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Issue No. 141 21 June 2002  
E D I T O R I A L

Bitter Pills
It had to be one of the greatest frauds of history, we had reached a stage of evolution where we no longer needed to be regulated.

F E A T U R E S

Interview: The Fels Guy
ACCC chair Professor Alan Fels on big business attacks, the waterfront dispute and where unions stand under the Trade Practices Act.

Solidarity: Life or Death?
Ka mate, ka mate, ka ora, ka ora � the eternal warriors� dilemma - filled the Sydney air this week. Jim Marr was there.

Unions: Back to Basics
Tony Papa made it to the top of the Australian union movement; now he's back at the frontline organising building workers. And he's never been happier.

International: Global Terror
The annual report into violence against trade unionists was released this week. But, as Andrew Casey reports, the killings continue.

History: Sorry Business
Dr Rosalind Kidd lifts the lid on the use of forced labour of Aboriginal people in Queensland right through to the 1960s.

Technology: Future Active
In his new book on net activism, Graham Meikle arges that ideas will ultimately triumph over assets.

Satire: Executive Presents PowerPoint Eulogy at Mother�s Funeral
A corporate affairs manager from a leading Sydney company yesterday delivered a moving presentation at his mother�s funeral, utilising the many features of Microsoft�s PowerPoint software.

Poetry: Santa Claus Was Coming to Oz
As we commemorate world refugee day, what can we learn about our treatment of refugees, from the case of one man from far away who tried to enter Australia last Christmas?

Review: Dial 'M' For Minority Report
Imagine a place where everyone knows your name, the streets are filled with smiling faces, and murder has all but been obliterated. Anyone who finds this scene idyllic has clearly not seen Minority Report.

N E W S

 Fair Share: Link Executive Pay to Wages

 Abbott�s 'Rule of Law' Faces Court Challenge

 Royal Gaze Averted as Bosses Shut Down and Fined

 Molten Metal Sparks Safety Probe

 Consumer Boycotts Don't Break Law: Fels

 Korean Own Goal in World Focus

 STOP PRESS: Court Ticks Off on Service Fees

 Zero Tolerance on Casino Violence

 GIO Workers Challenge Bosses' Union Wages

 Nurses Reject Band-Aid Solution

 Saving Lives In Killer Productions

 McDonalds Vandal Becomes Global Hero

 Debate Rages Over Chinese Unions

 Paul Howes' Activist Notebook

C O L U M N S

The Soapbox
Jock or Janus?
Roland Stephens looks at Labor's progression through the eyes of 'Jock' the legendary David Williamson character.

The Locker Room
The World Game
Former Socceroo Dennis Yaager gives his take on the Cup Finals while Labourstart's Andrew Casey rates the labour performance of the nations left in contention.

Week in Review
A Law Unto Themselves
Law, domestic and international, is centre stage but Jim Marr discovers 7.1 billion reasons why big business seems to rise above it.

Bosswatch
Who Wants To be a Millionaire?
There are more of them than ever before, according to a new global survey of the world's richest.

L E T T E R S
 Tanya Inc
 Tom Bites Back
 Root Canal Therapy
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News

Molten Metal Sparks Safety Probe


A group of workers have been locked out of their workplace after raising safety concerns about forklifts carrying molten metal routinely bumping over potholed surfaces.

Seventy five Australian Workers Union members employed by Nonferral Pty Ltd, a division of Tri-Star Steering and Suspension are now gearing up for a test of new health and safety laws, claiming they've been vicitimised for raising safety issues.

AWU spokesman Matt Thistlewaite warned the dispute had the potential for serious escalation while the NSW Labor Council will back any prosecution that proceeds under the Occupational Health and Safety Act.

Tri-Star bought Nonferral last year, using a device that saw it acquire machinery and workers but not the company. The clear inference being that it didn't want to shoulder Nonferral obligations, particular redundancy provisions.

Thistlewaite said worker fears had been heightened by the refusal of new owners to upgrade forklifts or negotiate new redundancy terms.

If the AWU takes proposed action against Nonferral it will be the first NSW prosecution under section 23 of the Occupational Health and Safety Act.

Section 23 states that an employer or industrial organisation must not victimise an employee, or potential employee, because of a complaint over workplace safety.


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