Triumph made the decision to cease production of the bras days after unions and community groups undertook a ritual bra burning outside a Sydney department store.
David Jones CEO Peter Wilkinson, one of the corporate leaders lobbied in the campaign, says he's been informed that triumph is no longer sourcing garments from Burma.
Triumph was one of the companies targeted for their refusal to cease trade in Burma, following the decision by the International Labour Organisation to invoke penal clauses over the regime's use of slave labour. It was the first time the penal clauses had been activated in the ILO's history.
That decision followed a long campaign by the ICFTU and is regarded as a key test of the ILO ability to impose core global labour standards. Union and community groups are now campaigning in individual member states to pressure government and companies to abide by the sanctions.
The sanctions recommend ILO members - workers, employers' groups, and governments, to review their relations with Burma and take steps to ensure their ties do not help continue or extend forced labour.
Unlike Security Council sanctions, which spell out limits on trade and other punishments for the offending nation, the ILO measures allow individual governments, employers' organisations and labor unions to determine what they will do.
Right Attacks Outworker Campaigns
Meanwhile the right-wing thinktank the Institute of Public Affairs is trying to villify attempts to improve conditions for outworkers.
The FairWaer alliance has described the new report on the clothing industry as a shabby attempt to undermine the work of Fairwear, unions and churches.
"The IPA contradicts a decade of reports by Courts, Commissions, Academics and Inquiries into Outwork at both National and State level which have all acknowledged the vulnerable situation of outworkers and recommendedproposals to change their unfair working conditions," Pamela Curr of FairWear says.
"The report is full of lies, inaccuracies and reflects a lack of understanding of the industry."
She says outwork in the clothing industry has been so extensively investigated and documented that it is difficult for the Government to ignore the growing clamour for legislation.
"This report is designed to pave the way for the IPA mascot Tony Abbott to announce draconian legislation which enables a continuation of the exploitation of outworkers in the face of wide community concern and awareness about the issue," Curr says.
Annie Delaney, Outwork co-ordinator at the Textile Clothing and Footwear Union, Victorian Branch says the arguments used by the IPA were similar to those used to discredit the Fair Employment Bill, in Victoria earlier this year.
The Federal Government had promised a Bill to cover elements of the Fair Employment Bill, but this has never appeared. Unions believe the Coalition is planning something more sinister.
"It seems like the IPA is doing Tony Abbott's dirty work and if the Coalition gets back into power they will push through legislation which will entrench exploitation, " Delaney says
"The IPA ignores the companies who are doing the right thing, paying fair wages and who are being driven out by companies who undercut them by exploiting and underpaying workers."
UPDATE/CLARIFICATION
Since publication we've been informed that the decision to withdraw from Burma has onbly been made from Triumph's Australian subsidiary. This will mean no Burmese-made bras will be sold in Australia.
However we understand that Triumpyh International is continuing production in Burma, meaning the international campaign against Triumph will continue.
The workers have been dogging the Prime Minister and his minister during the campaign, with flying squads of uniformed workers gatecrashing media events.
Workers Online understands the precondition to hand in the uniforms was pushed by the government, who are offering public funds to underwrite the redundancy program.
Letters offering redundancy went out to all Ansett staff this week, while the administrators have announced the first forced redundancies - with 340 call centre workers in Sydney and Brisbane losing their job.
The letters of forced redundancy offer workers four weeks pay - with an extra week for employees over the age of 45 with more than five years service.
Workers will also have access to entitlements from the federal government's funds covering: unpaid wages, annual leave, pro-rata long service leave, unpaid redundancy up to eight weeks.
But the administrator says workers will not receive travel benefits that had previously been offered to employees made redundant or outplacement services.
Three in Ansett Race
The job cuts are unlikely to be the last, with prospective buyers Lindsay Fox and Solomon Lew signalling he would only be looking at retaining some 4,000 of the 13,000 Ansett staff.
ACTU secretary Greg Combet says unions have been in talks with the consortium for two weeks and are still negotiating the wages and conditions.
Combet says unions recognise the need to get Ansett back in the air, but do not believe that wages and conditions were the reasons for the airline's collapse.
The consortium - which is yet to make a formal bid - joins Singapore Airlines and Anfleet - a consortium of Ansett pilots - as serious players in Ansett MkII.
Combet told journalists today that there is no preferred buyer at this stage: "We will treat all of them equally and take of them seriously."
He also warned Qantas that it's push to introduce one million cut-price fares between Sydney and Melbourne in the lead-up to Christmas was "predatory" and could draw the attention of the ACCC.
Qantas begins talks with its workforce on Monday when it will seek to impose a wages freeze over the entire company for the coming enterprise bargaining round.
by Noel Hester
The Mid-Year Economic Outlook has destroyed Prime Minister John Howard's claim to good economic management and undermined Australians' sense of job security for the future, the ACTU President Sharan Burrow says.
Sharan Burrow says the Outlook's figures confirmed that employment growth is expected to fall and unemployment is forecast to rise above 7%, despite Mr Howard's squandering $1 billion of the surplus in less than a year.
"Working people are again the victims of Mr Howard's GST and mismanagement. The revised forecast for employment growth is less than half what it was just a year ago," Ms Burrow said.
"The expected fall in business investment of 1% is bad news for jobs, particularly the 5% decline forecast for machinery and equipment investment.
"The Outlook reveals that over the three years to 2003-04, almost $20 billion has been wiped off future surpluses, with the $22.96 billion forecast at this time last year now reduced to $3.36 billion.
"We've had news of another 140 jobs losses from Fox Studios in Sydney, 110 at Commander Communications and 4,000 threatened by airport de-regulation. These come on top of thousands of job cuts announced in the last month alone, including at Ansett, Coles Myer, Daimaru, Pacific Dunlop and Gate Gourmet.
"Peter Costello's last budget did nothing for jobs growth. The Howard Government's policies have undermined job security and failed to guarantee employee entitlements. It's time John Howard outlined his plans for reviving jobs growth."
Ms Burrow said people could have little confidence that Mr Howard's policies would deliver GDP growth in line with the revised forecast of 3% when last year's result of 1.4% came despite a revised forecast of 4%.
Plenty of Dough in the Kitty for the Rich
Prime Minister John Howard's promised election policies would deliver tax cuts to millionaire foreign business people while cutting the wages of young workers.
ACTU President Sharan Burrow said Mr Howard's policies would widen the growing gap between rich and poor in Australia and ignored the needs of mainstream working people and their families.
Mr Howard on Monday promised new personal tax benefits for foreign business people in Australia. Last Friday he promised to extend "youth wages" to more people aged under 21.
"It is grossly unfair to give tax relief to business people earning millions of dollars a year while ignoring the needs of working families struggling to keep up with GST price rises on essential household expenditure," Ms Burrow said.
"To add insult to injury, Mr Howard is also planning to cut the wages of some of the lowest paid workers in the community - those aged under 21."
Ms Burrow pointed to research released last month by the National Centre for Economic and Social Modelling showing wages for the lowest-paid half of Australian households fell by up to $85 a week in the last decade. At the same time, the highest-paid half of households received pay rises of more than $100 a week.
An independent survey by Britain's Management Today shows Australian CEOs are the third highest paid in the world, with income soaring by 73 per cent in the last two years to an average $1.3 million, or $25,000 a week.
"How can John Howard believe that anyone earning $25,000 a week needs a tax cut," said Ms Burrow.
"The widening gap between rich and poor in our community is an offence against Australian traditions of fairness. If Mr Howard is concerned about a fair go for working people he should cancel his promises to cut taxes for the rich while cutting wages for young people," Ms Burrow said.
The new report, by the Australian Centre for Industrial Relations Research and Training (ACIRRT) at the University of Sydney, has found that the standard working week is rapidly being displaced by extended and often extreme hours.
The study is part of evidence for the ACTU's Test Case on reasonable working hours before the Australian Industrial Relations Commission next month. Key findings are:
� In 2000, 2.4 million people were working extended hours. Of these 1.6 million were working more than 50 hours per week
� Between 1981 and 2000, there was a 76% increase in the number of people working more than 45 hours each week
� The largest increase of 94% was among those working 50 to 59 hours per week
� While the number of people working standard hours rose by 2%, the number of Australians working long hours (more than 45 hours per week) rose by 76%
� The majority of those working long hours are non-managers
ACTU President Sharan Burrow said the study confirmed the findings of other recent research that revealed a growing crisis in excessive working hours.
"There is an explosion of overwork in Australia. The effects are being felt in every way - an increase in family friction, a decrease in parenting time, and a rise in alcohol and cigarette consumption. The flow-on effect for many people is heart disease, a decrease in fertility, and mental illness," said Ms Burrow.
"The world is starting to know us as a nation struggling to balance our working lives. Other countries in Europe have acted to counter these trends, and so must we."
Recent research for the ACTU by Iain Campbell from RMIT found that Australians work the second longest hours in the developed world, with a growing number of employees working unpaid overtime.
The report, Working Time Arrangements in Australia: A Statistical Overview, is on the ACTU website: http://www.actu.asn.au
As the spate of anthrax scares arrived in Australia this week, Australian Workers Union state secretary Russ Collison warned that his members had raised concerns that security levels at major chemical plants are at an all-time low.
This is due to the Howard Government not recognising chemical warfare as a national threat and the need for infrastructure on chemical sites to be enhanced.
"The federal government may advise that they have a good response to a biological or nuclear threat, however they do not have a prevention or preparedness strategy," Collison says.
"Our members working in these facilities have indicated that they feel insecure and threatened by the lack of security and lack of preparedness taken by employers."
The Labor Council has called on the Howard Government to immediately introduce a national strategy on all potential major hazard facilities.
Postal Workers in Security Talks
Meanwhile, discussions have been held between Australia Post management and the CEPU regarding the potential of increased incidents with dangerous and hazardous materials (including biological and chemical agents) affecting Australia Post.
The CEPU has expressed its concern to ensure that the maximum effort is made to take all necessary steps to protect postal workers and the public from such incidents. Recent events in the United States have highlighted the need for renewed vigilance in this regard.
While the existing suspicious and dangerous goods procedures operative within the Australian postal service are considered appropriate as an immediate safeguard, the CEPU has insisted that a range of additional measures be adopted to enhance security and safety within Australia Post from these threats.
The CEPU notes that it is particularly important at this time to not be unnecessarily alarmist. However they insist that all appropriate steps must be taken by Australia Post to ensure that postal workers and the community are secure from the heightened threat during these unsettled times.
by Andrew Casey
" Passengers flying out of regional airports have expressed concern to our union that there is no security or airport screening as they boarded their flights," LHMU Security Union National Secretary, Jeff Lawrence, said.
Concerns have come in from Lismore, Coffs Harbour and Ballina.
" We have a ridiculous state of affairs with our members not able to deliver total security because not all regional and rural airports provide for secure flights for their passengers," LHMU Security Union National Secretary Jeff Lawrence said.
"Our members are told to screen only flights with over 100 passengers - why is it not necessary to secure flights with less than 100 passengers?
X-ray machines lie unused
" At some regional airports you can spot x-ray machines but they often lie unused because of these ridiculous rules.
" John Anderson, as Transport Minister, and the leader of the National Party, must be held to account for not protecting the people who he expects to vote for him and his party in rural and regional Australia.
" John Anderson must also be held to account for not creating the highest possible safety standards to protect the needs of our tourism and hospitality industry in rural and regional Australia - and the thousands of regional jobs these industries deliver.
