Issue No 115 | 12 October 2001 | |
NewsIT Workers Flock to Join Alliance
IT workers from around the globe have signed up to the IT Workers Alliance in droves in its first 48 hours of operation.
Within days of the launch the virtual union has: - signed up nearly 100 members - had over 2,000 visitors who have viewed over 10,000 pages - received 22 applications to join a union - received 6 requests from IT Workers needing union help at the workplace And all this with the paint hardly dry on the ITWA's virtual shingle and the Alliance yet to knock any company doors.
The site was launched by NSW IT minister Kim Yeadon this week at the Sydney offices of Social Change Australia. While there is no formal membership structures in the short-term, workers are being encouraged to be part of the Alliance by participating in forums and sending in leads to the ITWA team. They are also being referred to existing unions with a stake in the industry and being encouraged to choose to join one of them. As the Alliance matures and the network grows, members will be canvassed for the appropriate structures and services. The IT Workers Alliance's new Join-a-Union form at: http://itworkers-alliance.org/home/join.html even received several applications from programmers in Sao Paulo in Brazil (Sao Paulo has a boom IT industry). They nominated a union: the niao dos Consultores Independentes do Brasil. ITWA staff translated the site using Google and a message was translated into Portuguese to make sure the message got through to the Brazilian union using Altavista's Babelfish translation engine. First Union IT Deal Struck Meanwile, workers at a Sydney IT company have established a new best practice framework covering all aspects of their work. The agreement between Social Change Online and the Australian Services Union (Services Branch) will provide It will provide the basis of an enterprise agreement for the business, employing more than 60 workers, and become a benchmark for other workplaces in the industry. Key aspects of the agreement include: - development of competency-based training and career paths - a commitment to paying above award conditions, where financially possible - provision of flexible, family-friendly working hours - encouragement and support of union participation - commitment to collective bargaining with union involvement. Social Change CEO Sean Kidney said, "Having a unionised workplace is good for business, it means workplaces issues are resolved promptly and fairly.
"I'm a financial member of a union myself and encourage all my staff to not only join a union but get active. Australian Services Union state secretary Luke Foley said he was committed to working with Social Change to create stimulating and sustainable jobs. "From the ASU's perspective, we want to work with IT workers to ensure they have a stake in this growing industry." The deal coincides with the launch today of the IT Workers Alliance, a new initiative to create a union presence in the IT industry.
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Interview: Connecting the State NSW IT minister Kim Yeadon is the man responsible for enabling the people of NSW. Here's how he's doing it. Workplace: The Enemy Within In the IT industry it's the recruiters who are earning the workers' ire, as our special correspondent explains. Unions: From the Virtual Coalface Computer programmer Vince Caughley argues there is a place for unions in the IT industry. History: Conditions Precedent Frank Bongiorno writes that the recent events off the coast of Christmas Island recall a story once told by Paul Hasluck. International: Victims of Terrorism Repression against trade unionists on the increase world wide, with 209 trade unionists assassinated last year, reveals ICFTU 2001 Survey. Campaign Diary: Week One: Get Shorty Labor's first week of campaigning was as an effort to gain attention from a nation rocked by the telvised war on terrorism. Economics: Global Alliances Ray Marcelo reports from India that the ILO is arguing that globalisation needs a worker and employer alliance. Health: The Phantom Menace Trade unions made an impact this week at an international congress In Melbourne in the global fight against AIDS. Review: Rings of Confidence In his study on the 2000 Olympics, Tony Webb argues that the government and unions reached a new level of cooperation. Satire: Greens 'Quietly Unconfident' of Forming Government A leaked memo from a senior member of the Greens reveals the party is unconfident of winning government on November 10.
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