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Tools come in many shapes and sizes but just when you think you've gone through the range, there's someone else out there to surprise you. Move over super-tool and mega-tool, Workers Online introduces the incomparable, unsurpassable Robert Dean, fresh out of Parliament and, without doubt, a bloody big spanner in the Liberal Party works.
Most people are ambivalent about a stint in the Tool Shed but Dean has positively beaten down the door to demand admission. Just for the fun of it, let's recap.
Forty eight hours ago, Robert Dean as shadow treasurer, was a pivotal figure in Robert Doyle's bid to wrest state government away from Steve Bracks. He got there by dint of a messy pre-selection win in the seat of Gembrook and the clinical stalking of finance predecessor, Robert Clarke.
So far, so good? Wrong.
Dean, a doctor of law and close personal friend of Doyle, had made a balls-up of mammoth proportions. In order to win pre-selection, he had rented a house in working class Berwick, apparently, without any intention of moving in. He did, however, enrol there, for obvious reasons.
Comfortably ensconsed in his real home in the leafy outer-suburbs he was blissfully unaware of correspondence between the real occupier of his stated address in Gardiner St, Berwick, and the state's electoral commission. Essentially, this amounted to forms and reminders to the absent one which, understandably, were returned with explanations that Dean was "not known at this address".
Thus, it came to pass, that weeks out from polling day the forgetful Dr Dean found that, not only was he ineligible to contest the state election but he didn't even have the right to cast a ballot.
Media outlets took the greatest pleasure in interviewing Gardiner St residents about their phantom political neighbour and would-be MP.
One, who had been there for 28 years, said he had never seen any sign of Dr Dean in the street. Present occupants of his claimed residence told the Sydney Morning Herald they had "never heard of the guy".
Dean, who entered Parliament 10 years ago, stands to lose a $60,000 pension for life but the stakes for one-time buddy Doyle are much higher.
Doyle put a brave face on it, telling the electorate he had sought Dean's resignation - entirely redundant in the circumstances, but no doubt designed to bolster his image as a tough leader.
His claims to be a sound manager, however, have frayed more than somewhat. Besides which, he now faces the tasty prospect of running with the candidate defeated by his man in the original Gembrook pre-selection, not to mention resuscitating Clark to the key finance spokesmanship, barely three months after overseeing his demise.
Former Victorian Premier and Liberal hardliner, Jeff Kennett, was not best pleased. He described the incident as a "f-up".
Dean can mull over the question of where he really lives during his week in the toolshed.
Holroyd City Council has become the first local government to sign a Memorandum of Understanding with the NSW Labor Council guaranteeing ethical practices by their contractors.
Under the Memorandum of Understanding, Holroyd Council will insist that contractors they engage recognise employees have a right to join and be active members of a trade union.
The MOU also commits contractors to comply with other employment-related obligations including superannuation, payroll tax and workers comp
Councils signing the MOU agree to supply the NSW Labour Council with a list of upcoming tenders and to survey contractors on a range of industrial relations issues
Where contractors breach MOU standards, Councils agree to take actions, which can include cancellation of the contract.
The MOU would have an immediate impact on council contracts for cleaning, security, road maintenance, water services and clothing supply.
True Labor Councils
Labor Council secretary John Robertson says the Memorandum of Understanding will become a centrepiece of a new campaign to ensure that local government - and ALP-controlled councils in particular - support union values.
"We want Labor councils to reflect true Labor values," Robertson says. "We have seen an explosion of contracting in the past decade, often at the expense of workers' conditions.
"It's bad for workers, it's bad for legitimate business who can't compete and its bad for ratepayers as these contractors are invariably as cavalier in their work as they are in their employment practices
"This is a way to monitor the contractors and, where they don't pass basic tests, hold them to account."
The Labor Council is currently pursuing the MOU with other councils including Strathfield, Parramatta and South Sydney. Sydney Lord Mayor Frank Sartor has also been invited to endorse the Memorandum.
Challenge for All Councils
Signing the Memorandum of Understanding, Holroyd Mayor Mal Tulloch said that the agreement set the bar for all other councils controlled by Labor.
Tulloch, who is also an organiser with the CFMEU, said Holroyd had already been working on ensuring contractors complied with their legal obligations when approached by the Labor Council.