" The LHMU Security Union is campaigning for equal security standards and equal treatment at all our airports. Our union believes we need trained and qualified people to protect passengers on all flights in these dangerous times," Jeff Lawrence said.
A detailed survey of all airports around Australia is now being completed by Security Union members' and activists so that the union can better campaign for the delivery of improved security standards for all travellers on Australian airplanes.
" The LHMU believes the government should get back to basics - not headline chase with talk of sky marshals. John Anderson should tell CASA to ensure there are no holes in our airport security umbrella."
Airport Security Union plan
The LHMU Security Union recently called an urgent national meeting of security delegates and members to discuss airport security needs following the tragedy of September 11.
Delegates discussed how to upgrade security at Australian airports.
The LHMU Security Union plan devised to resolve these issues, include:
� Strict guidelines and regulations must be developed by the Australian Government and enforced by the Civil Aviation Safety authority( CASA) at all Australian Airports;
� Security contractors must comply with the minimum standards;
� Minimum formally accredited training standards must be developed by the government, with curriculum to be approved by the government, and audits regularly conducted to ensure training is being implemented;
� Wages and conditions for airport security officers should be reviewed immediately to ensure that they reflect the important role of security officers and improve the status of this important function;
� Ageing screening equipment at most major airport should be urgently updated. This equipment is crucial to the proper detection of threatening substances before they are taken on to the aircraft;
� There should be a review of factors, which create low morale amongst the workforce, including increasing casualisation, poor rostering arrangements and inadequate staffing levels, with a view to eliminating these practices.
The LHMU Security Union will shortly put a claim on security companies which will improve the conditions of our members and help us to implement the union plan to resolve the airport security crisis.
The plea came after John Howard, Peter Costello and Richard Alston went public with their support for former Liberal Party staffer, Shier, this week.
"The appointment and tenure of the managing director is properly the responsibility of the board," CPSU ABC section secretary, Graeme Thomson, told Workers On Line.
"This Government isn't content with stacking the board, it then feels comfortable about telling it how to go about its business.
"What the ABC needs now is some clear direction. It's time for the board to decide whether it will sack or continue to back the Shier experiment."
Thomson was at the centre of just one debacle in a horrible week for Shier.
The incident came when the managing director rustled up a press conference to answer widespread media conjecture that his number was up.
Seeing the union official present, Shier attacked Thomson and the CPSU, bringing his press conference to an abrupt halt and, effectively, handing his most outspoken critic a platform money could not have bought.
That little drama out of the way, the week ended with revelations Shier had cost the ABC more than $600,000 in the past financial year - double his budgeted salary package.
Although Shier's base salary is understood to be $175,000 his package totals $332,000 after a $26,355 personal loading; $70,710 in living expenses; and extras of $60,000 are tossed into the mix. He is mid-way through the second year in a five-year contract.
Shier was introduced to the ABC, from commercial television in Europe, in a board bid to break out of the traditional public broadcasting mold.
He set about introducing forms of commercialisation and dumbing-down program schedules.
Shier's 18 months at the helm have been characterised by run-ins with fellow executives, allegations of bullying and a bloated redundancy bill, last sighted passing the $26 million mark.
For nine months, as he tried to turn television on its head, nothing came out of ABC studios.
Now, the media is insisting, that even the ABC's heavily-politicised board has enough of Shier.
Two key issues now confront chairman Donald McDonald and his board of directors - whether they will bow to the wishes of Government ministers in the election lead-up, and whether or not they will sweeten Shier's departure with a million dollar payout.
Thomson said today's financial revelations should rule out the golden handshake option.
ABC of patronage
This is the ABC board which delivered the embarrassment of the Shier years.
Chairman - Donald McDonald: businessman, personal friend of John Howard.
Managing director - Jonathan Shier: commercial tv background (Britain, Scandanavia, central Europe) - one time president Victorian Young Liberals and federal Liberal ministerial adviser.
Directors:
Michael Kroger - merchant banker, former president Victorian Liberals and acknowledged party powerbroker.
Judith Sloan - company director, academic - strong conservative.
Ross McLean - WA Chamber of Commerce deputy chief executive - former Liberal federal MP.
Maurice Newman - Australian Stock Exchange chairman, regarded as politically unattached.
Leith Boully - company director, former Northern Territory Young Country Liberal Party member.
John Gallalgher - lawyer, without overt political connections.
Ian Henschke - journalist, staff appointee
Trevor Charles, the modern day Robin Hood of the Asia Pacific, wharfie and Australia co-ordinator of the International Transport Workers' Federation shipping campaign, is now London based. For the past eight years he has led a band of wharfies and seafarers taking millions of dollars from rich and greedy ship owners and giving it back to poor and exploited seafarers on board the growing fleet of rogue ships plying Australian shores.
This week he was promoted to head the ITF actions unit leading the worldwide campaign against Flag of Convenience- ships that flag out to tax havens like
Liberia and Panama to avoid regulations that ensure ship safety, conditions and wages meet world standards internationally. Their crew are mainly exploited guest workers - third world labour who are underpaid, underfed and overworked.
In the last year the ITF Australia has inspected 800 vessels in ports nationwide, winning crew back pay in excess of $1.5 million, with 86 vessels signing up to ITF agreements protecting pay and conditions of their crew.
As his swansong Trevor and his band of merry men - ITF inspectors and volunteer wharfies, port workers and seafarers ran lightning swoops on 42 visiting ships nationwide, last week, netting $40,000 in back pay for visiting crew in just seven days.
In northern Queensland ITF inspector Graham Bragg branch secretary Laurie
Horgan and delegates Bernie Gallen and Peter Lamond went up the gangway of
19 ships in the ports of Cairns and Townsville to check pay and conditions.
Seven vessels were subject to action, involving successful payment of around $16,000 in backwages with a further $11,000 owing to the crew of the MV West Fortune still to be resolved. Other ships targetted were the Nordglimt, the MV Tai Harmony, Panthea, MV Glacier Bay, Mellow Wind and the MV Heron.
On one ship flying the Panama flag, they found the Filipino crew sitting on wooden boxes. The chairs were all broken, there was no TV or video even for the Korean officers and the washing machine didn't work. On anther ship the crew were being paid well below the minimum ILO wage of around $200 a week.
In Melbourne ITF inspector Matt Purcell and a team of volunteer maritime workers inspected some 23 vessels in Victorian ports of Melbourne, Geelong and Westernport, winning $40,000 in backpay for visiting crew. The blitzkrieg also included Adelaide.
"We had problems with a ship called the Australian Bridge which is flagged in Panama," said Matt. "They wouldn't let the Bangladeshi crew off on shore leave. They were imprisoned on the ship. It was a bit cruel. The ship does the Japan run via Singapore. It takes weeks."
So pleased were the Filipino crew on board the New Success in Adelaide with their new outfit of overalls, wet weather gear and boots Graham Archer one of our volunteer from skilled maritime services got them, they put the sign over the side of the ship to thank him.
Other volunteer maritime workers volunteering for the blitz were Dean Borg, Mark Kirkman, Bruce Paris, Bob Cumberlidge, Kevin O�Leary, Warren Finck and
Kevin Bracken.
In Fremantle ITF inspector Ross Storer reports members inspected 11 ships retrieving crew around $10,000 in backpay.
All up the ITF week of action in the Asia Pacific region won more than half a million dollars in backwages for exploited crew. (see ITF website: http://www.itf.org.uk/media/releases/121001_foc.htm)
But the work of Trevor and the ITF has been drastically curtailed by the Federal Government. Like the wicked Prince John of old and his Sheriff of Nottingham, PM John Howard and his Workplace Relations Minister are helping the rich rob the poor. They have outlawed solidarity under anti-boycott laws. They have put a price on the heads of Trevor Charles, the ITF and the MUA. If caught they could be fined hundreds of thousands of dollars. But the wily Trevor and his merry men have outwitted the Government. Keeping well within the law and out of the forest the ITF has put thousands of dollars into fighting shipowners in the courts.
"I don't need to tell anyone how difficult it�s been to take any action under this government in trying to right the wrongs on these ships," said Trevor Charles.
MUA National Secretary Paddy Crumlin said that Trevor's promotion to London was a great recognition of the role we've played in this country in FOC shipping campaign.
"It reflects the level of respect the union and Trevor have around the world," he said. "It's a great accolade after 30 years in the MUA, but also great recognition for this union and the Australian union movement. For its size Australia has amazing representation internationally for labour rights and industrial relations."
Paddy Crumlin sits on the executive of the ITF and is currently one of a group of four seeking to draw up a seafarers' bill of rights for the ILO, a template for global unionism and global union rights. Sharon Burrow, ACTU, heads up the local regional ICFTU and John Maitland, CFMEU is president of the International Chemical Energy Mining and General Workers Union covering 20 million workers from 110 countries.
Under the principles, workers in female dominated industries can seek general wage increases by arguing pay disparities with male-dominated industries where there are comparable qualifications and skill profiles.
The pay equity argument will be combined with a work value case to be argued before the NSW Industrial Relations Commission in the coming months.
The pay equity principles were established by the IRC earlier this year, following a long-running inquiry by the Carr Government into gender pay equity. The government's position on the nurses case will be a key test of its support for these principles.
The nurses revealed their industrial strategy as tens of thousands of nurses stopped work and rallied around the state.
More than 5,000 Sydney nurses filled the Town Hall to attend a meeting broadcast around the state on Sky Channel.
They then marched to Macquarie Street where the sent the message to premier Bob Carr and health minister Craig Knowles about the crisis gripping nursing.
Opposition IR spokesman Michael Gallacher made the suggestion during the Legislative Council's General Purpose Standing Committee No. 1.
He was questioning NSW Industrial Relations Minister John Della Bosca over the CFMEU's claims that they were finding more premium rorts than WorkCover.
Hansard recorded the exchange thus:
Gallacher: Why is the CFMEU having so much success when your 301 inspectors are not?
Della Bosca: Let me explain. As I said, the CFMEU�
Gallacher: Hire the CFMEU and bring them on board.
Della Bosca: I do not think that the Leader of the Opposition would like me to present that as an option.
Gallacher: Let us have a look at it.
Della Bosca replied that the Government is working with the union movement nto address compliance issues, with a green paper out for discussion.
Commenting on the Green Paper, NSW Labor Council secretary John Robertson has called on the Carr Government to introduce reforms to the Workers Compensation Scheme to stop unscrupulous bosses ripping off the system.
"The WorkCover Scheme is millions of dollars in the red - yet there are companies out there who are rorting the system and by not paying their fair share and leaving the bill for injured workers to pay out of their benefits " Robertson says
CFMEU state secretary Andrew Ferguson says the problem is rife in the building industry and it is estimated that the costs run in to hundreds of millions of dollars.
"The current system of collecting premiums is fundamentally flawed and the neither the insurers nor WorkCover are able to do anything about this by the time they catch up with these employers they have shut up shop leaving other employers and injured workers to pick up the tab" Ferguson says
"The ludicrous thing about it is that that employer can start up as a new company virtually the next day and WorkCover is not able to get the unpaid premium from them even though they are the people", Andrew went on to say
The unions have been pressuring the Government for over two years to do something about this issue and welcome the release of the Government's Green Paper on insurance non -compliance.
The Labor Council has now provided their response to the Green Paper.
The major recommendations are
� Place absolute obligations on principal employers to ensure that their subcontractors pay the correct premium
� Provide WorkCover and unions with greater powers to chase up and prosecute these recalcitrant employers
� Place information about the employer's compensation policy details on the employee's pay slips.
� Introduce monthly and quarterly and premium collection and adjustments
� Expand the definition of deemed workers to ensure all workers are covered.
