- This is so damn good. It's comprehensive, enlightening and global in reach. Bornstein, an award-winning Australian lawyer who specialises in employment and labour-relations law, digs deep into the underside of corporate operations and how they treat their staff. He sees through their bullshit. If you’re not a leftie you’re gonna hate this book. If you are, you’ll love it!
- If you've been awake and alive over the last few decades you will recognise the multitude of awful instances of corporate and institutional stupidity that Bornstein covers in detail. Here are some of them: Scott McIntyre and SBS cowardice; Yassmin Abdel-Magied and the ABC (‘Like SBS, the ABC sacked Abdel-Magied in order to placate a right-wing mob’); Israel Folau and his immature treatment by Rugby Australia; the appalling treatment of Antoinette Lattouf and Laura Tingle by an ABC management terrified of the Murdoch press.
- He provides us with an excellent background to these current employer-employee woes - the neo-liberalism agenda of the 80's onwards, the disaster of Howard's WorkChoices, the huge drop since then of union membership, and the development of corporate cancel culture. I relished his destruction of Alan Joyce and Qantas and their sackings of thousands of staff represented by unions.
- Academic freedom also comes under the microscope. The Roz Ward case was an example of ‘serious misconduct’. She posted, satirically, a photo of a red 'communist' flag on social media on Anzac Day and was persecuted by her university. Universities have become corporate institutions over the last three decades, and we've witnessed a rapidly shrinking minority of tenured academics. The ugliness of the system in its underpayment of casual academics on short term contracts is horrendous. Bornstein provides lots of examples of unbelievably stupid and immature behaviour by university administrations.
- He also digs deep into the current status of news outlets. 'The ideals of fairness, objectivity, and impartiality are invoked in support of the rules that severely restrict the human rights of their journalists...and like other businesses, the rules are often selectively enforced, in response to dubious online shaming campaigns'.
- And what about consensual sexual relationships? That freaks corporates out. So 'morals clauses' are now common in employment contracts. Corporations have amassed far-reaching powers over the private lives and opinions of their employees.
-Bornstein’s dream corporate statement closes the book and it says it all. If only!
We sell goods and services for profit. We employ many people who harbour a range of values and views. We support our employees' fundamental right as citizens to participate in debate and other forms of civic life, including by expressing unpopular views. Their views are their own. They don't speak for the company. We will not censor, sack, or discipline them for exercising their rights.
- (This book has no index, which is intensely annoying. It also has no author photo. This cheapness is common in the Australian publishing community unfortunately.)
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