"We had recognised that any savings from some contractors could be undermined if the providers ignored OHS, workers compensation and other obligations," Tulloch said. "Local Government must be compelled not to do business with these people."
The outbreak has sparked calls for a reform of safety laws, with the disease currently recognised as a hazard for meatworkers but not for workers in the textile industry.
The concerns follows confirmation that 16 out of 25 staff at Riverina Wollcombing, which cleans and processes greasy wool, had tested positive for Q-fever.
Contracted from exposure with animal spit, urine and blood, Q-fever has symptoms similar to Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. However, in people with existing heart and liver conditions it can create a fatal reaction.
It has been recognised a hazard in abattoirs since the 1930s when it first appeared in Australia at a Brisbane meatworks.
But the latest outbreak highlights the durability of the disease, which can live for more than six months on animal skin.
The workers, members of the Textile Clothing and Footwear Union and the Australian Workers Union, had been requesting screening for the disease since 1995.
Following the outbreak they are now demanding:
- WorkCover conduct an urgent health assessment of the workplace, including screening of the remaining 175 workers and their families.
- State wide testing of all wool plants and consideration of an immunisation program for wool workers
- Recognition of Q fever as an occupational disease for all wool processing workers, placing them on the same footing as meatworkers
For more details on Q-fever click here
http://www.unionsafe.labor.net.au/hazards/103785973520925.html
In a blatant attempt to stifle dissent, the Queensland-based owners of GIO Insurance filmed employees attending a Sydney meeting this week.
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Suncorp employee Karen Forrester says the incident was the latest move to push GIO staff into accepting an inferior set of conditions that covers the company's Queensland workforce.
"Management have told us that whether we support the agreement or not it will still go ahead," Karen told NSW Labor Council delegates this week.
Under the NSW Video Surveillance Act, employers must inform staff before videoing them in the workplace. Covert surveillance is prohibited without a magistrate's warrant.
Finance Sector Union NSW-ACT secretary Geoff Derrick says he's written to Suncorp asking them to explain the incident. "Without a very good excuse, they may be explaining their actions to a judge," he says.
Derrick says the filming incident is indicative of Suncorp's heavy-handed drive to push the non-union deal through.
These tactics include:
- setting up a ballot that requires people to identify themselves to their employer so that their vote can be 'tracked'.
- blocking FSU emails to members at GIO because the company doesn't like the content of the messages.
- attempting to gerrymander the ballot result by broadening coverage of the non-union proposal to include non-GIO employees of Suncorp
- denying union officials access to staff meetings to discuss the situation.
Derrick says the non-union proposal is being championed by a management funded 'employees council', which has had applications to be registered by a union rejected by the AIRC twice because it can't satisfy the legal requirement of independence.
"This is a particularly vicious campaign to bully workers into accepting inferior conditions and keeping the union out of the company," Derrick says.
"Suncorp likes to think of itself as a caring big brother rather than a boss, but filming staff without their permission shows they've taken this idea too far."
Hours after the ACTU released its 2003 claim, the Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous Workers Union announced they would campaign for a $40-$50 per week increase to bring the minimum wage to $500 per week.
The LHMU, which represents workers in cleaning, aged care, hospitality, security, child care, catering and events and car parking, says it will reach out to community partners to develop a broad ranging campaign for wage justice to deliver higher increases for low paid workers.
"While the ACTU will encourage unions to apply for a $24.60 increase, our members believe that households can only enjoy fairer living wage standards if minimum wages commence in awards at a level of at least $500 per week," LHMU national secretary Jeff Lawrence says.
This would require an increase of $40-$50 per week in the next six to 12 months.
The LHMU says it sees new and different political opportunities to build community awareness about these issues - and as a first step look at raising some of these issues during the recently announced Senate Poverty Inquiry.
" This Senate Inquiry provides a useful focus to gather the support of community allies as well as involve LHMU members in participating in the hearings," Lawrence says.
Low-Paid Struggling
Announcing the ACTU's Minimum Wages Case, Secretary Greg Combet urged the Federal Government to support the claim so that no Australian adult worker could be forced to work for less than $12 an hour before tax.
Combet says many low-income workers and their families were struggling to make ends meet and were being forced into record levels of debt.