� Introduce an up- front levy on employers
� Substantially increase the penalties
The full Labor Council response to the Green Paper is available on our website http://www.ohs.net.au
by Veronica Apap
These incidents have been reported to the Community Relations Commission through the hotline set up on the 12th of September.
"I feel there are people who are un-Australian who are trying to exploit this situation by harassing people in the community," said Stepan Kerkyasharian, chairman of the Commission.
Few incidents have been directed at the Afghan community in Sydney. Kerkyasharian says this is because he is "not sure that bigots can tell the difference between those of Arab appearance."
The incidents include crimes of a violent nature, verbal insults and veil pulling. "Essentially these are un-Australian things to do, there is no excuse for them," Kerkyasharian said.
Those calling the hotline are referred onto police or community service officers for further help. The Premier has said that the hotline will remain open for as long as it is necessary.
The commission is working to educate people about Islam in an Australian context. "The people who are being harassed have been members of the community for a long time. We shouldn't forget that some of these people have been our neighbours for ten and fifteen years, there is no reason to turn on them," Kerkyasharian said.
Dr Kabir Hiahimid, chairman of the Afghan Community Support Association of NSW, says that on the whole, the Afghan community has received little harassment in the last month. However they have condemned the air strikes on Afghanistan.
"We are very sad that the United States, Britain and their allies have launched these attacks. Each Afghan family in Australia has family and friends in Afghanistan, they fear for their safety," he said.
"We strongly condemn the United States because this attack is like the attack on the American people in New York and Washington. We see these strikes as a terrorist attack because innocent people are killed," Hiahimid said.
He disagrees with the figures that state approximately 170 Afghan civilians have been killed so far. "I think 700 800 people have been killed by these strikes," he said.
Hiahimid is unhappy with both major political parties, not only for supporting the attack on Afghanistan, but for the handling of the boat people crisis. "I have requested several times that the government accept Afghan refugees, they live in misery in their homeland," he said.
Souths legend George Piggins will join actors Lex Marinos and Bryan Marshall, representatives of the East Timorese, Maori and Korean communities, Paralympians, artists and many others will be at the rally.
The rally will demonstrate the level of community support for the Union, under attack from a politicised Royal Commission called by a Federal Government desperate to indulge in some election Union-bashing.
A sea of different Union flags and community organisation banners will create a colourful scene and visually demonstrate that the CFMEU enjoys significant support from the people of Sydney.
Part of the rally will be leaving Trades Hall Auditorium at 9:30AM, Monday 22 October and marching to 55 Market Street Sydney, the site of the first day's hearing of the Commission in Sydney.
A US judge ruled this week that Clyde and eight other Greenpeace protestors and one freelance journalist, facing felony charges stemming from a peaceful protest against a missile defense test in California on July 14, 2001 can travel home before returning to Los Angeles for trial currently set for November 20, 2001.
Since July 14 the nine defendants have been restricted to the Central District of California.
"It has been too long and I am looking forward to seeing my friends, family and the people who have supported me," Clyde says .
"However, I am also looking towards my return here and having my day in court when my integrity will become public record."
Today's hearing was the latest legal battle for 15 Greenpeace activists and two freelance journalists who were arrested by the F.B.I. near Vandenberg Air Force Base in California following a peaceful protest against the controversial missile defense program.
All 17 including the journalists were charged with conspiring to violate a safety zone--a class D felony with a maximum six-year prison term and $250,000 fine.
They were also charged with entering military property without permission -- a misdemeanor with a 6-month maximum sentence and $5,000 fine.
While the six defendants from the United States were given immediate bail, the international defendants had their passports seized and all but one had their travel restricted to the central district of California.
The international defendants are from Australia, Canada, Germany, India, Sweden and the United Kingdom.
"Hopefully the public will get to know these defendants as we know them, individuals who have behaved with honor and courage," said John Passacantando, Greenpeace Executive Director in the United States.
"Voicing dissent and engaging in peaceful, non-violent protest are the duties of responsible, engaged citizens in democracy."
The Australian Services Union is organising a function to raise funds for Clyde's legal defence at the Norfolk Hotel, 6.00pm on Tuesday October 30.
by Andrew Casey
LHMU Hotel Union Assistant National Secretary, Tim Ferrari says the whipped up hysteria is not matched by the reality of successful efforts by the LHMU Hotel Union, and many employers, to minimise job losses in the Australian industry.
" There is no doubt that hoteliers are not enjoying the same level of profits achieved during the Olympics period in 2000, but credible predictions of a bounceback in tourism suggest Australia is well placed to benefit from low tourism levels into the USA," Ferrari says.
" The predictions of only a 0.4% decline in international arrivals in 2001, compared with 2000, is actually a good result. It could have been better if the Federal government had taken a more proactive approach to post-Olympics promotion of Australia in the tourism market.
" We should invest in more coordinated international promotion of Australia to attract visitors now unwilling to go to the USA . This promotion should be a priority. The $5m offered by Jackie Kelly will not do the job," Tim Ferrari said.
The Tourism Forecasting Council ( October media release) predicted a 4.3% rise in international arrivals in 2002, and Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels have stated "There is no reason to suggest arrivals will not rebound again after recent events."
Howard Govt Sits on its Backside
" The sooner the Federal Government gets off its backside and gives Ansett a hand to get all its planes back in the air, the sooner air capacity and discount fares will get tourists out to locations such as Ayers Rock, Darwin, Broome and Hobart.
" Comments from Tourism Queensland Chief Executive Stephen Gregg is a welcome relief from the harping hysteria and bickering of the Australian Hotels Association and Tourism Taskforce.
" Mr Gregg in the AFR ( 17/10/01) stated:
"There will be parts of the world people will avoid, and that can work in Australia favour. The Olympics were an example of how free and open Australia is.. our strategy is to maximize opportunities in the short term and get ready to go for the markets that will be there for us.. one such opportunity is winning a larger slice of the Asian tourism market in general and the Japanese honeymoon market in particular from the US and Hawaii."
Tim Ferrari said information coming from our union offices around the country suggest that well managed, forward looking, value for money accommodation hotels will get through the short term loss of some convention bookings by discussing work arrangements with staff and their union.
Best Strategies For Current Difficulties
Quite a number of the hotel managers have taken the view that the best way through the current difficulties comes from:
� increased domestic promotion of their hotel/hotel chain;
� targeted discounting of room rates;
� allowing staff to volunteer to take annual leave or long service leave;
� short term rearrangement of rosters;
� maintaining or improving service for customers
" This is in contrast to some poorly managed hotels, with a poor industrial relations track record, who have gone for the knee jerk reaction of job losses as the main strategy. Discussions involving the union have generally turned those approaches towards more positive initiatives that have not required job losses.
" The union has dealt with a number of instances where, because of management's cynical use of the USA and Ansett tragedy, there have been attempts to increase the workloads of hotel room attendants. Our members will not accept increased back injuries and fatigue as the price of increased workloads.
" Hotel staff are willing to pitch in to get through current circumstances, where they know that management have taken their interests seriously in the past.
" Our union is concerned by AHA threats of planned restructures, in a small number of hotels, to support their argument for cash donations by government.
" The use by the AHA of the sale of the Landmark Hotel to Mirvac, for conversion to strata units, is a poorly disguised attempt to stampede government into cash handouts. The sale of this hotel was announced before the September 11 tragedy.
" It was always expected after the hotel expansions, pre Olympics, some of the new accommodations will be converted to strata title units.
" The Landmark Hotel's decision to close its doors on December 18, just 6 days before Christmas, is another example of an employer conveniently forgetting how to treat workers, who have provided loyal service for many years, with a degree of respect."
Note: The LHMU Hotel Union expects the AHA to go through another bout of hysteria when the unions' claim for a Living Wage increase for low paid hospitality workers is announced shortly. That increase would not normally take effect until June next year but it won't stop a profitable industry from beating the drum.
The ballots will be barely closed when thousands of delegates to the international Metalworkers Federation will converge on Sydney to attend the week-long conference.
Top of the agenda will be the impact of corporate globalisation on domestic economies around the world, with a rally on Tuesday 13th through the city streets to highlight the issue.
The Australian Workers Union, Electrical Trades Union and the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union are all affiliates to the IMF. The Labor Council of NSW has endorsed the rally.
AMWU president Julius Rowe briefed the Labor Council on the conference, which is scheduled to coincide with the WTO meeting in Qatar.
The Workers United, Need a New Slogan!
With the a major street demonstration planned, organisers want to go beyond the usual lines of "the workers united ..." and "whatta we want ..."
The AMWU, AWU, CEPU along with all the major unions, community, social, environmental and religious organisations are marching to support global justice, fair trade and to oppose any new WTO agreements at Qatar on Tuesday November 13.
The rally coincides with the International Metalworkers Federation World Congress in Sydney. 1000 union delegates from all over the world will lead the march.
Info on the rally and a list of supporters is at http://www.sydneyrally.org.
"We need new, good and loud chants that will be heard and remembered," the AMWU's Natasha Holmes says. "They have to be short, catchy and relevant!"
The best chants will be printed up and distributed to be used in the rally. A final selection will be posted on Workers Online and the sydneyrally website.
by Zoe Reynolds
Workers bank CEO Anthony Wamsteker, former ACTU secretary Bill Kelty, the Fitzgibbon family and MUA officials past and present celebrated the official opening of the Fitzy's Cafe and the Sussex Street one-stop shop for Members' Equity and Virtual Communities last night.
The One Stop Shop is the one and only counter service for Members Equity ,a joint venture involving financial giant AXA and 41 industry super funds which was granted a banking licence in July this year.
The new bank offers low fee, high interest accounts to union members with home loans. It's public launch and internet service is not until early next year.
Fitzy's is in honour of the late Charlie Fitzgibbon, revered past general secretary of the wharfies' union (1961-1983)) who established the Maritime Workers' Credit Union, superannuation, leave loading and other entitlements, many of which flowed on to all Australian workers.
"As a union we glorify our past leaders," said former MUA national secretary John Coombs. "We glorify them unashamedly. They provide a powerful incentive to survive whatever the challenge. Past leaders set the standard and we strive to get within cooee. In the darkest moments of the Patrick Dispute I thought 'How would Tas, Jim or Fitzie deal with it?"
John Coombs said he suggested the cafe, which is just a couple of doors down from the old Trades Hall building, be named after Fitzgibbon to constantly remind everyone of a great trade union leader. He stressed the importance of workers and unions running their own financial institutions not just on the 'bottom line' philosophy but from a commitment to improve the lives of working men and women. A good example of how this worked was the Maritime Workers' Credit Union which waived mortgage and loan repayments during the Patrick lockout.
Bill Kelty also paid tribute to Charlie Fitzgibbon, recollecting on how the one time he was asked to represent the union he discovered that the employers had been provided the same handwritten notes from Charlie that he had. "And they followed Charlie's script exactly," he said.
Kelty also honoured ME CEO Anthony Wamsteker on the night for successfully building Members Equity into more than a $5 billion entity.
"Without Anthony it simply would not have occurred," said Kelty.
For his part Wamsteker said he viewed the workers' bank as a great adventure, thanking the MUA for giving it a presence and a human face at the one stop shop.
"It's been a great thing for us to be involved in," he said. "The MUA has been instrumental in building Super Home Loans and Members Equity. It's people like the MUA (members and officials) that make ME work."
The one stop shop is situated between the Credit Union and Fitzy's at 365 Sussex Street, Sydney. It provides an enquiries desk, computers and internet to help members get easy access to information on the Virtual Communities computer packages, superannuation and banking.
