"front-line" and "backroom" a distinction that must go

I was disturbed to hear at a recent PSA forum in Christchurch some union organisers and others buying into National's framing of "front-line" and "backroom".  It is a false construction that the left must not propagate.  The reality is that all workers should be valued regardless.  A teacher in a classroom, a cleaner in a hospital, a receptionist in a doctors surgery, an accountant in a law firm, a sales rep in a department store, a policy analysis in a Council office, a gardener in an owner-managed small business, a fisherman on a boat, a youth worker in a community centre, etc:  all are important and all should be respected and valued for the role that they have to play within their family, our community, and our country.

People are feeling the pressures of the recession.  Workplaces around the country are suffering job cuts, extra pressure and workload on the staff left behind, full-time staff being cut to part-time, people feeling undervalued, wage freezes (i.e wage cuts), stress around potential job losses, a lack of freedom to talk about workplace issues, non-replacement on staff that leave or go on annual or sick leave, low morale, staff being bullied ("if you don't like it, leave").  The outcomes: no succession planning, apathetic staff, lower quality of work, less productivity, and increased hardship.

And it wasn't lost on the audience of this well attended forum that organisations seem to have enough to pay for consultants and high-level managers but not for the workers.  Nor was it lots on this audience that some seem to be doing quite well out of the recession, such as the $5.5 million annual package for Telecom CEO Paul Reynolds.  As one MP pointed out - there was a time in New Zealand when such a salary would have caused outrage, but we seem to be numb to it these days.   These days that MP would be accused of "envy politics" from the right for attacking such a salary.  

Comments

[tim barclay]

Give the "workers" who risk nothing everything they want. Given them pay increases without expecting any improvements in productivity. Keep employing staff and never once ask the question whether they are needed. Never change staff around just leave them alone. Agree to all demands for annual leave sick leave, never question that. Increase non work related benefits. Never ONCE question how all this is going to be paid for.

[Tony Milne]

Not everything Tim, just decent wages and working conditions to help make ends meet and live a good life (including the 1/3 of it spent at work).

[tim barclay]

How about working harder, how about getting some new skills, how about taking on responsibility. How about taking some risks with your OWN money and start a business. Maybe you will be successful and oh dear employ staff. Yuck yuck yuck, not bloody likely say a lot of small businessmen and women.

[Swimmer]

There's a really great front line building, at WINZ.