Smoko

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Painting Smoko time with the AWLA

"Smoko" (also "smoke-o" or "smoke-oh" ) is a mostly in Australia , New Zealand and falkländischen English common slang term for a short smoke break during work or military service. The term can also mean another short break, such as a rest break or coffee / tea break.

The term is believed to originate from the British merchant navy and has been in use since 1865.

The tradition of smoko in the Australian sense seems to have emerged among sheep shearers in the 1860s.

Although the term is a slang term, the word "smoko" is also used in government writings and treatises on labor relations to describe a short break from work.

Smoko as an Australian institution

The smoko was in Australia to an institution with a symbolic value to the work culture and even for workers rights. Unions often hold their meetings with workers during their smokos, and the Australian Industrial Relations Commission had arbitration proceedings to determine workers' right to smoko break.

However, there are also concerns in Australia about the health effects of smoking and its effects on productivity, as well as the perception of non-smoking colleagues that smokers take longer breaks.

In 2006, the Australian Government's Department of Industry, Tourism and Resources abolished "smokos" in its Canberra offices , prompting Health Secretary Tony Abbott to state that "smoko has had its day" ("Smoko is a thing of the past").

swell

  1. ↑ Lewis James Lind: Sea Jargon: A Dictionary of the Unwritten Language of the Sea. Kangaroo Press, Sydney 1982, ISBN 0-949924-22-9 .
  2. ↑ J. Ayto, J. Simpson (ed.): The Oxford Dictionary of Modern Slang. Oxford University Press, Oxford 1992.
  3. ^ The Australian Tobacco Timeline. ( Memento of October 11, 2009 on the Internet Archive ) University of Sydney
  4. ^ Glossary of common industrial relations terms. ( Memento of March 28, 2010 in the web archive archive.today ) Department of Employment and Industrial Relations (Queensland)
  5. ^ Application to Stop or Prevent Industrial Action. ( Memento of July 17, 2012 in the web archive archive.today ) Australian Industrial Relations Commission, October 17, 2002.
  6. ^ Workplace 'smoko' unfair , In: Sydney Morning Herald . October 22, 2003.
  7. ↑ Ban the smoko? No way, gasp diehard smokers. In: The Age . October 7, 2006.
  8. ↑ Abbott says smoko has had its day. In: The Age. October 6, 2006.