Financial transactions will be available before the end of the year, with ME outlets currently being processed through GiroPost.
Other guests at the opening included Charlie Fitzgibbon's daughter and grandchildren, representatives of Virtual Communities, officials from all three maritime unions, NZ maritime officials, MUA councillors and families.
Fitzy's proprietor Ali Cevikoz who provided the venue for the night said his father was never a member of a union because 70 years ago you did not have unions in Turkey and you could get labour as cheap as chips.
"Unions are the only viable force that can sway countries to understand that globally we are one family," said Cevikoz. "So I'm terribly proud to be here in charge of the cafe. This is just not a coffee shop it is a place where you can see the union movement at work."
by Phil Thornton
According to figures released by the international aid group, Burmese Border Consortium (BBC), there are 127,914 refugees housed in camps on the Thai border - more than 96,000 of these are Karens.
These figures do not include the tens of thousands of refugees who live outside the refugee camps in Thailand or the hundreds of thousands of Internally Displaced People (IDPs) who remain on the Burmese side of the border.
Because the camps are on the Burmese side of the border there are no aid agencies or refugee programs that can officially help the people. Sanitation is poor and disease is rampant, especially in the long wet season that lasts from June to November.
The camp becomes almost impossible to move around as thick heavy wedges of clay cling to feet. Malaria and dengue carrying mosquitoes are everywhere.
Respiratory illnesses kill both young and old. Already weak immune systems are forced even lower by marginal diets. If by some miracle these people can somehow survive the disease, land mines and hunger they still have to avoid being caught in military search-and-kill missions.
Internally Displaced People are a result of a deliberate government strategy to force people out of their homes. It is part of their Four Cuts offensive that aims to break the support, food supplies, recruitment and information provided to ethnic resistance groups by villagers. The military has declared war on its own citizens. Issuing orders to its soldiers to shoot on sight anyone found in Black Zones -including the old, young and sick.
A benefit night to help Burmese refugees will be held at the Harbourside Brasserie on Thursday 15 November.
Musicians who have donated their time and talent include: Jon Stevens; Jackie Orszaczky and Tina Harrod; Mike Nock; Reg Mombasa and Peter O' Doherty; Jonathan Zwartz and Hamish Stuart and Dr Winston O'Boogie Strings. Entry is $10 and a number of award-winning Australian and international photographers have also donated pictures that will be raffled on the night.
Picnic for Peace
Sunday 28th October from Midday
Overflow Park at Sydney Olympic Park, Homebush
What's On: Live music and entertainment, food stalls, speakers and activities for all the family
You will hear speakers talk about the next step for diversity, peace, refugee rights and reconciliation.
Let's send the political parties a powerful message that Australian's do support the international Human Rights system and want to end punitive and discriminatory immigration and social policies.
As a gesture of peace bring or wear something white as a sign of solidarity for refugee and indigenous rights. BYO chair, hat, picnic and friends.
Colombian unionists to visit
Public meeting Monday 22 October 6PM 15 Wentworth Avenue Sydney
Hear from Jesus Gonzales (Director, Human Rights Department, Colombian Union
Congress) and Pedro Mahecha (Colombian human rights & labour lawyer)
Over 300 trade unionists were murdered for organising workers in Colombia last year. Colombian workers and peasants have been involved in a 50 year popular insurgency. Their struggle is against a Government hopelessly hostage to the U.S. agenda in Latin America and deeply implicated in the cocaine trade.
Please come on Monday and hear the latest from this pivotal Latin American nation.
Further info: Phil Davey 0414 867 188
Reportage
Thursday, November 1, 2001 - 7.30pm (sharp)
Introduced by Jennifer Byrne
&
Saturday, November 3, 2001 - 11.00am
Followed by Q & A with Robert Pledge
Palace Academy Twin Cinemas
3a Oxford St. Paddington
Special Guest: Robert Pledge
Chairman, World Press Photo Awards 2001
President, Contact Press Images
Tickets $16.50 available from the Box Office or Advance Bookings:
MCA Ticketing (02) 9873 3575 or www.mca-tix.com
A Celebration of Photojournalism
Reportage is an annual event which aims to showcase outstanding photo reportage -now held for the third year in Sydney. Photo essays from leading Australian and international photographers are projected onto the cinema screen with sound and multimedia.
The festival aims to create an opportunity for photographers to share, show and discuss images and ideas about the various personal and professional aspects of the profession with a wider audience. It offers photographers a broader context in which to show work, and a more personal side to their stories and their experiences.
Reportage aims to promote the talent of local photographers as well as inform the Australian photographic community and the public of new work from international photographers rarely seen in this country. The focus is as much on established photographers as it is on discovering new emerging talent within the industry.
The festival's core group are Michael Amendolia, David Dare Parker, Stephen Dupont, Jack Picone and Jacqui Vicario and is extended to friends of the festival within the local and international photography industry.
Reportage celebrates the great sense of comraderie that has kept the profession alive from the beginning. An acknowledgment of the beauty and importance of a single image and its ability to shape a moment in our lives.
Friends and Brothers of Organized Labor,
Joy Mining Machinery is at it again! The Joy Facility at Mt Vernon, Il. USA,has been the location of the latest Joy labor relations tactics. The International Brotherhood of Boilermakers, Iron Ship Builders, Blacksmiths, Forgers Local 483 have been without a Contract with Joy since March 17,2001. They have been on Stike, locked out and then laid-off! The Union has filed two charges with the U.S. National Labor Relations Board.The Board ruled in favor of the Union once concerning mandantory overtime.
Only about 30 Union employees are currently working at Joy,Mt Vernon out of around 175. Without a contract!
After reading the latest contributions to your site, I was quite relieved to learn that I wasn't the only one in the IT industry feeling the pressure to put in the "extra yards".
If there are others who would like to discuss this issue, may I take this opportunity to invite them to the UnionsWA Discussion Forums at http://www.tlcwa.org.au
Thanks for the great site and keep up the good work.
Dear Sir,
As a public relations exercise, "Thames Water "in the U.K., has set up a Web Site , associated with "Water Aid" a registered charity .
Thames Water have agreed to donate 150,000 English pounds (which will provide safe drinking water for Life to 6000 people in Africa and Asia), if they have 2 000 000 , visitors to their Web Site over the next 12 weeks . As it only takes a few seconds to visit the site at www.givewater.org , and as the number visitors has already reached almost 1.5 million perhaps you and your readers could assist in this venture,by visiting this Web Site.
In fact, would it not be an excellent Public Relations exercise for Worker Online / Labor Council to organise a similar venture with Sydney Water?
If all Union members set their default homepage to start at : www.givewater.org , by going to this site , then clicking on Tools button on the tool bar , then Internet options , then general options , then click the use current button. This will start their Web Browser at this site.
Two Million hits, I think we could do better than that?
Tom Collins
Kim Beazley has attacked the Prime Minister for his lack of a third term agenda. Rather, I fear that Howard and Costello do have a very firm agenda - hidden until after the election.
Many public servants would be aware of rumours circulating through key policy departments - like the Prime Minister's Department - that retrenchment benefits for Commonwealth public servants will be reduced after the election to the so-called "community standard" of 8 weeks pay.
Before the election, all unions with members in the public sector, especially the cpsu, should get a clear undertaking from MPs and Senators that they would vote against any legislation to roll-back existing working entitlements in this way.
Noel BLaxendale
David Martin, in responding to my article on the Laborite Jim Maloney, asserts that, in contrast, George Orwell "was an anarchist".
But this claim is incorrect. Orwell fought in Spain under the auspices of an established British political party - the Independent Labour Party - which he joined in 1938. He later left the ILP because of policy differences, not because he was ever an anarchist.
STEPHEN HOLT
Dear Sir,
With all the brouhaha about a treaty between European Australians and Indigenous Australians, I personally recommend caution, as one can see, from the manipulation of the "Treaty of Waitangi" how treaties can be by passed and used to the detriment of the first nation , in this case the New Zealand Maori!
Subject: 20 WAYS TO TAKE AWAY TREATY RIGHTS
From the COLONISERS MANUAL TO DEAL WITH THE LOCAL MAORI but readily converted to your own particular situations - substitute 'native' for ('Maori').
HOW TO KNOW HOW TO HANDLE THE NATIVES....
20 WAYS TO TAKE AWAY TREATY RIGHTS!
1/ Make the Maori a nonperson. Convince them that their ancestors were
savages, the violent drunkards that made them wards of the state.
2/ Convince Maori that they should be patient. Whats 161 yrs? Tell them progress is being made.
3/ Make Maori believe that things are being done for their own good.
4/ Get some Maori people to do the dirty work. There are always those who will act for you to disadvantage their own. (Find the kupapa / quisling).
5/ Consult Maori but don't act on what they tell you. Tell Maori that they do have a voice indeed.
6/ Insist that Maori people go through the proper channels. (This is very expensive and cumbersome. Until they run out of energy and/or resources, finances and never achieve their goals).
7/ Make the Maori believe that you are putting a lot of effort into working for them and they should really be appreciative. It is particularly rewarding when they thank you.
8/ Allow a few individuals to make the grade, point to them as an example.
(Well if Alan Duff, Kreeeteekahnahwah - etc - can make the grade - read 'our' grade! - so can you. You can do it if you only try. If you don't 'succeed' that's your fault!).
9/ Appeal to the Maori sense of fairness or aroha. Tell them that even though things are pretty bad it's not good for them to make strong protest.
(We won't discuss your grievances with you or deal with your complaints until you stop protesting - ie: stop that land occupation before we will talk to you).
10/ Encourage the Maori to take their case to court even to the Privy Council. This takes much time and energy and is very expensive, therefore a safe strategy because the laws (colonial laws) are stacked against them.
11/ Make Maori believe that things could be worse. Instead of complaining, that their lands and identities were stolen from them, they should be grateful for the state house they're renting. (Takaparawha).
12/ Set yourself up a pretend court with no power like the Waitangi Tribunal. Impress on them that things will be given back. Accuse them of greed when they point out nothing has been (or is being) returned.
13/ Pretend that the reason for the loss of human rights is for some other reason than the fact that the person is a Maori.
14/ Make the situation more complicated than is necessary.
15/ Insist on unanimous decision making. Tell them that when ALL Maori in Aotearoa can make up their minds then you will act.
16/ Select very limited alternatives which have little merit and tell Maori that they indeed do have a choice.
17/ Convince Maori that the leaders who are the most beneficial to them are actually dangerous and not to be trusted. Or simply lock them up on some trumped up charge, such as driving with no lights.
18/ Talk about what's good for everyone. Tell the Maori that they can't consider themselves when there's the whole country to think of. (Farcical envelope).
19/ Remove rights gradually.
20/ Rely on reason and logic (your reason and logic) instead of rightness and morality.
Im sure others out there can elaborate or add their own experiences on colonization, to that list of 20.
However, I thank the person who originally penned the '20 ways to take away your treaty rights'.
Perhaps I should have elaborated upon Number 8: to add that: oppressed people who do acquire a large body of knowledge or educate themselves out from under the colonial repression, bring the colonizer into credit and discredit those protesting against oppression - These liars are
not really oppressed, after all they've succeeded! They owe their success to us, because we are such 'good' and 'fair-minded' colonizers!
(Ever notice that it is the group who benefit most from the oppression of indigenous people, who will deny such attitudes are racist?)
In solidarity.
