An influential pollster has launched a scathing attack on office workers to defend traditions following outrage over a new pay deal with unions.
RedBridge Group director Kos Samaras delivered the blunt message about X, claiming that those who worked behind a desk were less important than tradies.
His tirade came as the Construction, Forestry, Maritime Employees Union (CFMEU) moved closer to concluding a new workplace agreement.
Basic workers and junior stop sign holders who work 36 hours a week will receive a five percent pay increase “at least,” bringing their salary to $120,000.
The workers would earn more than $2,000 a week and receive a $260 travel allowance, while those who work overtime would earn even more money.
The news has sparked outrage among some Australians who complained it was unfair that someone who “held a pole all day” would be paid so generously.
Mr Samaras, who was Victorian Labor’s deputy campaign director from 2005 to 2019, was among those who defended the deal and delivered a blistering takedown.
“Just a friendly reminder that workers who build things with their hands are actually more important than most who work behind a desk,” he wrote Sunday.
Traffic controllers expected to receive $120,000 salaries – leading one Labor Party operator to tell those working behind a desk that they are less important than tradies (pictured is a Sydney traffic controller)
His views seemed to irritate many of his 27,900 followers, including many with progressive political views
‘The social value of the latter is extremely subjective. The work of the former group is easy to measure. Objectively.
“Without them, those working behind the desk will starve, freeze and be unable to function.
‘No houses, no desks, no office, no plastic, no food, no phones, nothing. Your college degree does not place you above these employees.
‘It just ensures that you don’t have to make an effort to create value for society.’
Traffic controllers on Melbourne’s Metro Tunnel Project already receive $126,600 a year when location and travel costs are included.
CFMEU Secretary of State John Setka is pushing for that deal to be extended to include less skilled workers in state-funded locations.
Mr Samara’s comment appeared to irritate many of his 27,900 followers.
Andrew Griffith, a self-described progressive from Melbourne, noted that many people who contributed to society did not make things with their hands.
‘I absolutely disagree with that. It depends on what they do,” he said.
“Nurses, doctors, teachers, ambulance drivers, etc. don’t ‘build things with their hands,’ but without them we’d be crazy. I could go on, but I don’t think it’s necessary.’
Another was even more scathing: “As if our tradie-worshipping, anti-intellectual population needs a ‘friendly reminder’.”
“If a job that requires minimal training and minimal effort is valued more highly than teachers, nurses and police, there is something very wrong with the system,” said another critic.
But one tradie pointed out that the work was physically demanding, meaning those who had to crawl under houses to lay pipes or lift heavy pieces of wood would not be able to work until they could receive the old age pension at age 67.
“Thanks Kos, we tradies pay the price as we get older, knees, shoulders, backs and so on, and they expect us to continue until we are 67,” he said.
A second person added: ‘I think they deserve it. All day in the sun, many night shifts.
‘Breathing all the car fumes 7-8 hours a day. I won’t do it and I’m grateful for the people who do.’
“It can be a very boring and tough job and you always have to keep your wits about you,” said another.
The Construction Forestry Mining and Energy Union continued to negotiate enterprise agreements worth $120,000 for traffic controllers for Big Build projects in Victoria, covering major road and rail projects (pictured are CFMEU protesters in Melbourne)
Samaras received surprise support from Matthew Camenzuli, a former NSW Liberal Party state executive member who sued former Prime Minister Scott Morrison over preselections.
‘I agree with you Kos. “It’s a shame Labor has forgotten its base and the Liberals are busy becoming a teal balloon animal,” he said.
“The Libs will find their way back soon and retrieve them and the rest of the forgotten people. It is a revival that is long overdue.”
The highest paid professionals in Australia tend to be surgeons, who technically work with their hands after spending many years at university, with an average taxable income of $457,281 in 2020-2021.
But tradies who didn’t go to college can typically earn six-figure salaries, while construction project managers have a taxable income of $120,029.
The construction sector is cyclical: the Reserve Bank’s thirteen rate hikes in 2022 and 2023 are causing a wave of construction company bankruptcies.
Rising construction costs have also hit residential home builders, who are required to honor fixed-price contracts.
Despite this, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and the states pledged last year to build 1.2 million “new, well-located homes” over five years from July 1, 2024.
Mr Samaras noted that there was a shortage of builders, despite immigration reaching a record high of more than 500,000 in 2022-2023.
“Well, speak to any government in Australia right now. They can’t find enough construction workers to build houses,” he said.
Kos Samaras, a Labor Party-leaning pollster who is now director of the RedBridge Group, delivered the blunt message about
Skills Minister Brendan O’Connor on Monday launched a study into apprenticeships to tackle the skills shortage.
‘We know that almost half of all students do not complete their education. Addressing the completion rate is not only critical for individuals and employers, but also for the Australian economy,” he said.
Many tradies are also not paid particularly well; masons have an average taxable income of $63,180, compared to $72,180 for a carpenter.
Both levels would now be below the 2023 average salary of $72,735 for both full- and part-time employees.
A book editor at a publisher has an average taxable income of $70,443, compared to a librarian’s $71,891 for someone who went to university and studied arts, Australian Taxation Office data shows.
The wage level was comparable to that of a midwife at $73,676.
Tax accountants had an average taxable income of $87,315, but this is lower than the average full-time salary of $95,581.
