• Likewise on-going jobs would be created in an expanded network of community services.
• A variety of jobs in both the areas above would be earmarked for the long-term unemployed.

Objective 2 The provision of voluntarily undertaken Labour Market programmes to assist the long-term unemployed into the workforce through:

• Wage subsidy schemes involving private employers in order that the range of jobs on offer be maximised. The subsidies could be scaled in line with the period of unemployment. Conditions would apply to ensure workers were not sacked at the end of the subsidised employment period. Preferences would be given to employers creating new jobs.
• Direct job creation schemes where money would be provided to councils and community organisations for short and longer term projects.
• Direct job creation schemes involving Aboriginal communities in community development projects would be fostered wherever possible.

Objective 3 The provision of adequate training for the unemployed.

• Training and retraining would be provided in some cases in conjunction with 2.1 or 2.2 above. Training would be voluntary. However, a reciprocal agreement would be established between the unemployed and the state. The unemployed would no longer be required to jump the required hoops with no real prospect of a job at the end of them. The reciprocal agreement would involve

Objective 4 A Guarantee of Work.

• The unemployed person would voluntarily enter into a contract with the state to undergo suitable training and/or work experience on condition that a job will be made available as soon as they are ready for it.

Objective 5 Encouragement of new and socially useful enterprises

• The existing New Enterprise Incentive Scheme available to the unemployed would be expanded and a low interest loan scheme attached to it in order to assist the unemployed into employment and boost the very small business sector as an employment provider.
• Support for cooperatives will be provided by means of low interest loans administered through a bureau also providing management and legal advice.

Objective 6 Protection of Australian industry in order to save/generate jobs and decrease reliance on imports

• Dishand the Productivity Commission and replace it with a new body, independent of Treasury which will support Australian industry and not oversee its demise.
• Reimpose protection for selected key industries which also pay award wages as an initial incentive for employers to re-enter the award system.
• Develop a balanced national industrial plan which would foster the capital goods sector, i.e. the core engineering and equipment needs of the economy, as the foundation of an independent economy. Such a strategy could make Australia less reliant on exports of primary products and imports of capital goods while creating worthwhile employment.
• Re-establish a new Commonwealth Bank which would perform the functions of Germany's Kreditanstalt fur Weideraufbau in providing 4-5% fixed interest loans to small and medium sized enterprises with 2 years grace on repayments.
• Reserve Bank will provide low interest infrastructure loans to states and local government.

Objective 7 Encouragement of Environmentally Friendly Work Creation

• Employment policy will be formed on an on-going basis in conjunction with environmental and industry policy and employment growth will be fostered in light of an environmentally sustainable development model favouring standard of living improvements via services and not via the increased consumption of material goods. However, priority would be given to the expansion of jobs in Priority would also be given to services which directly improve the natural environment and labour market programmes would also be so directed.

Objective 8 Redistribution of work.

• Measures will be taken, where possible, to redistribute work. Many in work are working increasingly longer hours while many others are unemployed or under-employed. Such measures will include:
• Facilitation of increased worker autonomy to control their own daily, weekly and annual working time in line with life cycle demands and individual circumstances. Job sharing would be facilitated. Options available for taking wage rises in the form of working hour reductions. Productivity gains could also be repaid in the form of reduced working hours.
• A long term strategy to reduce the working week. Incremental reductions would be made over time without loss of pay.

Objective 9 Improvement of working conditions of all workers

• Wages and occupational health and safety conditions of workers both here and elsewhere and most especially in developing countries would be monitored along with the environmental impacts of industry. Trade and other sanctions will be implemented where necessary.