Tame Te`ke
Ng�ti Whatua
Visit : http://www.ruiamai.co.nz/About.html
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What is your feeling of the level of interest out there in environment in a time when the focus is centred on more short term, international issues?
I think the people have moved on very substantially from international issues. I think there is a growing feeling that John Howard is starting to use international issues so that he can avoid facing the music on his record in government, and the environment is one of those areas where the public across the country is coming to the meetings and forums that I am having with a very deep concern. The environment is one area where people do want the government to take some leadership.
The environment means different things to different people. If you are a farmer it might mean the quality of the land; if you are someone living in a city it might mean whether there's a nuclear reactor in the area. How difficult is it to package it all into something that means one thing to everyone?
I think concern for the environment resonates across the country. It doesn't resonate just in the so-called leafy inner suburbs of Sydney and Melbourne. I am spending most of my time in regional Australia, places like Richmond, up in North Queensland like Capricornia, Townsville and Leichhardt, and in places like Adelaide where there is a whole raft of environmental issues - the basic lifestyle issues such as the water people drink and the air that they breathe. In inner city areas, air pollution is probably the biggest environmental problem. We also have a generation of land issues. Land clearing, vegetation clearing, salinity. Then you have a fundamental issue like climate change.
How do you address all these different and complicated issues? The way you address climate change, for example, is by a whole of government response; a response which entails "locking in" the knowledge nation economy, particularly in providing solutions for greenhouse problems. For example, we want the coal industry to continue but we now know that we may be able to reduce emissions from coal and aluminium industries by 25 to 30 per cent. We need to develop strategies to meet the twin objectives of not closing old industries, but reducing their emissions and to make them more acceptable.
So what we are proposing is a "whole of government" approach and our starting point has been Kim Beazley's Ministerial Working Group of about 12 Shadow Ministers which over the last few years has met on about 20 occasions to address environment issues. That group has included people like Laurie Brereton, Simon Crean, Martin Ferguson, Bob McMullan, Laurie Ferguson, Gavan O'Connor, Lindsay Tanner and Carmen Lawrence. It has been a multi disciplined response to the environment.
I think many of these issues need to be run from the epicentre of government. So when we are talking about salinity and the water issues, Labor does not want a situation like the current government's, where Robert Hill took 17 months to appoint the new Murray Darling Basin Commission Chair, because he couldn't find a suitable person to head it. On our side, Kim Beazley has decided that a driving force for our Environment Policy will be a unit in the Prime Minister's Department.
One of the perceptions about the environment is that it has always been in tension with jobs. This has created some difficulties in the trade union movement. Have you had discussions with unions about your environment agenda?
Yes, over the years we have had some good discussions and some heated ones. I think there is a new growing awareness that we can actually do things together. In some sectors - I think the coal industry is one sector - we have been working to ensure there is a future for the industry with an environmental agenda. I guess the real area of conflict between the unions and environment groups has been around logging of old growth forests. But I think there is a growing realization there that too much of the added value is going overseas. We are exporting job opportunities, and that has brought the unions and some aspects of the Green movement together to try and work for a common future. Increasingly, we now recognize that jobs will come from clean, green technology. There will be opportunities for employment in the new industry sectors, particularly in the regions.
Are you looking at new forums for discussing these issues with the representatives of working people?
I have a long history of involvement with the union movement, both at the State and National levels. I have had a working relationship with people like Martin (Ferguson) over the years. In government I had solid relations - not just with the ACTU - but with State Labor Councils across the country. Where there are issues that we may need from time to time to work through, I will be doing that, but I would like to set up a formal process with representatives of workers to see if we can actually bridge a few divides by sitting at a table and talking issues through.
The big announcement that you have made so far in the campaign is the ratification of the Kyoto Protocol. Obviously until the Americans back it, it is going to be limited in its scope. What hope do you see of bringing America on board in the medium to short term?
The important objective is to work internationally to get as much support for the protocol as we can. If we were to ratify, and Canada and Japan are pretty close to making similar sorts of announcements, we would then be looking at 55% of emitting nations prepared to ratify the protocol. That's what we need.
Labor's starting point is that organizations like CSIRO have predicted there will be serious downside effects on Australia if climate change continues unabated. We can do what we want to do domestically, but this won't protect us from the effects of global warming. We actually do need a strong international regime to protect the snowfields of Victoria, the Great Barrier Reef, a lot of the land cover of South Australia and WA. Now we reckon we can do it by way of an effective international response. The USA is probably never going to be a party, but what the USA will do is to develop market mechanisms which will be complementary to what is developed through the protocol process.
In Europe governments are already adopting an agenda for climate change in line with the Kyoto Protocol and recognizing opportunities within that. That will prompt industry in the USA to pick it up as well. I think there will be enough momentum in the USA for them to lock into whatever is agreed to internationally, despite the lack of a formal ratification.
The issue of Green preferences is obviously important with a lot of young people leaning towards the Greens. How confident are you, and how important is it to get a preference deal?
We in the labour movement and Labor Party have got our own policy position to present. We, the longest living party in the country, had strong environment policies for decades. We are now presenting our policies and I must say that a lot of young people, particularly former Democrats, are saying to us that we are the only Party in this election with a coherent environment policy. The Democrats are immature in their policies - they are having trouble being taken seriously, while Bob Brown keeps raising the bar. For Bob, ratification of the Kyoto protocol was important for years but when we announced our policy, he dismissed it as insignificant. I think people are starting to get a bit frustrated with the minor parties on the environment.
At present 80% of Green voters will preference to us anyway. It will be important for Bob to respond to his voters' wishes, otherwise it will be a case of the tail wagging the dog. In the meantime, we are not going to come up with policies that are unsustainable in an effort to please him or anyone else.
So you are not losing any sleep over Green preferences?
We would like to have them, but at the same time I have got to say the cards are not all in his hands. Bob Brown has spent the last five years railing against John Howard on just about every conceivable issue. If Bob Brown wants a republic, if Bob Brown wants a humanitarian agenda with indigenous Australians, if Bob Brown wants a vibrant, independent ABC, if Bob Brown wants to protect the environment, he must send his preferences to us. If he does not, then all the Howard injustices that he has campaigned against in the last five years will continue. Bob Brown can't afford to keep the Howard government alive. I'm sure he saw what happened in the USA. Ralph Nader didn't support Gore, he supported Bush. Kyoto is dead and Ralph Nader is dead as a political force in the US, discredited: there is a lesson there for Bob Brown.
by Iain Campbell
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The recent French regulatory initiatives are linked to the theme of the 35-hour week, as announced in two pieces of legislation introduced in 1998 and 1999. There is a vast literature in French related to these initiatives, and reports are also beginning to appear in English. I discuss the first piece of legislation and its intentions and consequences in a 1999 paper (Attachment H). Regular updates on subsequent developments by French experts can be found in English on Eironline (eg Bilous, 2000) and a small trickle of articles is beginning to appear in academic journals (eg Jefferys, 2000).
The French initiatives stem from the program of the Left coalition government, returned to office in the National Assembly elections in June 1997. A central promise was a renewed effort around 'worksharing', in which the government would legislate to reduce standard weekly working hours from 39 to 35 hours as a means of boosting employment and helping to cut unemployment. In announcing this promise, the government was able to draw on extensive academic research in France as well as the practical experience of almost twenty years of public policy, including the de Robien initiatives introduced by their political opponents in the mid-1990s. The French initiatives can be seen as part of a broader resurgence in interest in Europe in worksharing experiments (Bosch and Lehndorff, 2001).
A draft of the first piece of legislation was unveiled in October 1997, and a final version was passed in parliament and approved on 13 June 1998. The legislation applies to all private and public sector employees other than civil servants. The law has several elements, including some intended to bring France more closely into line with current European Directives (eg on daily rest breaks and the definition of part-time work). With respect to the central issue of the 35-hour week, the law announces a two-tiered schedule for its introduction - from 1 January 2000 in enterprises with more than 20 employees and from 1 January 2002 in enterprises with 20 or fewer employees. Drawing on the model of previous initiatives in France (and Belgium), the legislation offers generous financial incentives to eligible firms that reach a collective agreement with trade unions (or mandated employee representatives of trade unions) before these deadlines. Firms that reach a collective agreement to reduce working hours in order either to hire new workers ('offensive' agreement) or to preserve threatened jobs ('defensive' agreement) are entitled to significant reductions in their social security contributions.
The first law left several issues in abeyance, with the expectation that these would be dealt with in the course of collective bargaining, either at industry or plant level, and then, after a review of progress, in a second law planned for late 1999. A busy program of collective negotiations took place in 1998 and 1999. Lured by the carrot of subsidies - and conscious of the stick of imposed reductions in the near future - many firms undertook negotiations with unions (or mandated representatives) in order to introduce working-time reductions.
A second piece of legislation, which sought to fix the form of compulsory working-time reductions, was presented in late 1999 and then adopted in January 2000. The law is complex. I focus here only on the main points, as they appeared from the vantage point of mid-2001.
The law announced a new statutory working week of 35 hours, to come into effect from February 1st 2000 (from January 1st 2002 for smaller firms). A modified package of assistance is offered to those firms who are still able to reach an appropriate agreement. Moreover, to ease the alleged burden on individual enterprises, the law announces a transition period of 12 months, during which overtime, ie hours above the weekly standard, is made more flexible both in terms of its permissible volume and in terms of its premia. Only after the completion of the transition period do the standard controls on overtime - a cap in most cases of 130 hours per annum, with premia of time and a quarter for the first few hours and then time and a half afterwards - come into play. The law amends the definition of 'actual working time' in order to clear up some of the confusion around phenomena such as training, travel time and on-call arrangements. In addition, it clarifies what is permissible with averaging arrangements (eg ensuring that 35 is the average and that workers are given 7 days notice of all variation). The law finesses the tricky issue of the SMIC minimum wage by retaining the hourly wage rate but adding a supplement to ensure that the weekly wages of the sizeable minority (around 8 percent) of employees who are paid the SMIC do not fall as their weekly working hours fall.
The law preserves and fine-tunes much of the traditional working-time regulation that restricts extended hours in France. This regulation is relatively comprehensive. In addition to a definition of standard hours (35 weekly and sometimes defined as 1600 annually) and the prescription that extra hours above the standard should be compensated with either money or time at a set premium, the regulatory system incorporates various maximum limits on working-time duration. As well as the cap on overtime (130 hours per annum for most workers, 90 per annum for those under averaging arrangements), there are maximum daily hours (10 in most circumstances) and maximum weekly hours (48 in most circumstances and never more than 60).
As noted above, France is one of the countries in which it has been possible to detect a small increase in the proportion of employees working extended hours in the last twenty years. This is usually identified with the work of managers (cadres), and research has recently begun to look at work organization and working time for managers (Boulin and Plasman, 1997; Bouffartigue and Bouteiller, 2001). One interesting aspect of the recent legislation is its effort to deal with working hours of managerial staff. The law divides managers into three categories. At the top are 'executive managers' (cadre dirigeant), who are seen as completely independent in the organization of their working time and who are given exemption from most working-time regulation (though they do have paid holidays and maternity leave). At the other end are managers who are seen as integrated into the work organization, working on regular working-time schedules together with other employees. Such managers are subject to the provisions of collective agreements governing working-time reductions. The most interesting is the third category, seen as intermediate to the other two. The legislation attempts to ensure working-time reductions for such employees but in a way adapted to their style of working. For those managers whose work cannot be calculated in hours and who enjoy a great deal of autonomy in their work, the law seeks to ensure reductions in the form of extra days off - around 10 per year. Such employees do not have to abide by daily or weekly maxima but must not work more than 217 days per year (ie 47 weeks of 5 days less 8 days for statutory public holidays less the 10 extra days). This picks up on research in many countries showing that such employees often want reduced working hours but would prefer them in the form of blocks of additional time off.
