May 2, 2012Dear Sir,Is it clear to everyone except the unions that the world has changed? The world is indeed a better place with the emergence of trade unions made necessary by the tyranny of bad and greedy employers. The stories of exploitation of employees are replete and well known for at least 100 years. Fast forward to today’s reality and surely there needs to be a paradigm shift in our thinking. We hear the romantic thinking of yesterday about hard fought for rights for the worker and an attempt at roll backs in the myriad of benefits for employees. I am a beneficiary of a Trade Union agreement so I know first hand unions are still relevant today.Employers are business people who start businesses that create jobs not the other way around! All the benefits (rights) won by the workers must be paid for. As I begun, the world has changed for goodness sake! Employment in our country is a reasonable expectation not a right, period. To expect some concessions from employees in this hard hit economy is not unreasonable. The workers need a strong dose of reality and honesty and it applies to this writer as well. Every benefit has a price tag that we demand the employer must pay, does he have any rights? Has it not now become abundantly clear how marvellous steady employment really is? The new reality in today’s world needs realistic thinking and considerable compromise to ensure that we all may be able to live. Yes unions have been shaken to their core but they need to know most assuredly they are not alone.GOODNESS SAKESmith’s