
Issue No 108		24 August 2001

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News

State-Wide Push for Entitlement Protection

All workers in the transport industry could have their entitlements insured by their employer under a ground breaking test case in the NSW Industrial Relations Commission.

The Transport Workers Union has flagged the test case to vary NSW Transport Industry State Award to be modeled on an agreement reached with waste giant Connex covering some 650 members.

Under that deal, Connex has agreed to fully protect their workers entitlements through an insurance bond arrangement.

If successful, the new award conditions would rope in all employers in NSW without the need for individual site bargaining.

TWU assistant secretary Wayne Forno told Labor Council delegates the insurance bond would also be pursued in all enterprise agreements as they come up for renegotiation.

"While the preferred model would be through federal legislation our members are not prepared to wait for the election of a Beazley Government to see their entitlement protected," Forno says.

Hawke on Board

Meanwhile, former Prime Minister Bob Hawke was called in to resolve the latest flash-point in workers entitlements - the dispute at MaintTrain which threatens to disrupt rail services in the coming week.

At press time, negotiations were continuing, with the union respecting an agreement not to comment publicly on the progress of the talks.

Hawke was called in to mediate by Transport Minister Carl Scully, who is backing the workers push for entitlement protection.

There are number of other EBA under negotiation where worker entitlements is a major issue, the AMWU says.

Battle Spreads to Queensland

And to the north, about 60 Australian Manufacturing Workers Union (AMWU) members at a key components supplier to the heavy earthmoving industry, JAWS BUCKETS, walked off the job on Thursday 23.

The walkout was part of their campaign for a new enterprise bargaining agreement, which includes their entitlements being paid into an industry trust fund - Manusafe - income protection insurance and a four per cent annual pay rise.

They have established a picket line outside the facility and will not return to work until at least next Monday, when they are scheduled to meet again to consider the progress of the campaign.

JAWS BUCKETS supplies and repairs buckets for vehicles used in the heavy earthmoving industry, such as excavators and front-end loaders. It is a supplier to manufacturers of these vehicles, such as Hastings Deering, as well as the Brisbane City Council and the Queensland mining industry.

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Issue 108 contents

Interview: The Man from Manusafe
Manusafe chief Andrew Whiley explains why employers have nothing to fear from the entitlements trust fund.

E-Change: 2.4 The Skeptic�s Response
In this round-table discussion, Noel Hester leads the charge against the argument that globalisation and change are inevitable.

Politics: No Hand Idle
Whitlam Institute director Peter Botsman finds much to agree with in John Howard's social coalition for welfare delivery.

Unions: Slavery and Struggle
A battle with all the elements of the infamous waterfront dispute is being played out in Charleston, South Carolina:

International: Postcard from Santiago
The CFMEU's Phil Davey meets up with Communist Party cadres in Chile who led the underground resistance to Pinochet.

History: Race and Australian Labour.
Australian unionists have long been questioning notions of a �White Australia�, even before the colonies united with it as the central feature.

Economics: Global Regulation
Public sector unions from around the globe are taking the first steps to work internationally against the deregulation agenda.

Satire: Niche Identified in Left-Wing Publications Market
A marxist-feminist activist has discovered a gaping hole in the lucrative left-wing publications market.

Review: The Fight for Equal Pay
In this extract from her new book, Zelda D'Aprano looks at the contribution Kath Williams made to the struggle for equality.

» Entitlements Just Tip of the Iceberg

» State-Wide Push for Entitlement Protection

» Support Builds for Industrial Manslaughter Laws

» Organiser Assaulted � Police Called In

» Young Casuals Not Paid Overtime

» Commonwealth Hit With Criminal Conviction

» Back Door Bob Does Wollongong

» ABC IR Memo Draws More Fire

» Unions Warn of More Deaths in Construction

» Big Brother Hits Rail Workers

» Libs Dodge Public Education Forum

» Westfield Squeezes The Extra Dollar

» MP's Staffers Fume Over Pay Deal

» Mat Leave Win for Country Energy

» No Wonder Wonderland Workers Unhappy

» Qld's First Major Review of Awards

» Unions Buck Online Ambush

» Bras Burned for Burma

» Two Capps To Cancel Debt

» Australians Work Too Much, Too Long

» Activists Notebook