The regulatory initiatives summarized here were fiercely opposed by the main employers' association (CNPF, now MEDEF), whose president denounced the initial proposal as a 'scandal' and resigned in protest. The MEDEF argued that it interfered with the proper role of the social partners and that it would be ineffective in employment terms and would harm the competitiveness of individual enterprises. Most recently, MEDEF have called for a moratorium on the introduction of the 35 hour week in smaller enterprises. The major trade union federations varied in enthusiasm for the initiatives. This partly depended on their attitude to the trade-offs that were encouraged in the collective negotiations (eg flexibility and wage moderation). In the most recent period they have been occupied by the emerging debate around the new provisions for trade union representation (and by the broader debate on the future of collective bargaining initiated by the employers).
The regulatory initiatives are unfinished. The reductions have not yet been introduced into smaller enterprises with less than twenty employees (though it was estimated by the Ministry for Employment and Solidarity in January that 40 percent of enterprises with fewer than 20 had already switched to the 35-hour week - Eironline 2001). Moreover, the regulations are not fully in place (in particular, the provisions for managerial staff have been the subject of legal action before the Supreme Court and the European Court).
In June 2001, a tripartite committee composed of experts and representatives of the state, trade unions and employer associations (but not MEDEF) delivered a report that sought to assess the experience of the initiatives at what they suggest is the 'halfway stage'. The report is mainly positive (Rouilleault, 2001; for a summary in English see Freyssinet, 2001). In terms of the main aim of employment creation (or protection) it offers an estimate of some 265,000 new jobs so far, with half a million expected by the end of the process. The subsidiary aim of encouraging collective bargaining has also clearly been met, with strong bursts of negotiations and agreements evident throughout 1998, 1999 and 2000. The report emphasizes that the pessimistic prognoses of some critics that the initiatives would damage competitiveness have been dashed. Indeed there have been benefits for firms as a result of productivity offsets. The reductions have been achieved smoothly without lowering monthly pay or negative impacts on firms' competitiveness. The broader picture of employee welfare is a little mixed. Employee surveys indicate that the vast majority feels that the quality of life has improved, but many complain about more irregular schedules as well as increased workloads and intensification.
The French initiatives of course have failings. The tripartite report notes a few areas for action, including a need to simplify some of the provisions (eg re the minimum wage). The efforts to design working-time reductions for managers are interesting, but it would be wrong to describe them as fully successful. The unions have been highly critical, arguing that the provisions for intermediate managers can in fact open the way for longer daily and weekly hours. Nevertheless, the initiatives offer useful lessons for Australia.
by Noel Hester
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While most developed countries have been reducing working hours via regulatory initiatives, Australia is one of the few countries to buck the trend. Australia - along with USA and Britain - is one of the few OECD countries to have experienced a reversal in the long-term trend to reducing working time.
New research by a world expert on working time Iain Campbell of RMIT has found that Australia has average working hours that are longer than most other OECD countries. Average annual hours tend towards the top of the rankings, comparable with the USA though not as high as Korea. But the more startling aspect concerns the trend. Since 1982 the increase in average weekly hours for full-time workers in Australia has been dramatic. As a result Australia is quickly moving up the rankings, overtaking countries such as Spain and Japan which have been moving in the opposite direction. If present trends continue Australia could further rise to overtake Korea (whose average hours are, like Japan, undergoing a rapid reduction.)
For a full-time Australian worker the working week increased on average by 3.7 hours between 1982 and 2000. This amounts to over 21 million extra hours per week or the equivalent of 550,000 full-time jobs. This is by far the largest increase in comparison to other OECD countries. The two years from 1998 to 2000 saw a scary acceleration in this trend as an extra 48 minutes was added to the week of an average full-time employee.
Campbell's research has found that about half of all full-time employees in Australia usually put in extra hours in their jobs each week. And the trends again are in the direction of an even longer day. The proportion of employees that worked more than 40 hours increased from 23.4 per cent in 1985 to 31.3 percent in 2000. Those working 45 hours or more rose from 17.8 percent to 26.1 percent. Those working more than 50 or more hours rose from 10.2 percent in 1985 to 17.4 per cent in 2000.
Which employees work the long hours distinguishes Australia from other comparable countries as well. In most other OECD countries long hours is associated with high level managerial employees. It is not associated with blue-collar workers whose hours are effectively regulated. In Australia, on the other hand long hours are spread throughout the workforce - professionals and managers but also a significant number of blue-collar workers especially in transport, manufacturing and mining and tradespersons.
It gets worse.
At least in the other Anglophone countries where hours are on the increase employees are paid for it. In the USA the extra hours which are being worked are in paid overtime. In Britain lengthening full-time hours are driven by both paid and unpaid overtime. In Australia it is unpaid overtime which is the driver of the longer day.
Gender plays a role in the issue of overtime. Female full-time employees are less likely than male employees to do overtime, but when they do overtime it is more unlikely to be unpaid.
Campbell proffers some explanations for the reason Australia is distinctive starting with the complex political and economic changes of the last twenty years. In particular he cites the changed labour market conditions, changes in employer strategies and changed government responses.
Campbell says in Europe and other OECD countries where working hours have been reduced it has been done through regulatory initiatives - either through law or collective agreements.
In contrast Campbell says the Australian system is 'extremely porous' missing the crucial definitions of maximum overtime hours and maximum daily and weekly hours. He also says there has been a marked failure to modernize the system in the past 20 years.
by Peter Lewis
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Weekend: The Worm Turns
OK, we all know the worm is superficial, unscientific and downright schmaltzy - but when it turns your way it's a beautiful piece of modern campaign paraphernalia. The worm turned for Kim on Sunday night and maybe, just maybe, the tide of the election will turn with it. For once the punters got it right, a focused - even concise - Beazley performed way above a wooden and cautious Howard, particularly on the issues publicly thought to be Labor millstones, such as refugees. On the broader issues like education and the future of Australia Howard was positively myopic.
For mine the killer point was Beazley's recount of the so-called 'flip-flop' on the Tampa legislation. Howard's words were turned on himself as the Beaze clearly explained how it was the PM who had changed his position on the contentious legislation. And when Howard rejected the offer of another debate at the end of this one, he opened himself up to another salvo - this time the dreaded 'ticker". Funny how insults come around to haunt the slinger.
The debate 'victory' also neutralised the Liberals' latest personal attack against Cheryl Kernot - being orchestrated by their prize head-kicker Tony Abbott. The Mad Monk's showdown with Kernot on Lateline on Friday night was a bizarre piece of television that highlighted the strains of a tough campaign. But the enduring image is of Abbott's smug denials of any wrong-doing. If there is any Karma in politics Kernot will be returned in Dickson to take a place on the front bench and the Monk will lose Pittwater to independent Ian McDonald in a boil-over.
Monday: Fight This Disease
Anthrax scares arrived in Australia, serving to hose down any thought that the Great Debate is anything more than a morale booster for labor. With Howard due to attend APEC in Beijing next week and play the international statesman, Beazley's cussed luck continues. Again, all the PM had to do was call for calm and he was part of the lead news story. The task of placing domestic issues at the heart of the campaign without trivialising the international events is close to impossible. Worse still, Howard is using his "international obligations' to justify his dogging of a second debate, as if there are more important things for a PM to do than debate his opponent.
While the Worm has given Labor a bit of campaign momentum, so have the Ansett workers who are still pursuing Howard Ministers from one end of the electorate to the other. Saturday it was Howard, with a media top-off seeing a convoy of Ansett workers follow the media bus out to Epping RSL. Today the Mad Monk got the treatment, when the workers crashed a doorstop at the government offices. It's a military-type operation - media tip-offs are conveyed to the nearest 'flying squad' of Ansett workers who make a beeline to the event. They have become the wallpaper for the election campaign and, for Howard, it's not such a pretty picture.
Both leaders were in Adelaide today - a state where the seats are marginals, the voters are fickle and the Democrats are strong. Plus they're the only remaining Liberal state. Their respective pitches said much about their priorities: Howard's vision was for business reform Meanwhile, Beazley was focusing on the salinity of the Murray, part of his "My Plan for South Australia". It further underlines the truism that national politics is local ... except when we are at war.
Tuesday: Dirty Tricks
Bizarre theory of the day: Howard tanked the debate so Beazley doesn't look such an under-dog - Bizarre, but its one line going around town. No big mistakes, but Howard's objective was to let Beazley into the ball-park. Sounds like crap to me, but I've learnt never to underestimate the cynicism of politicians. Conspiracy theories aside, the debate has given the Labor campaign some momentum in the key marginals where Beazly needs to find a few seats to form government. The emerging issue though, is ensuring some of those already held are not lost in the post-Tampa backwash.
The political debate has been back on issues of defence - should Howard attend APEC? Should we have a Coast Guard? And who where should the Collins subs be built? Howard goes the low blow by announcing they will be built in Adelaide, rather than in Beazley's electorate - a decision that left Kim eating more than a little humble pie. Meanwhile, the government's mishandling of the ABC is coming home to roost, with a series of targeted leaks from the ABC Board against the cable0-salesman and former Young Lib Jonathon Shier, the man brought in to politicse the ABC who has turned it into a killing field. Even Howard's mate Don McDonald is refusing to declare his support.
But the highlight of the day was Costello on Brisbane radio. His dodgy voice, questionable rhythm and total absence of a tone become the story of the day as he attempts to belt out Money, Money, Money - it is possibly the most embarrassing play since Alexander Downer's infamous Things That Batter speech which spelt the end of his leadership of the Liberals. When will they learn - humorous Tories are a contradiction in terms.
Wednesday: Budget Holes
Tricky politics triumphs with the Liberals announcement of the revised budget deficit, preempting tomorrow's announcement of the charter of budget honesty. We should probably call this one the chart of dishonesty. While the Charter of Honesty requires prior notice to and scrutiny by the opposition, the revised Budget forecasts are the government's only. By moving the revisions forward two months, The Smirk got first look and first spin.
The main problem with the figures is that the reduced budget wedges Beazley in - there isn't much room to manouvre in policy terms. But no talk of mismanagement - this was put down to the international situation - no talk of the boondoggling earlier this year that wiped out the bulk of the budget buffer in underwriting petrol prices. Instead of shoddy management, this is just another reason to stick with the conservatives. The bottom line is Labor's scope for spending initiatives and rollback is disappearing before its eyes.
But again it is the war that takes center-stage on the evening news, with Howard's announcement to send troops to Afghanastan giving him the dream ride into the prime news slot. Beazley could look as sombre and determined, but it was Howard who received the call from Dubya. It will get worse this weekend, when Howard rubs shoulder with world leaders in Shanghai - ironically it is the APEC forum that Keating championed, but Howard pooh-poohed which is providing the platform for this manufactured statesmanship.
Thursday: Lies and Damn Statistics
Labor's GST rollback has become the latest casualty of war; hot on the heels of truth and freedom of speech. Beazley admitted as much today, conceding the rollback would be modest. Months ago Costello promised to spend his surplus before Labor could - and on this promise, at least, the government delivered. The Charter of Budget Honest is released - a shortened version of yesterday's hijack. The bottom line is the same: there's no money to play with.
