
Issue No 107		17 August 2001

LaborNET	Ask Neale	Tool of the Week

News

Union Presence At Big Indian Community Fair

Members of the LHMU are taking part in one of Sydney's largest community fairs this Sunday - the annual Indian Fair at the Fairfield Showground.

" This fair attracts upwards of 10,000 people from across Sydney with many of the people attending working in industries represented by our union - cleaning, security, hospitality," Jagath Bandara, NSW LHMU organiser said.

" Our union has adopted an active outreach campaign to help members from different communities organise to get a better life for themselves and their families in this country.

" We're hoping our presence there will be a small act of solidarity and support for people struggling to settle down in this city.

" Campaigns to defend and promote the rights of immigrants and ethnic communities in our workplaces are increasingly coming to the fore.

" Our movement supports the issues which are closest to the hearts of working people from the Indian sub-continent," Jagath Bandara said.

Best members

" Some of our best members and activists come from our growing membership among the different ethnic communities.

" We are eager to use this as a base for further growth for the LHMU and all Australian unions."

Jagath Bandara is originally from Sri Lanka, worked at a Sheraton hotel in Sydney and is now a member of the Hotel Organising Team in the NSW LHMU.

The union movement in NSW is about to launch a new pamphlet aimed at Non-English Speaking workers explaining the role of unions in Australia.

Labor Council

Recent research for the Labor Council of NSW on unions and the ethnic communities has highlighted the challenges and some new strategies for union organisers.

Interviews for the research report were conducted with workers from Arabic, Vietnamese. Chinese, Filipino, Korean and Indian communities.

The main points from the research showed that what people knew about unions was often based on their experiences in their countries of origin where unions were sometimes less democratic and aligned with authoritarian regimes.

Workers from some of these communities were also worried that if they joined a union they were aligned with particular ideologies which might be risky in their countries of origin.

Some of the cultural groups also did not want to join a union because they felt it might be 'rocking the boat' or 'biting the hand that feeds them'.

The positive part of the research came through when all interviewees said they believed members of their communities would join unions if they clearly understood the role of the union, its functions within the workplace, union collective power and what union dues pay for and the individual benefits one receives.

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Issue 107 contents

Interview: What's The Deal?
Labor's IR spokesman Arch Bevis explains how a Beazley Government will rebuild our broken system.

E-Change: 2.3 The State of the Union
White hope or white elephant? The future of trade unions is by no means guaranteed in the networked society.

Industrial: Into the 21st Century
ACTU President Sharan Burrow looks at the landmark deal delivering workers 12 months paid maternity leave.

Unions: The Black Hole
Jim Marr goes inside Stellar to discover the human cost of a management philosophy that says: you are on your own.

History: The Age of Dissent
The Sydney Branch of the Australian Society for the Study of Labour History has organised a Conference on Social Protest Movements and the Labour Movement, 1965-1975.

Media: ABC and the Knowledge Nation
Tony Moore looks at how the national broadcaster's fortunes are closely linked to the Knowledge Nation Agenda

International: Brazil�s C.U.T. - When Big Is Beautiful
The CFMEU�s Phil Davey drops in on Brazil�s equivalent to the ACTU, the Central Unica Dos Trabalhadores (CUT).

Satire: Bracks Disputes Cabramatta tag
Victorian Premier Steve Bracks has called for a national council to decide on a location for Australia's drug capital.

Review: Globalisation Is Globalisation
In an extract from his book, Christopher Shiel argues that the official Australian perspective on globalisation is strikingly narrow.

» Labor's Entitlements Pledge: Trust Will Remain

» Ripped Off Workers Start Election Push

» Stellar Out of Line: Hamberger

» It�s a Record! Longest Ever Bank Queue

» Still No IR at ABC Radio

» Qantas Threatens Bangkok Workers

» WorkCover Report Delayed Two More Weeks

» Unrest in Hospitals Over Contracting Out

» Paid Baby Leave Sparks New Family Push

» Nurses Pay Action Hots Up

» Costello's Couriers March to Canberra

» 'Man Who Worked Too Hard' Wins Back Job

» Soldiers Suffer Dodgy Bog

» Union Backs Call For Safety Review

» Cleaner Wins Annual Leave Rights Dispute

» Tip Top's Not the One

» Flying High: Airport Guards Scoop Cash

» Union Presence At Big Indian Community Fair

» Activists Notenbook