E D I T O R I A L

Cry Freedom
If there's a common thread running through this week's issue, it's the continuing crisis faced by workers around the globe confronting the practical reality of Free Trade.

F E A T U R E S

Interview: Cross Wires
Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance chief Chris Warren surveys the fluid state of the Australian media.

International: Two Tribes
As the Middle East burns, Andrew Casey shines a light into one of the world's darkest corners.

Activists: Beneath the Veil
A young Afghani woman has travelled to Australia to put a human face on the suffering of her people - and her gender.

Unions: Terror Australis
When push comes to shove, it appears the Howard Government is more scared of the Maritime Union than Osama Bin Laden, Jim Marr reports.

History: A Labor Footnote To The Royal Funeral
Stephen Holt reports that an intriguing Australian connection has been overlooked amidst the supposedly blanket media coverage of the end of the Bowes Lyon era.

Economics: Private Affluence, Public Rip-Off
New Labour's enthusiasm for business is matched only by its lack of business sense, as the private finance fiasco shows.

Review: The Great Hall of the People
In an extract from the latest issue of Labor Essays, the ARM's Richard Fidler looks at the symbolism behind the Republican debate.

Poetry: Waiting for the Living Wage
The Living Wage Case was heard this week. The workers� voices in this poem have been adapted from the evidence presented by low wage earners to the living wage case.

Satire: Israel Recruits NAB To Close West Bank
Israeli security forces have successfully enlisted the expert help of the National Australia Bank to close down the West Bank.

N E W S

Baby Company Punts Netball Mum

Dairy Workers Win Global Breakthrough

Treasury Modelling Backs ACTU Claim

Bank Nabs Huge Sales Targets

Come Clean � Insurance Giants Challenged

May Day Jam and Toast

Job Security Win For Cabin Crew

Workers Gear-up For Pollution Fight

Shuffling The Deck On The Yarra

New Push On Workplace Crime

Super Child Care Win

Doubts Over Ettalong Wharf Funding

The Sane Monk Stands Down

Fabians Debate Refugees

Activists Notebook

C O L U M N S

The Soapbox
Unions and the Web � Where to Now?
Peter Lewis argues the time has come to revisit how trade unions interact with workers and how the Web could be the catalyst for such a change.

The Locker Room
Free To Where?
Parents with kiddies who play a bit of sport will have noticed the escalating costs associated with their kids being involved in sport.

Week in Review
The Joys of the Chop
Workers come and workers go, right? Well, it�s the way of the world but while some get stiffed, others are stuffed with obscene amounts �

L E T T E R S

WHAT YOU CAN DO

	About Workers Online
	Latest Issue
	Print Latest Issue
	Previous Issues
	Advanced Search

other LaborNET sites

Labor Council of NSW
Vic Trades Hall Council
IT Workers Alliance
Bosswatch
Unions on LaborNET
Evatt Foundation

Labor and Unions - What About the Workers?

Most of the current debate about the ALP-union relationship is centred around relations between union officials and Labor frontbenchers. These relations are obviously vital. However, I think unions also need to tie our political relationships in with the movement's focus on organising; and in particular promotion of member activism and development of workplace leadership.

Forums such as ALAC nationally (if it still exists?) and the State Labor Advisory Committee in NSW have their worth, but we also need to look at developing mechanisms that empower our workplace leaders.

Labor MP's should be required to establish ongoing regular dialogue with trade unionists in their electorates. The Party should require each MP to meet regularly with those union delegates who work in their electorate.

This could take the form of a regular monthly or quarterly meeting open to all union delos in the MP's electorate, &/or other meetings with delos that are specific to a particular union or sector or geographic part of the electorate. The details could be worked out locally, but the ALP nationally ought to require each MP to enter into a formal ongoing consultative process with union delegates working in their elctorate.

Many ALP parliamentarians have virtually no contact with the union movement and our issues. Most of our activists see no point in joining the ALP & becoming active in its branches, given the state of the ALP branch network and the lack of Party democracy. So we need to come up with ideas that force Labor MP's to respond to unionists' priorities and enhance the role of our active members.

Regular exposure to a mob of local union delos would be character building for many Labor MP's, I think!

Luke Foley

ASU.

  View entire issue - print all of the articles!

  Issue 131 contents

© 1999-2002 Workers Online
Workers Online is a resource for the Labour movement
provided by the Labor Council of NSW
URL: http://workers.labor.net.au/131/letters1_one.html
Last Modified: 15 Nov 2005