Meanwhile, the war gathers pace as Howard farewells the boys, Anthrax scares hit more Sydney targets and the US Congress is evacuated. The election is dropping further and further down the news schedules, with significant policy launches like Labor Banking Charter going through to the keeper. Old Zen riddle: if a policy is announced and noone hears it, is it really announced? Time will tell.
The interesting sidelight to the election campaign is the jousting between The Greens and the Australian Democrats. The Greens have sought a debate, but Natasha has knocked them back on the ground that the democrats are a "major party'. Wishful thinking, which could seem even more deluded if the polls are indicative. The leadership change has not helped the Dems, their Change Politics theme is very eighties and the Greens are stronger on the ground, meaning that their natural base of progressive young types is seriously compromised. Both can expect some spill from Labor over its line on refugees, but with the polls showing the electorate's swing to the right, we could see the minors fighting over a small chunk of the vote.
Friday: Cut the Dosage
The happy pills are beginning to wear off. This is just such a difficult campaign for Labor. Try as I am, to running the upbeat campaign diary, the reality is hitting home: this is the campaign from hell. No media space, no money, a scared and confused electorate. The environment is all wrong for Labor's strategy of hitting hard and late with their policies. The polls are not turning and Labor faces the very real prospect of going backwards - perhaps a long way backwards.
I wrack my brains for a circuit-breaker - how can you cut through? The only thing that occurs to me is if Labor had played Tampa differently - actually taken the principled stand over the political fix. What if Beazley had argued the toss on Tampa - pushed for a more humanitarian approach that treated the boatpeople as refugees deserving of compassion. Sure, he would have copped a talkback backlash for a few weeks, but posy September 11 he would have had a different story to tell from Howard - about how the refugees were the victims of the Taliban. It would have been a clear differentiation - and it would have been in the first news bracket.
Bob McMullan put it beautifully at a Press Club lunch a few weeks ago: the first instincts of the electorate are to look inward at a time of crisis; the second its to show compassion. If the battle between Howard and Beazley were a contest of these two instincts, Beazley would have had a glorious campaign to run. If he failed he'd be a Labor hero, and the chances of victory would have been greater than the handicap we're running at the moment. Alas, Labor voted to neutralize the Tampa. And now they're left trying to sell a GST rollback with no budget to play with.
Three weeks before Christmas 1993, Wolfgang Dircks died while watching television. Neighbors in his Berlin apartment complex hardly noticed the absence of the 43-year-old. His rent continued to be paid automatically out of his bank account. Five years later, the money ran out, and the landlord entered Dircks's apartment to inquire. He found Dircks's remains still in front of the tube. The TV guide on his lap was open to December 3, the presumed day of his death. Although the television set had burnt out, the lights on Dircks's Christmas tree were still twinkling away.
It's a bizarre story, but it shouldn't surprise us. Every year thousands of people are found accidentally days or weeks after their solitary deaths in the affluent cities and suburbs of the Western world. If a person can die in such isolation that his neighbours never notice, how lonely was he when alive?
Forget about the Information Age: we live in the age of loneliness. In a world where marriage rates are dwindling, middle age is synonymous with divorce, and old age means a nursing home, people are bound to be very lonely. How many of our neighbors or colleagues do we really know as friends? How often do we turn on the television because we lack companionship?
It's true that in the last few years new kinds of community have arisen which we ought to take note of. One is the grassroots movement of environmental, human rights, and labor groups that converged on Seattle in 1999 and Quebec in 2001 to demonstrate against the undemocratic globalization agreements known as "free trade." A woman who helped organize for the Seattle protests told me:
"The feeling of solidarity and community among us was incredible. Even though most of us were strangers, we cared and looked out for one another. Our aim was a non-violent one, putting into practice the teachings of Gandhi and King."
When thousands of people from all walks of life come together to share a vision after years of creative networking, I feel great hope for the future. Still, such hopeful signs are far too rare to solve the epidemic of loneliness that is the curse of our society today.
Surely there must be more to our cravings than can be answered by the simple presence of others around us--who hasn't felt lonely in the middle of a crowd? Kierkegaard, by way of example, writes in his Journal that though he was often the life and soul of a party, he was desperate underneath: "With poured from my lips, everyone laughed and admired me. But I went away...and wanted to shoot myself."
Such desperation is a common result of alienation from our true selves. If it seems an exaggeration, recall your own adolescence. How often were you insecure or lonely, unable to measure up to all those people who seemed to have everything - people who were smart, fit, and popular? And even if you were well-liked, what about your hypocrisy, your deceit, your guilt? Who hasn't known the weight of these things? Multiply self-contempt a million times, and you have the widespread alienation that marks society today. What else is it that stops strangers from acknowledging each other in the street, that breeds gossip, that keeps co-workers aloof? What else is it that destroys the deepest friendships, that divides the most closely knit families and makes the happiest marriages grow cold?
We may justify the walls we throw up as safeguards against being used or mistreated. But do they really protect us? If anything, they destroy us by keeping us separated from others. They result in the attitude summed up by Jean Paul Sartre, who said that "hell is other people."
Dostoyevsky half-jokingly said that though he loved humanity, he couldn't stand individuals. All too often, our actions unwittingly mirror exactly that view. How many of us really love our neighbor, rather than merely coexist? How often do we pass someone with a smile on our face, but a grudge underneath--or at least a quiet prayer that if he stops to talk, he won't go on too long? And doesn't this lack of love contribute to alienation on a broader social level?
How far we have fallen from our real destiny! If only we were able to break down a few of the barriers that separate us, we might not resign ourselves so quickly to the idea that they are an unavoidable fact of life, but open our hearts to the richness that human experience affords-both in the sheer miracle of our individual existence, and in the joy of meaningful interaction with others.
Excerpted from the book 'Escape Routes' by J.C. Arnold
Read it free by email at http://escape.plough.com
Author Bio: An outspoken social critic and award-winning author, Johann Christoph Arnold's books have sold over 300,000 copies in English and have been translated into 18 foreign languages. See http://escape.plough.com/er/BooksbytheAuthor
by Rowan Cahill
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The April 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba spectacularly failed, alerting the world to the dark underside of American foreign policy. The adventurous, somewhat amateurish, attempt by Cuban exiles to overthrow the government of Fidel Castro had been covertly planned by the American Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), and the operation went ahead without the involvement of US military firepower.
Undaunted by failure, US strategic planners returned to the drawing board, determined to oust Castro and return Cuba to American investors and organised crime.
The five Joint Chiefs of Staff, headed by Army General Lyman L. Lemnitzer, figured they could do better than the CIA. No farting about for them; they came up with Operation Northwoods, a crackerjack ruthless plan to manufacture full-scale war with Cuba.
To achieve this, innocent civilians had to be killed and terrorism unleashed upon America. The proposal was to assassinate Cuban emigres in the Miami area and in other Florida cities; to sink Cuban refugee boats on the high seas; to highjack civilian aircraft; and to blow up an American ship in Guantanamo Bay, the US strategic base in Cuba. Washington was also targeted as a potential site for this self-induced, self-inflicted terrorist campaign.
Senior right-wing American military leaders rationalised that "casualty lists in US newspapers would cause a helpful wave of national indignation". The plan was to blame Cuba for these terrorist acts, and surf the ensuing wave of national anger to full-scale war with the island nation.
The launch into orbit of pioneer astronaut John Glenn (February 1962) was also taken into account by Operation Northwoods. If the attempt to orbit failed, and Glenn came a cropper, the plan was to blame Cuban sabotage and fabricate the evidence necessary to provide an excuse for war.
Operation Northwoods was presented to the Kennedy Administration early in 1962, and rejected in March. Which confirmed what the military leadership suspected; President Kennedy and his Administration were a bunch of political soft cocks.
A few months down the track Lemnitzer got the chop and was allocated less sensitive duties, but not before trying to have all evidence of Northwoods destroyed, just in case pansy liberal wankers decided to investigate. President Kennedy got the bullet in November 1963.
In 1992 Oliver Stone's conspiracy movie JFK aroused large-scale public interest in US covert history. Eventually Congress passed a law facilitating public access to secret government documents relating to the assassination of Kennedy, in an effort to disarm Stone's conspiracy theory. Hey presto; it turned out that General Lemnitzer had not controlled all the paperwork, and Operation Northwoods made it into the light of day.
The story of Operation Northwoods is told in the recent book BODY OF SECRETS (Doubleday) by highly regarded American investigative journalist James Bamford. In 721 massively researched pages of exhaustive dissection and documentation, Bamford places the National Security Agency (NSA) under his microscope.
Created in 1952 by a top-secret presidential order, the NSA is an ultra-secretive, mammoth, spook outfit that dwarfs the CIA in term of influence, budget, and manpower. Primarily engaged in global electronic eavesdropping, the Agency leads the world in cyberwarfare; it has recently been linked with economic espionage in Europe, and has been in the forefront of the search for Osama bin Laden.
The revelations about Operation Northwoods are perhaps the most startling and chilling aspect of Bamford's book. However there is much more as Bamford carefully details NSA involvement in a catalogue of Cold War conflicts, and in the Vietnam war, bringing the story up to date with details of the Agency's Orwellian powers of global surveillance.
Given world events since September 11 this year, and what seems like an attempt to manipulate the anthrax threat to implicate Iraq, there is much in BODY OF SECRETS to raise huge questions about the current War on Terror. With working people everywhere the victims of terrorism and anti-terrorism, Bamford's book is cautionary and disturbing reading; not exactly bedside reading, but recommended for the trade union library at least.
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On and around November 9, unions and their members will be calling for a "new globalisation" at work-places throughout the world. The day is set to coincide with the first day of the 4th Ministerial Conference of the World
Trade Organisation (WTO) to be held in Qatar. Mike Moore, the Director-General of the WTO, announced last week that the organisation still plans to hold the ministerial meeting set for Doha despite the terrorist attacks in the United States.
In a statement issued today, Bill Jordan, General Secretary of the ICFTU said, "At a time when democracy and open society are under such brutal attack, we need to strengthen democracy and global governance. We must recommit ourselves to building a world where democracy and rights prevail.
The Day of Action will not only be a time for protest, but also a time for reflection and discussion. The wave of strong reactions to the recent events we have received from trade unions around the world will serve to strengthen
the sense of a global trade union community and solidarity as we put forward the central demands of the Day of Action."
The demands made by unions participating in the Day of Action are as follows:
- NO to globalisation that drives down workers' rights and job security
- NO to globalisation that undermines education and health care
- NO to globalisation that helps the rich and hurts the poor
- NO to globalisation that stifles and denies democracy
- YES to globalisation that benefits all people everywhere
- YES to globalisation that delivers true global justice and equality
"We remain firm in our conviction that the WTO process must be reformed if it is to foster a fair and just globalisation", asserted Jordan, "We will continue to fight for the right of workers around the world to have a voice in the institutions which are shaping the global economy.
The response to international terrorism and criminality must include support for the rule of law and international solidarity, rights and democracy. In this context, as a matter of urgency, intergovernmental processes such as the WTO must be strengthened by making them more open and acountable."
by The Chaser
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World leaders and human rights activists said the prospect of a third Coalition term had sent shockwaves around the globe, instilling unprecedented levels of fear in every nation.
People everywhere are bracing themselves for a new wave of suffering in anticpation of three more years of Liberal rule.
Last night British Prime Minister Tony Blair said the boost to Howard's fortunes was the worst example yet of the imapct of world terror. "What more motivation do you need," he implored, "to seek revenge on these evil fanatics."
Since the events of September 11, support for Mr Howard in Australia is at an all-time high. Even several left-wing commentators have praised the Australian people for favouring the Coalition in this time of great uncertainty. "The terrorists have shown their willingness to assassinate world leaders by attempting to attack the White House," one said. "Surely this is not the time to be removing John Howard from office."
