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Unfair and Dismal
As the credibility of the Howard Government sunk under lies and conceit this week, Tony Abbott – for a moment - looked uncharacteristically subdued.
Interview: If Not Now, When?
New Labor Council organiser Adam Kerslake talks about his plans to bring unions back to basics.
Activists: Fighting Back
Jim Marr talks to Keysar Trad, a unionist who's left the security of the Tax Office for a much bigger challenge.
Industrial: Croon And Divide
Fly a kite, obfuscate the issues, divide your opponents and continue to hammer people: the one-card-trick Howard Government’s latest kite is unfair dismissal reports Noel Hester.
Politics: Politics of Extinction
Trade unionism is a spent force; a dinosaur. This alleged truism is often heard these days, in one form or another. Rowan Cahill unpacks the lie.
History: Harry Bridges: International Labour Hero
Zoe Reynolds marks the centenary of the birth of an Australian waterfront worker who went on to lead one of America's largest unions.
International: Rats in the Ranks
The relationship between Britain’s Blair Labour Government and the union movement has hit a new low, as Andrew Casey reports.
Review: Follow The Fence, Find The Truth
Tara de Boehmler reviews a new flick that sheds light on the debate around the Stolen Generation.
Satire: Howard Screws Refugee Kids: G-G Turns Blind Eye
Startling claims that Prime Minister John Howard screwed refugee children prior to the last election, and also during a hunger strike at Woomera, have been dismissed by the Governor-General Peter Hollingworth.
Poetry: Let It Be
When a certain former Minister for Defence visited England recently, he met Sir Paul McCartney. The former Beatle thought there was something strange about him, but he didn't say anything. He decided to just Let It Be.
 Building Workers' Bid to Win Back Lives
Dog-Tired – Long Hours Leave Beagles Buggered
Home Care Workers Reject Sweat
Building Commission's Costly Spin
Caltex Asked To Explain Price Hikes
Palm Sunday Resurrected for Refugees
Dismissals: Labor Blocks The Lot
Company Collapses: Union Wants Bank Powers
Women Wanted for Wharf
Sanity Returns to the West
Big Brother Raises Hackles
Legal Action to Block Job Exports
New Dawn for Dili Workers
Councils Targeted in Contracting Campaign
CFMEU Constructs Lebanese Bridge
Israeli Aircraft Destroy Most Of Palestinian Union HQ
Activists Notebook
The Soapbox
Shorten's Suite
AWU national secretary Bill Shorten outlines his vision for unionism - from the relations with the ALP to its efforts to regain the heartland. The Locker Room
Bunnies in the Headlights
Despite their triumphant return to the League, Souths story won't be the last example of tradition being trampled, writes Jim Marr. Week in Review
Tories in Turmoil
With a constitutional crisis and a dangling mandate, it was compelling viewing for the Howard jeer squad.
Dirty Politics Won't Wash
Tom's Foolery
Give Us a Spray!
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News
Building Workers' Bid to Win Back Lives
NSW building unions are planning a major push to win back leisure time in the construction industry when 1500 enterprise agreements expire on September 30.The NSW Labor Council is coordinating a strategy across the industry, involving delegates and rank and file members, in what shapes as the industrial battle of 2002.
The Labor Council this week formally voted to back the campaign, which will target all major building companies in the state.
Claim details are being finalised by the unions involved - the CFMEU, ETU, AWU, AMWU and the Plumbers Union - with plans for a formal agreement between the unions to underpin the campaign.
While the strategy will not replicate the Victorian 36-hour week campaign, CFMEU state secretary Andrew Ferguson says the issue of excessive working hours will be central, with a focus on winning extra leisure days.
"Excessive hours of work in the building industry not only impact on the quality of life of our members and their families but represent a serious threat to worker and public safety," Ferguson says.
"Building workers are locked into a six-day week and this has negative consequences everybody."
Ferguson says workers will fight developers and builders who run the industry, rather than their individual employers.
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