Toyota this week stated that part of the car industry's problems are caused by Australia's inflexible workplace laws and our habit of taking a paid sick day or 'sickie' especially on Mondays and Fridays giving the worker a three day break. The Australian Prime Minister stated that 'sickies' are part of Australia's way of life - Oh dear - what leadership! I have been watching a building site near my place with some fascination over the past year. Last Friday was typical of some productivity. They closed the road so that they could put a man up in a crane-like elevated platform to pull the sticky plastic off the cover sheets on the building. Actually both times I saw it; they had the machine parked inside the closed road without a man. By the end of the day, there are still 4 very small separate area to be completed. My question is about the productivity of closing the road and hiring the expensive elevated platform repeatedly when it is not being fully and the guys go home leaving small amounts still to do. This is not only their productivity, but also other road users who have been detouring or going slow for nearly a year now. Even closer to my place is a road I presume the council are resurfacing. It was dug up some weeks ago and a tractor and a roller were parked there. The equipment is still idle and the road barely passable. Around nine years ago I employed a guy who never understood the basic fact of life in any business. Unless he either brought in enough money to pay his wages plus the extras like super, WorkCover et al, or else made it possible for me to bring in the extra needed to cover his costs, he was not productive. He was in fact a parasite who needed to go. We have a problem in this country because a large portion of our population do not understand this and feel 'entitled' to what they feel is a 'fair' pay, bearing no relation to what money they actually bring into the business. 'Sickies' fall into this category. If the business can manage effectively when the worker is not there, are they really needed? Genuine illness is another story - of course the worker should be able to retain their position and have an income while they are ill.