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Modern Labour
Unveiling his 'modern Labor' pitch in the Budget in Reply, Opposition leader Simon Crean seemed very 1950s – when 'modern' was good in itself, like spray-cans, zippers and uncomfortable furniture.
Interview: Licking the Wounds
Elder statesman Neville Wran expands on his review into Labor's performance at the last federal election.
Industrial: The Accidental Tourist
Standing on a picket line, just metres from the sleaziest part of Kings Cross, was not what Cheshire chemist David Lui had in mind when he was saving for his trip of a lifetime.
Unions: Stars And Stripes
Fly the flag, beat the war drum and screw the old, the sick and the poor – Peter Costello’s budget aims to emulate the worst aspects of American politics argues Noel Hester.
International: The Un-Promised Land
Andrew Casey lifts the lid on a little-known campaign to establish a Jewish homeland in the Kimberleys.
History: Mate Against Mate
Neale Towart trawls the records to recount some of the more acrimonious ALP State Conference debates.
Politics: Reith's Gong
Peter Reith's medal from the HR Nicholls Society overlooks a number of lamentable aspects about his character as Stuart Mackenzie reports.
Poetry: You've Got a Friend
A friend is someone who protects you, but in an interesting twist the Federal budget has redefined the notion of 'protection' by adding the word 'from'.
Review: War on Terror: Now Showing
Arnold Schwarznegger's latest flick Collateral Damage is spooky for many reasons, writes Tara de Boehmler.
Satire: Burmese Regime Makes Genuine Commitment To Pretence Of Change
The government of Myanmar (Burma) released democratic opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi today after a year and a half of house arrest.
 Solidarity In The Post To East Timor
Joy Wins For All Workers
Workers Call Abbott On Democracy Bluff
Wran Tells MPs: Talk to Unions
Family First on Conference Agenda
Cole Commission Declares Paper War
Yarra Workers Thank Australia
Budget Attacks Retirement Incomes
PSA Challenges Carr’s Secrecy Shield
Election Talk Aint Cheap
Hotel Bosses Back Down On Pay
Welfare Staff Strike Out At Harrassment
Della Ups DIR Inspectorate
Fake Notes Expose Government as Tax Cheat
Labor Faces Acid Test on Asylum Seekers
New Project Encourages Cultural Exchanges
Bush’s Western Saharan War And Oil Deal
Activists Notebook
The Soapbox
Border Solidarity
The Australian Workers Union's Bill Shorten explains why he drew a line in the cement in support of the CSL Yarra crew The Locker Room
The Dangerous Life Of A Hot Dog Seller
Phil Doyle ruminates on the virtues of processed meats in the world of elite sports. Bosswatch
The Bottom Line
Peter Costello wasn't the only one flaunting a budget deficit this week, as Rupert Murdoch announced the largest corporate write-down on record. Postcard
East Timor Appeals For Help
At midnight on Sunday 19 May, the UN mandate in East Timor comes to an end and East Timor becomes a new independent nation. Week in Review
The Spin Cycle
Budget week brings that much spin you half expect to see Shane Warne wheeled out as a spokesman on health, economics, or whatever else the combatants are blabbing about. Jim Marr lifts the covers.
Gangsta Rap
More May Day Hate Mail
What Women Want
Chucking a Wobbly
Is Caustic Costello the Despot of Despair?
East Timor: Independent Or Mendicant?
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News
Joy Wins For All Workers
A suburban bank manager is celebrating a landmark court victory that confirms the rights of all workers to speak out on workplace issues.
The Federal Court of Australia ruled the ANZ Bank had breached the law by disciplining Joy Buckland for speaking to the media in her capacity as an elected trade union official.
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Joy Buckland |
In a landmark freedom of speech test, Justice Wilcox upheld argument from the Finance Sector Union that ANZ had breached the Freedom of Association provisions of the Workplace Relations Act.
The Finance Sector Union took the action on behalf of Buckland, its Padstow branch manager who is also the elected national president of the union. She was disciplined and threatened with dismissal after being quoted in the media in her capacity as FSU president.
Victory For All Workers
FSU national secretary Tony Beck says the decision is an important victory for all Australian workers.
"The Federal Court decision reaffirms the basic right of workers to speak out on matters of industrial injustice," Beck says.
"ANZ is trying to position itself as a People's Bank - it could start by treating its staff as human beings. The ANZ should offer Joy an unqualified apology."
Beck says that in recent years workers have been increasingly intimidated into silence by employers invoking gagging clauses from employment contracts.
"This decision will give confidence to workers, particularly elected union delegates, to speak out on behalf of their fellow workers," he says.
No Choice Needed
Buckland says the decision means she does not have to choose between her job and her responsibilities as an elected union official.
"I believe it is totally reasonable to be a loyal employee and to speak out on behalf of my fellow workers," she says
"I didn't take this action for myself, but for all Australian workers. I was not prepared to allow myself be struck dumb by my employer.
"I hope this decision gives other workers the courage to stand up for their rights."
Read the whole decision
http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/cases/cth/federal_ct/2002/631.html
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Issue 136 contents
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