I noticed the grin on the faces of some union officials when it was announced that after-hours calls were to be restricted unless the employee agreed to them.
They seem to not realise that they will cause the loss of many jobs.
Fred, the journalist, states you cannot call him after hours. Julie, the journalist, says it is OK.
A fire, an explosion, or an earthquake occurs on Saturday afternoon, so Julie is called in.
It occurs time and time again, so much so that when a new job opportunity comes up or artificial intelligence (AI) takes a job, Julie is first in line and Fred is out the gate.
Nursing homes, ambulance officers, hospitals, Channel 7: all have problems with staff after hours.
But you can't call on them if they don't agree. Small businesses needing staff on weekends, coffee shops, restaurants and GPs will all have problems, most of which will be solved by AI.
Then people will complain about job losses. Even public servants will be replaced eventually by the dreaded computers.
Even today you can write an article or dictate a report without touching a keyboard.
New legislation is making it easier, financially, for people to be replaced.
John Hollingsworth, Hamilton
Make right call for after hours
STEVE Barnett ("Taking the right to run", Letters, 26/8), you are being ridiculous and childish if you say you won't contact your staff after hours regards your lotto syndicate.
As a small business employer you are expected to get it right.
Employees have a right to say no to you contacting them after hours about business issues through emails, SMS and phone calls if you are being unreasonable.
They also have the right to accept contact from you regarding your lotto syndicate or any other matter if that is a reasonable thing for you to do - if you win, it'd clearly be unreasonable for you to not make contact.
This is clearly spelled out. These matters are only a concern for employers that are being unreasonable with employees regards after hours contact.
If you don't know this or if you have issues with this, you are not being reasonable and fair.
I hope you are not suggesting you have indeed been unreasonable to your employees.
Glen Wilson, Cardiff
Less than jazzed with major venue
CONGRATS to the Newcastle Jazz Festival's organisers and performers. The festival was held August 23 to 25 at City Hall and was an excitingly diverse representation of the genre, from trad to jazz-rap-fusion.
Tickets aren't cheap, and could be more accessible if council subsidised the cost to the organisers.
Without getting into what our council should and shouldn't use our rates on (did we really need a mural size image of the lord mayor on the art gallery construction site?), here's some food for thought.
You enter the beautiful architecture and immaculate carpets to be received by a bilious John Olsen hung beneath dusty fluorescent lights. It's reminiscent of medical centres in the '80s. Time for a change?
People ordering coffee downstairs waited for up to 25 minutes because the coffee machine wasn't working. Apparently City Hall trucks them in for events and doesn't own one.
Let that sink in. The orders were sent to baristas at Civic Theatre and they were raced over. $67 a ticket, and you miss half a set waiting on a coffee.
Not cool beans, City of Newcastle, not cool.
Lauren O'Brien, Newcastle
Cathedral views aren't the priority
TUESDAY'S Herald had two items that together seized my attention even more than usual.
The first was a letter from Steve Barnett ("Root of the problem", Letters, 27/8), who spoke of the impact of religion on humanity stating that in the Middle East it had been "called and killed" and I would suggest that history will show that religion causing harm would not be confined to that area.
Joanne McCarthy, in the Herald's brilliant Shine the Light campaign, uncovered the many atrocities perpetrated by the clergy.
Now we see building works held up so that we might protect the view of the Anglican cathedral in Newcastle ("Council tells Iris to reassess impact on views of cathedral over development, Herald 27/8).
Let us remember that a much needed multi story carpark was demolished, giving way for exciting development for our wonderful city.
The site in question is prime real estate and many inner-city dwellers would like to see it developed into residential and commercial properties. Instead we are asked to continue to look at an unfinished project that is simply just a hole in the ground.
How much longer must we wait so that the power and vanity of religion can be satisfied?
Denise Lindus Trummel, Newcastle
Faith may fall short on life after death
It's not talked about often, and when it is it's usually referred to as God or religious beliefs.
The story of Leah Makanda ("I felt this great peace': how Leah made it back from the brink in Uganda", Newcastle Herald 26/8), and her recount of experiences outside of her body such as seeing her husband, hearing music, having no fear or hanging in the gap between life and death, may to some be interpreted as divine intervention.
Maybe, if we can leave behind our dogma and ghoulish ocean of superstitious beliefs, we might get closer to the truth of life beyond physical bodies.
Nathan McGeorge, Shortland
Party silence does us disservice
DONNA Page's extremely detailed story ("NSW Labor killed off inquiry into bullying claims", Herald 24/8), certainly left no stone unturned.
Nothing would surprise me these days with our party-dominated incumbent Newcastle councillors.
However, this article beggars belief as to what allegedly takes place within the ranks of the party.
Also, it was interesting to note the last paragraph points out that all of the charged people contacted by the Herald were unable to comment due to party rules.
This, in my opinion, is a totally gutless cop-out and all the more reason why our city deserves better.
Col Parkins, Wallsend
High standards are crucial
IN response to "Councillor denies bullying claims" (Herald, 26/8). Dr. Ross Kerridge highlights a significant concern regarding the misuse of disciplinary processes within the party.
When councillors' careers are at stake, the integrity of our political system must be upheld. Allegations of using these processes for personal gain undermine public trust and set a dangerous precedent.
It's crucial that all councillors are held to high ethical standards to ensure fair and transparent governance for our community.
It's time for more independent voices who prioritise the interests of their constituents over party directives.
