E D I T O R I A L

The Legacy of 11/9
From the orgy of righteous indignation that has enveloped the �Free World� this week a more chilling truth is emerging: if the suicide bombers were attacking Liberal-Democracy they have succeeded beyond their wildest dreams.

F E A T U R E S

Interview: Still Flying
Flight Attendant�s Association international secretary Johanna Brem looks at life in the air since last September�s terrorist attacks.

International: President Gas
NSW Firefighter�s president Darryl Snow sent this missive to his members on the anniversary of a day when 343 of their colleagues died in the line of duty.

Politics: Australia: A Rogue State?
ARM director Greg Barnes argues that September 11 has summoned a new era of isolationism and international lawlessness.

History: Levelling September
Counterpunch�s Peter Linebaugh reminds us that September 11 is the anniversary of another seminal battle: the fight for the English commons

Unions: Welfare Max
Maximus Inc is big, American and controversial. Right now its knocking on the door of Australian welfare delivery and there is every chance the Howard Government will usher it inside, reports Jim Marr.

Bad Boss: Welcome to Telstra!
A Telstra call centre has joined the race for Bad Boss after sacking a pregant woman who had the audacity to need to use the toilet

Health: Fat Albert: The Grim Reaper
Workers Online�s cultural dietician Mark Morey chews the fat over this week�s conference on child obesity

Poetry: A Man From the East And A Man From The West
Resident Bard David Peetz has penned this ode to the sacked Hilton hotel workers

Review: The Sum Of All Fears
Tara de Boehmler checks in to see that America�s cultural cringe is alive, well and sponsored by Marlboro cigarettes

N E W S

�Robbed Generation� Seeks Stolen Wages

One Year On: Ansett Crash Still Hurts

Cole Exposed By Immigration Scam

Car Workers on Howard Hit List

Mystery Windfall for Hilton Workers

Shock: Abbott Backs Workers

Union Billboards Censored

Track Grab Ignores Lessons of Glenbrook

Casual Approach to Air Safety

Bosses Say No Living Wage For NSW Childcarers

Pastry Workers Tell Boss To Get Puffed

Injury Toll Mushrooms

Victorian Zookeepers Down Buckets

Pride and Safety for Workers Out!

Activists Notebook

C O L U M N S

Legends
Gough's Plaza
Labor's living legend challenged NSW Labor to lift its game as he attended a renaming of 2KY House to Gough Whitlam Plaza.

The Locker Room
Support The System That Supports You
This system is a certainty, a moral, a good thing and a knocktaker; well, at least according to Phil Doyle

Bosswatch
RIP Chainsaw Al
One of the heroes of corporate downsizing has been cut down but his memory lives on with golden handshakes for leaders of failed businesses still thick on the ground.

Week in Review
Lest We Forget
You can�t help a sneaking suspicion, Jim Marr writes, that George Bush is conscripting the dead of September 11, 2001, to lead his push for another war in the Gulf�

Awards
The Importance of Being Ernie
It was the tenth annual �Ernie� Awards for sexist behaviour and Labor Council�s Alison Peters was amongst the noisy punters

Activists
Workers Out!
Gay and Lesbian trade unionists are organising an international conference to develop a global response to homophobia in the workplace, writes Ryan Heath

L E T T E R S

WHAT YOU CAN DO

	About Workers Online
	Latest Issue
	Print Latest Issue
	Previous Issues
	Advanced Search

other LaborNET sites

Labor Council of NSW
Vic Trades Hall Council
IT Workers Alliance
Bosswatch
Unions on LaborNET
Evatt Foundation

Casual Approach to Air Safety

"Our information is that many of them have not got the proper accredited training and licensing needed to do this key job," LHMU Airport Security national secretary, Jeff Lawrence, said.

"In a tough security environment it is not appropriate that half the screeners have no background in airport security work.

"And it is definitely not right that they are brought in to protect the lives of travellers by what seems to be a questionable labour-hire arrangement between Sydney airport's security contractor, SNP, and an outside firm."

Only 15 percent of the airport security workers at Sydney International Airport are full-time airport screeners. This compares to Melbourne where nearly half the airport screeners are employed fulltime.

Fictional Bodies

The union has also called on the Sydney Airport Corporation Ltd (SACL) , the Department of Transport (DoT) and the NSW police to investigate whether fictional 'bodies' are sometimes written into attendance sheets to cover the fact that not all security bases are covered when casuals do not turn up for work.

The LHMU is demanding that all airport screeners and security staff should have appropriate clearance from DoT personnel - for aviation security training and security licensing.

"Concerns about the quality and the lack of appropriate skills of these casual airport screeners is so high that Air New Zealand recently asked for a group of screeners to be removed instantly," Lawrence reported.

"A few months ago the Department of Transport escorted between 20 and 25 security screeners off the airport site because they were found to be casual workers without the right paper work and qualifications."

While Sydney Airport is a problem the LHMU research shows that right around the country the trend is to use part-time and casual workers in airport screening.

There are no full-time airport screeners at Perth or Adelaide airports. The majority of security screeners in Adelaide are casual workers.

Canberra has slightly more casuals and part-timers than fulltimes.

Tasmania does better. Hobart has eight full-time airport screeners, four part-time and two casuals, while Launceston employs five fulltimers, four part-timers and two casuals.

More than 250 people are employed as airport security screeners in Melbourne. Just over fifty percent are brought in as casuals, the rest are fulltime, permanent airport security screeners.

Brisbane's airport also relies on a largely part-time and casual crew with only 38 fulltimers amongst 145 screeners.

Cairns - an important tourism gateway - has only one fulltime airport and employs 11 casuals and 8 part-time workers.

  View entire issue - print all of the articles!

  Issue 152 contents

© 1999-2002 Workers Online
Workers Online is a resource for the Labour movement
provided by the Labor Council of NSW
URL: http://workers.labor.net.au/152/news63_casuals.html
Last Modified: 15 Nov 2005