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Crean-ite Is Not A Dirty Word
Amongst the economic fundamentalists within Paul Keating's office, to be a Crean-ite was the ultimate insult. Today as their vision of an unregulated economic paradise gets the death wobbles, it should be worn as a badge of honour.
Interview: Trans Tasman
The head of the New Zealand trade union movement, Paul Goulter, outlines the importance of this weekend's Kiwi elections
Cole-Watch: The Full Story
In 20 years mainstream journalism around New Zealand, the UK and Australia, Jim Marr has never witnessed anything like the Cole Royal Commission into the Building and Construction Industry.
Unions: The Right To A Life
In the wake of this week's Reasonable Hours decision, it�s time to once again civilise working time, writes Noel Hester.
Bad Boss: Phoenix Rising
Eddie Lombardo just noses out fellow Royal Commission star Ferdinando Sanna for this week�s Bad Boss nomination.
Politics: The Virtuous State
Following Tasmania's first position in The State of the
States 2002, the ALP stormed home in the State poll, reports Christopher Sheil.
International: The Champions
They may be top of the world's football pile, but Brazil also has the dubious honour of 50 million living in poverty, writes Mark Weisbrot
History: Mandatory Mums
Women had been in revolt against �compulsory motherhood� for many years prior to the introduction of The Pill in the 1960s, Neale Towart discovers.
Corporate: Network Governance
A new way to govern public or private sector organisations is becoming urgent as society becomes more complex and dynamic, writes Shann Turnbull.
Review: Navigating The Doublespeak
How can you show a workforce the truth behind managerial doublespeak when the promise of big bucks is wooing them from their collective ideals? Offer them free tickets to Ken Loach's The Navigators and watch the penny drop.
Satire: Hector The Galah Found Hiding
Hector the Galah who was thought to have been stolen from West Ryde has been found hiding on the roof of a building in Surry Hills. He has resisted all attempts to capture him but when interviewed told the following story.
Poetry: Eight Days a Week
This week the Industrial Relations Commission came down with a decision in the reasonable hours case which, while a long way from what the ACTU wanted, could give a bit of steel to workers who want to take back what's theirs.
 League to Blow Whistle on Sweat Shops
Rados Shames Ruddock Into Action
Virgin Contracts Spark Wage Rage
Jobs, Cargo Sail Over Horizon
Reasonable Hours Call to Arms
Big Tobacco Turns to Union-Busting
Athens Workers Pay Ultimate Price
Cranes At Risk in �August Winds�
Abbott�s Savings To Cost Workers
Trades Hall Revamp On Track
Top Nurse Bows Out
Name Caller Back to Work
Congo Unionists Need Help
Activists Notebook
The Soapbox
Crossing the Divide
Former Liberal PM Malcolm Fraser made history addressing the AMWU national conference on an issue of mutual concern - the treatment of asylum seekers The Locker Room
Lounge Named Best On Ground
The latest casualty of corporate sport is the loyal spectator on the hill, writes Phil Doyle Postcard
Appeasing Morocco Is Dangerous
Kamel Fadel updates on the latest developments in West Sahara's battle for independence.
Week in Review
Save the Last Dance ...
Labor and the Democrats swap places for the next dance at the political tango, while across the ditch, those darned Kiwis show big brother how it�s done � again! Bosswatch
Walls Come Tumbling Down
It was a week of carnage on the markets � and for a few former corporate high-fliers it was even uglier. Justice? Or just a system in decay?
No Need To Import IT Workers
Kangaroo Court Horrifies Reader
Site Reunites Redundant Workers
Carr Off Course
The Banners of Greed
Join The Party
Shocks and Stares
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News
Rados Shames Ruddock Into Action
Serbian artist Rados Stevanovic's vigil outside the Cole Royal Commission has borne fruit with Immigration Minister Phillip Ruddock agreeing to meet unions over the abuse of temporary working visas.
After ignoring union claims that the working visa system was being used to exploit foreign workers, Ruddock has now invited the NSW Labor Council to travel to Canberra and discuss the issue.
It follows a series of cases highlighting abuse of the system including the case of Rados (see WOL issue 138), Indian hotel workers (see WOL issue 86) and the Indian Temple Workers (see WOL issue 94).
Rados, a master Serbian iconographer, was discovered by the CFMEU living on a hut after being paid subsistence wages by his sponsor, St Nicolas Serbian Orthodox Church.
He's been a regular fixture outside the Cole Commission's Sydney offices, creating art while making the point that the Commission has been ignoring the use of illegal immigrants in the construction industry.
Unions claim that his experience is symptomatic of the widespread abuse of the visa system that is costing Australian workers jobs and leading to the exploitation of foreign workers.
Now Ruddock seems to be accepting the depth of the crisis, writing to the Labor Council outlining steps he's taking to crack down on sponsoring employers breaching their legal obligations.
Ruddock says he introduced a new monitoring system in November, 2001, requiring employers to report on their compliance with visa requirements, and instructing Department of Immigration officials to inspect 25 per cent of workplaces.
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Issue 146 contents
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