Crises cause strikes as much as strikes cause crises, adding to social and economic costs.
That you should never let a good crisis go to waste, was an expression attributed to famous war time British prime minister Sir Winston Churchill.
The logic is clear, even if the pragmatism behind it seems more than a little heartless. Crises present opportunities for change.
Practices that may have carried on well beyond their use-by date, can be upended because another adage, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, is no longer appropriate.
Emergencies break things, including the status quo.
Governments have done it for eons, and more than a few corporates have been accused of profiteering from wars or using natural disasters as cover for decisions about which employees or customers might otherwise kick up a stink.
During World War II, the federal government took over income tax powers and never returned them to the states.
That changed the course of history in Australia.
The COVID-19 pandemic is viewed by many as providing the opportunity for dangerous precedents in terms of the loss of civil liberties and the increased role of government in our lives.
At a corporate level, Qantas has received a bit of bad press for huge cuts to its workforce.
Some believed it was being more ruthless than it needed to be, especially a year ago when it seemed COVID-19 might pass us by.
But as we close in on the end of 2021, who would doubt airlines have been the hardest-hit industry in the pandemic.
Less attention is given to unions and what they do.
Throughout the rare crises that Australia has suffered, both economic and war, leading sections of the labour movement have proved the best example of this behaviour.
In both WWI and WWII historically notable strikes took place.
In WWI, during 1917, unions tried to shut down the coal industry in NSW, a huge source of energy for the population, including businesses manufacturing and transporting armaments, food and other essentials to resupply Australia’s troops in France.
Apparently, the unionists involved did not like efforts to make them more efficient at their jobs.
There was also an ideological split in Australia’s support for Britain, the crown and conscription.
In WWII, the high level of strikes and pilfering at Australia’s wharves was well-documented, albeit less well publicised.
The infiltration of unions by communists was a significant reason for this activity because the Soviet Union was allied to Germany for part of the conflict.
Even in the Vietnam War, trade unions black-banned the resupply of military ships, causing difficulties such as the delivery of mail to and from soldiers fighting for our country.
So, it ought to come as no surprise to see some unions using the pandemic as an opportunity.
There are several instances of such action across Australia.
For instance, last month workers at parcel and freight service StarTrack voted to strike, potentially adding strain to a postal system already impacted by record volumes during lockdowns.
This is a heartless action.
At a time when many Australians are restricted in their movements and reliant on parcel deliveries for many goods, as well as many businesses relying on the same to deliver their goods, those who do the deliveries threaten to withdraw their services.
Sydney’s rail workers took industrial action in mid-October, just as the city was opening after a wearying lockdown. Nice.
In Western Australia, farmers and miners, which generate the lion’s share of the income that makes our state services so great, were hit by members of the Maritime Union of Australia refusing to unload equipment.
Similarly, one of the state’s biggest employers, the building industry, has also suffered.
At a time when shipping delays and manufacturing issues have already hurt the supply of equipment, the industrial action, which lasted 11 weeks, was particularly damaging.
For farmers, it could mean a failure to harvest crops after a great season.
In mining, it is about taking advantage of high prices and ensuring jobs are secure. In building, it means people’s dreams just must wait, and the cost will go up.
In corporate life, businesses must take care how they act when it comes to anti-competitive behaviour.
For reasons I have never understood, unions are allowed to have a monopoly over a particular field of endeavour and then abuse that control in ways business would never be allowed.
