Ah, that influence CD thing turned into a gift to a friend slash half serious whatever thing. May he enjoy listening / hating / discovering /loving this music on his travels in Europe.

Disc 1

1. Round Here - Counting Crows
2. Labour of Love - Frente
3. Polly - Nirvana
4. Mayonaise - Smashing Pumpkins
5. Go - Pearl Jam
6. Only The Rain - Supergroove
7. Somethings Nobody Can Change - The Sharp
8. Redemption Song - Bob Marley
9. The Unforgiven - Metallica
10. Could Have Lied - Red Hot Chilli Peppers
11. The Dam At Otter Creek - Live
12. Jesus Christ Pose - Soundgarden
13. Ain't No Sunshine - Bill Withers
14. Friday On My Mind - Easybeats
15. Jam - Michael Jackson
16. Rythmn Is A Dancer - Snap
17. Scream In Blue - Midnight Oil

Disc 2

1. Kathy's Song (live) - Simon and Garfunkle
2. Buy Now and Pay Later (Charlie #2) - The Whitlams
3. Precious Things - Tori Amos
4. AEnema - Tool
5. Rosmary's Baby - Fantomas
6. Cuckoo For Caca - Faith No More
7. Jesus Built My Hotrod - Ministry
8. Plagued By Vague - Cartoon
9. Babylon - The Tea Party
10. Her Majesty's Secret Service - Propellerheads
11. Pearl's Girl - Underworld
12. Fade To Black - Metallica
13. Get It Together - Beastie Boys
14. Track One - Regurgitator
15. Stealing Fat - Dust Brothers
16. Catch Me - Clawfinger

Rythmn is a Dancer is a crappy mix I found on Napster a while ago. I would have liked the original but I couldn't find it. Dang.

Lately I've been bitching about working hours. There are two levels to this as Dave pointed out to me. Unpaid overtime and the standard working hours.

I've always thought unpaid overtime is wrong and I have serious problems with it. I also have a problem with working forty hours a week. I think it's too long, but that's a lifestyle thing and comes down to my choise and what I want in life, not anything "wrong" as such. Unpaid overtime on the otherhand is wrong and should NEVER happen, but it does, as the article below said, 60% of overtime in Australia goes unpaid.

My contact at the moment says that I must work 40 hours a week plus extra time that may be required to complete the tasks asigned to me. Fair enough, except that originally it was open ended, it stoped there. Reading it the way it was, I could have been asked to work 24 hours a day and get nothing for it. I asked that it be changed so that I could take time off in leau, but this is still only for "extreme" hours, as in staying back for more than two hours or for working on weekends. I read back on all my previous contracts and they all said the same thing and they were all open ended. It all came down to management style whether I could actually take extra time off that I worked or not.

But this begs the question, shouldn't I get time and a half or double time (or time off) for work on weekends or public holidays? Nope. Doesn't happen.

I feel that these things should always be talked out with your manager. I'm strong about taking time off for extra hours that I've worked and so I request it, and get it. But they don't have to give it to me.

The article below indicated that many are unwilling to make requests like this because of job insecurity. They're worried about getting shafted because someone else was willing to work more hours than they were paid for.

Am I wrong?

Subject URL: We work to hard

Same story I've been ranting. We're working longer hours (more than a quarter of the workforce working 50 hours+ a week) and getting nothing for it (60 percent of overtime worked is not paid). Why? Because there are no maximum hour laws for non-award employees (like me in the IT industry).

Mr Burrow said the ACTU and the unions could have decided to take an easier course and try to get the AIRC rule on maximum work hours.

But the ACTU wanted to change the culture of the Australian workplace.

A set of criteria would enable employers and employees to work within the enterprise bargaining system - this would enable people to bargain and negotiate a reasonable set of hours, Ms Burrow said.