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Issue No. 124 15 February 2002  
 
F E A T U R E S

Unions: Winning the Heartland
John Robertson unveils new research on attitudes to refugees and argues it's time for unions to mount their own propaganda war.

Interview: Swan's Song
Federal ALP front-bencher Wayne Swan expands on his ideas for rebuilding the Party in the wake of the Tampa election.

Corporate: Lessons from Enron
Jim Marr looks at the shock-waves the collapse of a US corporate heavy-weight are having around the globe.

Politics: What We Did Last Summer
We look back over a summer when it all went pear-shaped. Some events, at home and abroad, look set to have ongoing ramifications.

History: Solidarity in Song
Mark Gregory looks back on the annals of labour songs and offers some hints for those planning a tilt at the Labor Council's worker anthem comp.

International: A Tale of Two Cities
New York and Port Alegre are poles apart � but they both played host to important conferences on the future of globalisation over the summer.

Poetry: Nobody Told Me
Labour academic David Peetz commits the Prime Minister's current woes to verse.

Review: Labor and the Rings
Tolkien�s epic tale provides a timely reminder that that there are forces of good and evil in the world � and that they are not necessarily where we expect to find them, writes Michael Gadiel.

Satire: Rafter Named Bermudan Of The Year For Tax Purposes
Australian of the Year Pat Rafter was last night also named Bermudan of the Year, in a simple ceremony held in Bermuda's Parliament.

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L A T E S T   N E W S

Unions' Commit to Battle for Hearts
Private polling showing overwhelming support for the Howard Government�s asylum seekers stance � even among union members � has added new impetus to the campaign for a more compassionate approach to the issue.

The research, presented to a NSW Labor Council workplace harmony seminar this week, shows the majority of Australians, from all works of life, back current hard-line refugee policies. [full story]

Carr on Notice - Expectations Up
Unions have warned the Premier that his government faces higher expectations from the union movement in the run-up to the next State Election in the wake of last year's bitter workers compensation dispute.

Premier Bob Carr received a cool reception when he addressed the NSW Labor Council's Annual General Meeting this week � his first visit to Trades hall since the picket on State Parliament over cuts to workers compensation entitlements last June. [full story]

Mad Monk Sides With Angels � Briefly
A conversion of near-religious proportions saw Employment Minister, Tony Abbott, briefly touted as an unlikely witness for the ACTU�s reasonable hours case.

The CPSU considered testing the strength of Abbott�s born-again credentials after the Liberal Party head-kicker handed unexpected bouquets to public servants in a widely-circulated Canberra Times interview. [full story]

Maritime Union Acts on Spy Scandal
MUA lawyers are preparing to lodge a formal complaint against the government spying on union communications with the Tampa crew last August.

The move comes as more and more evidence emerges that the government espionage was outside the national guidelines, a serious breach of privacy and an intrusion on legitimate union business. [full story]

May Day Play-Off for Workers' Anthem
The quest for a new union anthem will culminate in a May Day concert with the leading contenders will play off for a place in labour history.

The NSW Labor Council's Australian music website Wobbly Radio is offering $5,000 to the performer who can produce a 'Solidarity Forever' for the 21st Century. [full story]

Burmese Links Shroud Winter Olympics
The International Olympics Committee is being pressured to investigate whether official clothing supplier, 'Marker,' produced the official uniforms of the 2002 Winter Olympics Torchbearers in Burma.

The International Confederation of Free Trades Union (ICFTU) says Marker is one of four IOC partners on their list of countries trading with Burma, in breach of ILO sanctions. [full story]

ALSO MAKING NEWS

 New Phone Venture One.Tel In Drag

 Two Million Face Rights Downgrade

 Enron Collapse Hits Share-Owner Agenda

 Corrrigan Snaps Up Rail Bargain

 Kinko Clowns With Workers' Rights

 MPs Face Security Checks

 Telstra's Tragic Delays Of Its Own Making

 Burrow Puts Case to World Economic Forum

 Shangri La Protests Hit Melbourne

 Activists Notebook

email workers to a friend latest breaking news from labornet
"Unfolding events show the extent to which Howard used propaganda to shape the refugee debate. Our challenge is to present a different story to our membership" - John Robertson  

E D I T O R I A L
For anyone who believes in karma, the events of the summer show how bad Australia's is right now.

Tool Overboard!

C O L U M N S

The Soapbox
Chinks in the Armour
The ACTU's Michael Crosby argues that Mark Latham's attack on the Labor for Refugees movement is the betrayal of Party values.

The Locker Room
Off-side in Korea?
With the World Cup set to kick off in a matter of months, South Korea's treatment of unions is under the microscope.

Week in Review
Cloak and Dagger
In the first of what will be a regular column, we place the week's labour news into a nutshell.


LETTERS to the Editor
 In Whose Interests?
 'International Labour's Year in Review' - A Re-View
 Belly's Broad-Side
 Collins Gets Cryptic

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