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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
Family First on Conference Agenda
Trade unions will push the Carr Government to adopt family-friendly policies, including giving workers the right to access leave to attend their children�s speech days and major sporting events.
Under a resolution to be put to the NSW ALP state conference, sponsored by the Labor Council of NSW, workers would be able to access carers leave for non-health related family issues.
Carers Leave, which is a statutory right, would be accessible, not just when a family member was ill, but for important days in their family's lives such as speech days, sporting events and student-teacher nights.
The resolution would also place the onus on employer to show why a request for flexible hours was denied.
Currently, when an employer is not prepared to give family leave, the worker has to go through a costly, legalistic process to enforce the right. While such a change would be a first in Australia, similar provisions have been enacted by the Blair Government in Britain.
Labor Council secretary John Robertson says that while most employers accept the principle of family friendly workplaces, it is time to put some meat on the bones of the idea.
"It's not just about 'compassion' for workers with sick family members; it's about recognising that people have a life outside the workplace," Robertson says.
"With employers placing greater pressure on workers - with many working unpaid overtime - there has to be a degree of give and take."
Industrial Relations Agenda
Other Labor Council resolutions reflect the trade union movement's agenda in the lead0-up to the 2003 state election.
They include:
- Workers Entitlements: Unions will be calling on the Carr Government to instigate a national scheme of entitlement protection in cooperation with other state Labor Governments
-Unfair Dismissal: Unions will be arguing that reinstatement should be used by the Industrial Relations Commission as the primary remedy, rather than compensation in unfair dismissal procedures.
- Labour Hire- Unions will call on the Government to implement the recommendations of the Labour Hire Taskforce, including the regulation of the industry..
- Occupational Health & Safety - Unions will be calling on the Government to honor its' commitment arising out of the Workers Compensation reforms to ensure employer compliance with OH&S regulations and laws.
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Issue 136 contents
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