Issue No 114 | 05 October 2001 | |
NewsIT Workers Get Union Voice
Workers in the IT industry will for the first time have their own union identity with the launch of the IT Workers Alliance on October 10. The ITWA will act as a virtual trade union, providing news, information and services specifically tailored to the needs of programmers, network engineers and graphic designers The Alliance is an initiative of the Labor Council of NSW in conjunction with unions with coverage of IT workers. Labor Council secretary John Robertson said the Alliance was the first concerted push by the union movement into the IT industry. "To date workers in the industry have not joined trade unions in big numbers and that is something we are seeking to rectify. "Despite the recent dot.com crash this is still a growing area of employment - and one where workers have their own unique issues such as long working hours, poor health and safety and the widespread use of individual contracts. "The idea of the IT Workers Alliance is to provide a space for IT workers to share information and ideas and receive advice on workplace issues. "We are not attempting to recruit members up front - rather to create a culture that workers will want to be part of." Robertson says unions had already taken up important issues on behalf of IT workers including the issue of email surveillance in the workplace. "This initiative is about strengthening our ties with IT workers and formalising our relationship with a new and growing sector of the Australian workforce." The IT Workers Alliance will be launched by NSW's IT Minister Kim Yeadon at the Social Change Online offices, 248 Johnson Street Annandale at 10.30am on Wednesday October 10.
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Interview: Thinking Smart With education a key priority, Labor's spokesman Michael Lee will emerge as a key player in the upcoming campaign. Unions: In the Spotlight The Public Education Convention placed the spotlight firmly on the performance and prospects of our federal politicians. Campaign Diary: Election Form Guide So they're off and racing in the 2001 stakes. Right now it's looking more like a handicap, but we're going along for the ride. Education: Applying the Blowtorch Veronica Apap reports on how teachers are planning to elevate education in the upcoming federal campaign. History: Australia�s Orwell Stephen Holt argues that the life of Jim Maloney contained echoes of the literary legend's own political journey. International: Brazil Loses Child Labour Warrior The global trade union movement against child labour has lost one of their brightest forces to a brutal assassination. E-Change: 3.4 The New Governance In the last instalment in their series on technological change, Peter Lewis and Michael Gadiel look at the challenges politics has yet to meet. Satire: Qantas Denies New $7770 Domestic Fares 'Exploitative' Australia's largest domestic carrier Qantas has rejected suggestions that it's new $7770 fares between Sydney and Melbourne are taking advantage of the airline's recently inherited monopoly. Review: Dark Music for Dark Souls The term Industrial Music represents a wide variety and coalition of musical forms, Adam Lincoln explains.
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