Workers Online : Issue No. 112, 21 September 2001


Issue No 112		21 September 2001

LaborNET	Ask Neale	Tool of the Week

Features
Interview: Exit Interview
Michael Costa looks back at his 14 years with the Labor Council to chart the highs, the lows and the bits in between.

Parliament: Opening Salvo
In his Maiden Speech, delivered this week, Costa gave vent to his views on immigration, Marx, globalisation and mental health.

Scandals: My Evil Twin
Co-conspirator and 'intellectual soulmate' Mark Duffy recounts the legendary 'Leaked Paper' Affair and how its predictions soon came to pass.

Politics: An Agent for Change
Former secretary Michael Easson argues that Costa was instrumental in redefining the factional balance in NSW in the wake of the Cold War.

Review: The Thoughts of Chairman MC
Neale Towart trawls the collected works of Michael Costa and looks at his love-hate affair with Marx.

Factions: Kyoto Sunset
Naomi Steer - the first left-winger to work at Labor Council in decades - recalls how she discovered the real Michael in a Karaoke lounge.

History: A Proud Tradition
Former Premier Barrie Unsworth argues Costa enters Parliament as the best qualified Labor Council leader ever to make the transition.

Psychology: The Man Behind the Mask
Costa's predecessor Peter Sams argues that behind the bluff facade lay a loyal and caring friend.

Seduction: Michael and Me
Chris Christodoulou recounts how Costa convinced him to cross the factional divide and take up residence in Sussex Street.

Satire: Ode to Leon
Long-time sparring partner, Peter Botsman submits this lyrical tribute to Costa's career.

A Gesture of our Affection

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News

Ansett Fractured Families

Muslim Schools Targets of Hate Attacks
Teachers and students at Muslim schools have been subjected to racially based attacks in the wake of the terrorist attacks on the United States, their union representatives have revealed.
[ Full Story » ]

Up, Up and Away � Where Does Howard Stand?
Thousands of Ansett workers attended rallies around the country today to call on Prime Minister John Howard to commit the federal government to getting the carrier back in the air.
[ Full Story » ]

Revealed: Anderson Ignored Ansett Early Warnings
Evidence is mounting that the Howard Government was complicit in the collapse of Ansett, with new documents showing it was aware of the threat of collapse more than a month ago.
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ACTU: Administrator Had to Go
The sight of Ansett planes flying again had vindicated the ACTU's decision to demand the initial administrator stand aside as the airline's administrator, ACTU President Sharan Burrow says.
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Union Official Tragic Victim of Ansett Collapse
The tragic death this week of NSW union official Ron Pearsall could be directly linked to the collapse of Ansett airlines.
[ Full Story » ]

Entitlements Version 7.0 Still Falls Short
The seventh modification of the Howard Government's workers entitlements safety net scheme will still leave thousands of workers out of pocket.
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Pasminco Latest Entitlements Scare
Revelations that Pasmino has been placed in the hands of an administrator has raised concerns that their workforce could become the latest in the growing queue of workers facing the loss of their accrued entitlements.
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WorkCover: Privatisation Still On the Books
Unions are demanding that the removal of laws allowing the Carr Government to privatize the WorkCover scheme be a first step in any further reform of the scheme.
[ Full Story » ]

Fatigue a Life Threat
Working hours should be considered a safety issue first and an EBA issue second, according to Drew Dawson, speaker at the union sponsored conference on fatigue.
[ Full Story » ]

Egan Faces Prod Over Maternity Rights
Public servants who take maternity leave are being denied superannuation payments in what their union describes as a clear case of discrimination.
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Patricks Workers in Job Security Win
Permanent and guaranteed jobs will make up to 90 per cent of the Patricks workforce under a new enterprise agreement.
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Safety Fears Go Through the Roof
The vast majority of apprentices roof tillers have witnessed life-threatening workplace accidents, sparking calls for increased safety regulations in their industry.
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Ragged Trousered Scientists
CSIRO staff are developing proposals aimed at repairing the damage to Australia's scientific research pace-setter from a decade of neglect and contraction.
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Tougher Safety Legacy of Tragedy
LHMU Security Union members have won a battle for new stringent security conditions for workers transporting cash and other valuables in non-armoured cars.
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Stellar Drops Unionism Ban
Peace appears to have broken out in the CPSU-Stellar brawl, refereed for a time by a strangely-mute Jonathan Hamberger.
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Paint Workers Hit With Injunctions
Paint workers employed by a South African multinational have been on strike for more than six weeks in an attempt to get their boss to pay all their employees equally � whether they live in Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane.
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Rort-Friendly Proposals Draw Fire
Workers in regional centres are spearheading opposition to Government plans to hack 2300 jobs out of the Australian Tax Office.
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More Sackings But 20,000 Faults To Fix
Telstra are moving ahead with another round of retrenchments in spite of their admission that there are 20,617 faults to be fixed in Queensland and over 100,000 nationally.
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Howard Erects More Voting Hurdles At Eleventh Hour
Stringent new witnessing and identification requirements tabled in Parliament this week will make it even harder than before for young people to vote in this year�s federal election.
[ Full Story » ]

Activists Notebook
All the latest details on actions, workshops and conferences for anyone interested in labour politics.
[ Full Story » ]

In Defence of Kiwis

UK Unions Mourn Knox Loss

An Iconoclastic Collectivist

'I'm bored, you bored? Let's do something" So would begin a typical day working for Michael Costa. What would follow would be a frenzy of activity that would ensure that boredom was not an option.

Costa officially took up his seat in the NSW Upper House last week, after 14 years at Labor Council, the last three as secretary.

In that time he's also taken on the ACTU, the Carr Government, the Left, the Right, the Daily Telegraph and the Friends of Currawong

In every blue it's been a battle between Costa's beliefs and the orthodoxy. In nearly every case, it is Costa who has been vindicated by time - be it his criticisms of the Accord, the amalgamation strategy or the Cold War divides within the ALP

It's been a wild ride, and I for one feel priviliged to have been on board for some of it.

Michael being Michael, there will be no gala farewell dinner - just a couple of low key events over the next few weeks.

In the absence of the valedictories, this week's Workers Online carries a series of tributes from colleagues - from both sides of the factional divide which he did his best to bring down.

It's an apt venue for a tribute, because without Michael's courage (that's courage in the true 'Yes Minister" sense of the word) Workers Online would not be possible.

He was one of the few leaders I could think off who didn't bat an eyelid at the prospect of a real time journal with editorial independence.

This was the high-point of a Perastroika which, in his time at Sussex Street, saw Labor Council evolve from the stronghold of the Right to a centrist peak body working for all its affiliates.

Michael provided much of the intellectual fuel for this transformation - rejecting the Cold War divides as no longer relevant, and searching for a new modus operandi based on ideals over ideology.

For mine, Michael's defining characteristic is his lack of political fear - if there was a choice between the right position and the safe position, he would always opt for the former.

While he has been portrayed as an "abrasive firebrand", those who know him realise there is another side, an individual who yearns for connection and comradeship.

If I had to give him a label it would be an "iconoclastic collectivist".

Michael Costa left his mark on the union movement in Australia - and on behalf of those across the movement - friend and foe - we wish him well in his new career.

Peter Lewis
Editor