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Issue No. 147 09 August 2002  
 
F E A T U R E S

Interview: Save Our Souls
Labor's superannuation spokesman Nick Sherry expands on his recent discussion paper into the industry.

Unions: Rats With Wings
As the Cole Commission continues to sidestep safety, another Sydney building accident puts workers at risk this week, Jim Marr reports

Bad Boss: If The Boot Fits
Royal Commission favourite and S & B Industries top dog, Barbara Strong, carts off this week�s Bad Boss nomination.

History: Political Bower Birds
Rowan Cahill looks at a new resource detailing the fading history of the Communist Party of Australia

International: No More Business as Usual
Global unions are stepping up their campaign against corporate rip-offs

Corporate: The Seven Deadly Sins of Capitalism
Shann Turnbull outlines a new set of rules that should govern capital in the post-Enron environment

Industrial: Stiffed!
A backyard horror story has left funeral workers worrying about mooted changes to industry regulations, Jim Marr reports

Review: Prepare To Bend
If it�s a feel good flick that you want, Bend It Like Beckham is sure to satisfy on every level, writes Tara de Boehmler

Satire: Bush Boosts Sharemarket Confidence: Shares his Cocaine Stash
President Bush has rushed to re-establish confidence in the US market by distributing cocaine from his own Presidential stash to Wall Street.

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L A T E S T   N E W S

Mainstream Media Vacates IR
The downgrading of industrial relations reporting by major media outlets has hit an all-time low, with no Sydney outlet now dedicating a reporter to covering the round.

The Australia newspaper has made its anti-union bias explicit, telling applicants for the vacant position of Work Writer that they should turn their attention away from issues raised by unions. [full story]

Ten Click Walker 'Unfit for Work'
A parking officer who walks up to 10 kilometres each day has been told she's not fit enough to hold onto her job.

Parramatta and Auburn Councils have rejected the advice of the State Government Medical Officer to tip long-serving parking officers out of their jobs on medical grounds. [full story]

Unions Push for Baby Nest
A scheme set up to protect workers entitlements should become the vehicle for supplementing maternity leave payments, unions have told a Senate inquiry.

Under the proposal, employers would pay a top up levy into the National Entitlement Security Trust (NEST) to allow women to access 14 weeks leave at full pay when they have a child. [full story]

Casino Workers Overtime Jackpot
Workers at Sydney Casino have won the first reasonable hours of work clause as part of an enterprise deal that delivers pay rises of up to $70 per week.

The Casino workers, members of the LHMU, are the first group to secure a clause recognising their right to refuse to work unreasonable amounts of overtime since the ACTU's ground-breaking test case decision last month. [full story]

Abbott�s Task Force �Rank Hypocrisy�
Workplace Relations Minister Tony Abbott has been accused of �rank hypocrisy� after flagging a Building Industry Task Force before the Cole Commission has even finished its hearings.

Labor Council secretary John Robertson contrasts the lack of hard evidence uncovered by Cole with �immorality on a grand scale� revealed in concurrent inquiries into the failures of One.Tel and HIH.  [full story]

Shipping Policy Blamed for Reef Damage
The grounding of the Doric Chariot on the Great Barrier Reef this week was a direct outcome of government policy promoting foreign shipping at the expense of Australian flag shipping, according to those involved in its salvage.

Maritime Union members involved in the operation say they were horrified at the poor seamanship by Greek masters and his Filipino crew of convenience, some of whom face charges associated with the grounding in World Heritage seas.  [full story]

ALSO MAKING NEWS

 Dropping The Ball On Training

 Combet Pushes Consultative Vehicle

 Maternity Leave for Pacific Workers

 Hit List of Forced Closures

 Magistrate Endorses Health and Safety Rights

 Contracts a Thorn in Workers' Side

 Fringe Success for Workers� Pick

 Activists Notebook

email workers to a friend latest breaking news from labornet
"It was obvious to all of us involved in the rescue operation that no-one on board was paying attention," MUA tug crew member Peter Lamond

E D I T O R I A L
If the end point of the Hawke-Wran review is that it motivates both affiliated and non-affiliated unions to transfer their grassroots industrial organising strategy into the political arena, it will have been a valuable process.

Post Production

C O L U M N S

Competitions
Workers on Film
Last issue we asked you for your ideas on a union film script to match Ken Loach's The Navigators. Here are the best responses.

The Soapbox
Driving Together
ACTU Secretary Greg Combet argues that the Australian car industry needs a partnership between business and labour.

The Locker Room
Dogs And Underdogs
Phil Doyle explains why losers are half the equation in each and every sporting contest

Week in Review
Filfthy Rich and Claptrap
While Labor and the Democrats are tearing themselves to shreds, Little Lachie and Rich Ray address the main game �

Bosswatch
Muddy Waters
It was a week when the Prime Minister washed his hands despite mounting evidence that the corporate world is out of control.


LETTERS to the Editor
 Fraser No Workers' Hero

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