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Issue No. 144 | 12 July 2002 |
The Lotto Economy
Interview: Capital in Crisis Industrial: No Sweat Bad Boss: Super Spam History: Living Treasures International: Axis of Evil Solidarity: Pride of Place Technology: The Art of Cyber-Unionism Poetry: The Masochism Tango Satire: Foxtel-Optus Merger 'Anti-Repetitive' Review: Bob Carr's Thoughtlines
Sweat Shops � Coming To A Street Near You Glassworkers Walk for the Umpire Drivers Frozen Out by Corporate Spin Coca-Cola Brews Storm In A Tea Cup Bush Prepares for War on the Wharves Safety Summit A Hit With Unions Beattie Faces Bargaining Face-Off Casual Work Exploits � Catholic Church Agency More Effort Required On Disabled Workers Protecting Security Officers From Disease
The Soapbox The Locker Room Bosswatch Postcard Week in Review
GST Agenda Amanda's Mediocrity Capital Ideas
Labor Council of NSW |
News Abbott in Slow GEER
Nine months after Fastline Proprietary went belly-up, the first of 50 displaced workers are seeing some of their entitlements; but they are still being dudded up to eight weeks on redundancy. TCFUA secretary, Barry Tubner, said the Fastline experience showed up "glaring inequities" in the Government's determination to have taxpayers fill the shoes of failed bosses. Fastline went bust last September, leaving production manager, Tony Chia, to start again with the same machinery, in the same premises, but having flicked watered-down worker enititlements to the taxpayer. "These people had been grossly underpaid, they hadn't received their super for 12 months before the union was alerted," TCFUA organiser Steve Davies reported. He said the bureaucracy hurdles to extracting money out of the federal 'GEER' had proved almost insurmountable for the mainly Chinese, Vietnamese, Indonesian and East Timorese workforce. They had been required to attend creditor's meetings or oganise proxies, then lodge proofs with the administrator or liquidator. If it hadn't been for the union, Davies argued, most of them would have walked away from the process. "Most of these women marched alongside the Ansett workers, they were going down at the same time. Only now, this week, are they starting to see the first of their entitlements," he said. Davies said, however quick GEER operated, the Marrickville workers were always going to be "robbed" because the Federal Government only pays eight weeks redundancy whereas they were entitled to up to 16, under the state award. Labor Council will write to the Federal Government, urging 100 percent cover of entitlements when employers fold. Secretary John Robertson said it was "ridiculous" for workers to have to wait nine months before collecting any of their entitlements..
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