Analysts believe that Osama Bin Laden was motivated to reward the Howard government for its loyalty to the Taliban regime. "The terrorist attacks were really just a way of saying 'thank you'for the Coalition's refugee policy," one commentator said. "By refusing to grant asylum to those fleeing from the Taliban, Howard has really signalled his support for their regime."
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As Gill Scott Heron put it: It's a rerun, the late late show, a black and white flick from ages ago.
The government is again cravenly swinging into step behind the US administration as it re-organises its corrupt international partners. Lets think about other ways of acting.
To prove to the editor that I have moved on from the 1970s (even if only as far as 1980) but that my principles of peace and justice have remained fairly solid, I have unearthed the lyrics to a great song by a great band.
The Clash made their concerns obvious with the title of their triple album, Sandinista. Anti-war and anti-imperialist ideals permeate this album, as they did on the next Clash album Combat Rock. (both of which I have on VINYL, of course). Sandinista came out during the Russian invasion of Afghanistan. The boys did not ignore this, slipping a line into Washington Bullets about the Afghan rebels.
'N IF YOU CAN FIND AN AFGHAN REBEL/THAT THOSE MOSCOW BULLETS MISSED/ASK HIM WHAT HE THINKS OF VOTING COMMUNIST
I seem to remember the record company selling the triple album at a bargain price and reducing the band's royalties because they wanted them to do a single album, following their double London Calling. The band promptly produced a triple and the record company was not amused. As fans we got a great bargain.
The Call Up sums up an attitude we can hope will prevail.
ITS UP TO YOU NOT TO HEED THE CALL-UP/'N YOU MUST NOT ACT THE WAY YOU WERE BROUGHT UP/WHO KNOWS THE REASONS WHY YOU HAVE GROWN UP/WHO KNOWS THE PLANS OR WHY THEY WERE DRAWN UP
ITS UP TO YOU NOT TO HEED THE CALL-UP/I DON'T WANNA DIE/ITS UP TO YOU NOT TO HEAR THE CALL-UP/I DON'T WANNA KILL/ FOR HE WHO WILL DIE IS HE WHO WILL KILL
MAYBE I WANNA SEE THE WHEATFIELDS/ OVER KIEV AND DOWN TO THE SEA
ALL THE YOUNG PEOPLE DOWN THE AGES/ THEY GLADLY MARCHED OFF TO DIE/ PROUD CITY FATHERS USED TO WATCH THEM/ -TEARS IN THEIR EYES
THERE IS A ROSE THAT I WANT TO LIVE FOR/ ALTHOUGH GOD KNOWS I MAY NOT HAVE MET HER/ THERE IS A DANCE AND I SHOULD BE WITH HER/ THERE IS A TOWN UNLIKE ANY OTHER
ITS UP TO YOU NOT TO HEAR THE CALL UP/ 'N YOU MUST NOT THE WAY YOU WERE BROUGHT UP/ WHO GIVES YOU WORK AND WHY SHOULD YOU DO IT?/ AT 55 MINUTES PAST ELEVEN
THERE IS A ROSE...
A further listen and/or a read of the lyrics (a wonderful production called The Armagideon Times no.3 inserted in the packaging of the record, with great cartoons from Steve Bell) leads you to Charlie Don't Surf inspired by the US in Vietnam. A few lines hit home as Afghanistan gets bombed and we turn away their refugees (and the US drops one days food for 37,000 people into minefields while approximately 7 million are suffering food shortages).
WE BEEN TOLD TO KEEP THE STRANGERS OUT/WE DON'T LIKE EM STARTING TO HANG ABOUT/WE DON'T LIKE EM OVER TOWN/ACROSS THE WORLD WE GONNA BLOW EM DOWN
CHARLIE DON'T SURF AND WE THINK HE SHOULD/CHARLIE DON'T SURF AND YOU KNOW THAT HE AINT NO GOOD/CHARLIE DON'T SURF/FOR HIS HAMBURGER MAMA/CHARLIES GONNA BE A NAPALM STAR
by John Passant
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In fact the attack on Afghanistan will only make the situation worse. More and more volunteers will step forward to avenge the US attacks.
Hiroshima. Vietnam. Cambodia. Chile. East Timor. Panama. Iraq. To this less than complete list of US atrocities we can now add Afghanistan.
The war against terrorism can only be understood in the context of the rulers of the US wanting to dominate the world economically and destroy any potential long-term threats to its dominance. Using military force is one way of doing that.
US imperialism will not be content with a victory over Afghanistan. To intimidate us all it must show us its strength. So after Afghanistan it will then turn its attention to Iraq. And Iran. Then North Korea. And possibly after that even Cuba. After all, if the object of the war against terrorism is to intimidate the rest of the world into accepting US hegemony, the continued existence of "rogue" states calls into question US dominance.
The real medium to long-term threat to US economic superiority comes not from the likes of Iraq and Iran but from Europe and China. By attacking so-called rogue states, the US is telling Europe and China that it is the dominant world player and that even they have to bow to its wishes.
European capital for the moment has fallen into line. It knows that ultimately it can only exist under the umbrella of US military power and so will have to pay an economic price - agreeing to the supremacy of US capital - over the next decade or so.
It is no accident that at the same time the US is waging its war against terrorism Congress has passed legislation giving US farmers an extra $140bn in subsidies on top of the $190 bn they already receive. The US makes the economic rules and as the bombing of Afghanistan shows no one can dare challenge them.
It is China which is the long-term object of the US ruling class in its military build up, of which the war on terrorism is a subset.
The Chinese economy has grown markedly over the last twenty years. Some analysts are predicting that in twenty years time the Chinese economy will be the largest in the world. While this may not be correct, it is probably true to say that China will be an economic giant in twenty years time and a rival of the US. Remember that the USSR, with half the GDP of the US, was a real military threat to the US for forty years.
The Bush administration wants to stop China from reaching the position where it could rival the US economy. The President and his advisers reason that it was military competition which eventually destroyed the USSR and its satellites. In the end these economies could not bear the burden of military expenditure imposed on them by the ongoing US increase in spending on arms. And since the fall of the USSR, production in Russia dropped 50%. Even with nuclear weapons Russia is no longer a super power threat to the US.
Bush is applying the same logic to China. The main element of this strategy before September 11 was the National Missile Defence system (NMD). Now the war on terrorism gives the Administration a further pretext to both bully weaker nations and massively increase US defence spending.
China had already been increasing its military spending. In light of NMD and now the US war on terrorism it will have to spend even more on arms. For example Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue recognized recently that NMD would give rise to a new arms race.
We need a new world. A world where production occurs democratically to satisfy human need. The alternative is what we see before us now - the barbarity that is capitalism.
John Passant is a member of the Socialist Alliance
The MUA is the major sponsor of the national titles that are being held under the banner Safer Ships, Cleaner Seas as part of its on going campaign against the deregulation of our coast and the dangers of substandard foreign shipping to our marine environment.
The word 'Yallingup' is Aboriginal for 'place of love', but the break itself can provide some of the largest waves to be ridden in the South West with no love lost.
Yallingups shifting peaks have made the difference between winning and losing. In past surfing competitions held at the location, competitors will need not only to remain focused on their task at hand, but also in tune with the ever changing conditions. Surfers will have to deal with a shifting take off zone and Spring in South Western Australia can see huge ground swells come up within hours, making conditions very trying.
Australia and the World's first surfing champion, Midget Farrelly of NSW, will be among the Long boarders visiting the region. Farrelly is in Western Australia to open Jack Edens Surfabout Revisited Collection at the Vasse Felix winery. The exhibit will run from Oct 19 for 2 months
Current Australian Long board Champion Wayne Dean QLD is no stranger to the break at Yallingup and will be putting on a display for the local talent that will show why he is number one in Australia, while West Australian Claire Finnucane could easily cause some upsets in the Womens division. Finnucane who revels in all types of conditions from small to large waves is no slouch to competitive surfing, having represented the State on numerous other occasions including short boards.
Competition will be fierce in all the 9 divisions with each of the states vying for the prestigious title of National Champions. Could the West Australian long boarders repeat the short boarders victory at Rottnest in May this year? We will just have to wait and see.
MUA GOLDEN BREED NATIONAL LONGBOARD CHAMPIONSHIPS
Yallingup Beach
Western Australia
OCTOBER 20TH TO 28TH.
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Our favourite political game from the Roadkill Party - allows you to wreak the type of revenge on Howard that he deserves - send him onto the road in search of a steak, then clean up the mess!
http://www.iconart.com/roadkillparty/
Political Big Brother: Four gone: Abbott, Bishop, Anderson and Reith. The site is drawing a couople of thousands votes each round - a perfect breeding ground for young stackers. Currently up for reviction are Amanda Vanstone (the Sara-Marie of the House - with lots of nominations but no evictions), Michael Wolldridge and Robert Hill - who went within two votes of eviction in week one.
http://www.politicalbigbrother.com
JJJ's Election Site oprovides heaps of background information on the political parties, the process and the policy. They are also seeking listeners to
http://triplej.abc.net.au/elections/default.htm
On a more serious note ....
A special website set up by Workers Online contributor Jim McDonald, senior Lecturer in Industrial Relations at Uni of Southern Queensland, It's the most comprehensive hub of political info we've come across this campaign - and about the only place where you can compare industrial relations policies.
And on a practical note ....
Ansett workers are attempting to keep the bastards honest with an online price watch on rip-offs post Ansett collapse - all the tips come form the public and show what curry Qantas is making from the Ansett demise.
http://www.ansett.goodvalue.com.au/guestbook/pricewatch.cfm
And keep in touch with the Ansett news as it unfolds at the ACTU's special campaign page: http://www.actu.asn.au
And Victorian ASU Ansett workers have their own page as well: http://www.asuvic.org/asuvic_campaign/private_sector_div/20010911_42.html
As a singer Costello makes a great Treasurer - his rendition of ABBA's 'Money, Money, Money' in Brisbane radio was of a quality rarely plumbed to even in the grottiest karaoke bar at a few minutes to midnight. He started off trying to talk it through Rex Harrison-style but even his talking was out of tune. As the chorus came around he tried to pump it up to a higher-pitched monotone. By the crescendo he was positively growling.
It was not pretty television. While politicians may think such performances give them a human face - the reality is they come across with all the humanity of a mannequin. It's the same when you see them at sporting fixtures and child care centers. As humans, politicians just don't cut it. They'd be far better advised locking themselves in a gated community and keeping away from the rest of us. Come to think of it - that's what Canberra's for.
You could say that Costello's budget performance is the equivalent of fiscal karaoke. Three years ago, the 2001 budget was $10 billion in surplus and Costello smirked up the brownie points. Now he's squandered it all - and again he's taking quiet pride; hiding behind the international turmoil to claim it's external factors - rather than the $1 billion spent boondoggling in the name of Federation, the millions more winding back GST and keeping a lid on fuel prices. All have been abjectly devoid of vision, attempts to band-aid over popular unrest. Needless to say Costello's financial credentials should be in tatters.
But there he stands, the man waiting for Howard to slip over the line in this militaristic fervor, knowing it won't be two years that he'll slip into the top job. And what's his vision, further industrial relations reform! Hardly surprising coming from the Dollar Sweets man, although for some reason his moderate positions on Republic and reconciliation have given him a softer edge than Howard. Make no mistake, Costello is another union hater and he will pursue working people with the same ideological further as his factional opponent Abbott.
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