I have a dream about industrial relations. All those employees, managers, directors, … who get more than, say, three times the pay of the lowest paid full-time adult employee (either permanent or casual) are labelled XXX.

Each year the company files with the Industrial Relations Commission the pay rises awarded to everyone in category XXX. Then each employee *not* in XXX gets a bonus of 10% of the maximum of these pay rises.

Thus if the managing director, on a salary of $2 million, gets a 5% pay rise (or $100,000), everyone not in XXX automatically gets a bonus of $10,000.

I think this would stop strikes overnight.

Oh, and on top of this, since there are repeated pushes for increased productivity, at least 75% of any increased profits should go to those who have actually increased their productivity, the workers. The managers and directors can dole out the rest between themselves and the shareholders.

But I expect that the concluding words of “The Pilgrims Progress” would be appropriate: “Then I awoke, and behold, it was a dream.”

Salaam Ken Smith

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