"Nearly half of the employees who depend on award wages earn less than $13 per hour, or $500 a week," he says. Many of them are women struggling to support families through work in the hospitality, cleaning, retail, childcare and clothing trades. These people work hard for little reward - they need a decent pay rise."
Combet says the ACTU's 2003 wage claim is part of a long-term strategy to boost Australia's Federal Minimum Wage to at least $500 a week.
The ACTU's claim is conservatively costed to add 0.1% to economy-wide earnings, 0.05% to inflation and have a negligible impact on employment. The Australian Industrial Relations Commission will hear the case next year.
Immigration Minister Philip Ruddock�s public dismissal of South African fears of an �organised racket� supplying employers with cheap black labour will be challenged when the cases go before the NSW Industrial Magistrate�s Court on November 26.
Lawyers for the African immigrants allege each has been dudded of more than $100,000 in wages and entitlements by Manly-based, Ribs and Rumps, operated by a white South African immigrant.
Workers Online understands the trio were brought to Australia as chefs on controversial 456 visas, designed for business people considering Australian operations. After three months they were transferred to 457 visas.
Representatives were unwilling to expand on the claims prior to hearings but it is understood that the bulk of their monies were repatriated to South Africa in rand.
The situation mirrors allegations raised by the CFMEU in regard to a worker injured in the Lake Cargellico tragedy that claimed two lives. Oagiles Malothane was spirited out of Wagga Wagga Base Hospital by persons close to the employing company and flown back to South Africa.
CFMEU secretary, Andrew Ferguson, claimed that "widespread rorting" of immigration processes was undermining wages, conditions and safety standards for Australians.
South African diplomats suggested Malothane was evidence that former white South Africans were effectively bringing apartheid to Australia, tying black labour in complex immigration knots to defeat Australian entitlements.
They were aware than another "illegal" worker, Abian Gumede, had committed suicide at Villawood Detention Centre after being arrested when he was under the impression he was being taken to the airport to be flown home.
Workers Online understands that Ribs and Rumps is not the only South African-owned restaurant in greater Sydney employing immigrant labour from the Republic.
South African diplomats have gone quiet on the issue since being sternly and publicly rebuked by the Australian Immigration Minister.
Ruddock's position is further undermined, however, by leaks from the APS which insist that five senior DIMIA offers have been posted to Australia's High Commission in Pretoria over the past month, heightening fears that applications are being speeded up, increased or both, at a time of serious concern about the whole procedure.
Labor Council affiliates will meet to consider a range of options including a remuneration scheme modelled on the Army Reserves and an increase in the number of retained fire fighters.
Under the Army Reserve scheme, employers whose staff volunteer for more than ten working days per year are recompensed $860 per week, to allow them to continue to pay the volunteer.
Labor Council secretary John Robertson says workers should not forgo leave or income to protect the community and that government support is required.
The compensation call follows revelations that some volunteer fire fighters are losing thousands of dollars a year in wages and entitlements.
Meatworkers Union secretary, Charlie Donzow, highlights the case of a member employed by Fletchers International at Dubbo. He has been called out several times already this year but the company doesn't reimburse him for days off.
The sole family breadwinner has told authorities he can't afford any more days away from work.
Most employers allow time off for volunteer fire fighters but many require that annual leave, sick leave or rostered days off be used.
Once those entitlements are gone, workers have to decide whether or not they can afford to lose money from their normal incomes.
"These people go out and fight fires without asking for anything because they see it as their contribution to community building," Robertson says. "What they do is significant and they shouldn't be made to suffer for making that contribution."
Labor Council will put a range of proposals before state and federal governments.
The workers at St George Bank felt compelled to secure a formal right to two paid rest breaks per day under the weight of increased work intensity.
Finance Sector Union NSW-ACT secretary Geoff Derrick says the new provisions are a sign that workers had had enough of 'flexible work practices.'
"For bank workers the flexibility has all been one way," Derrick says.
"We now have a situation where workers have had to fight for something - time for a coffee or tea break - that in previous eras was provided to them out of common decency.
"This new provision represents a response to the challenge of Big Brother controlling ever minute of every day by reintroducing the very civilised concept of a tea break"
The rest breaks are included in an enterprise agreement to be put to St George staff next week.
Other provisions in the agreement include:
- an eight per cent increase over two years
- an increase in personal carers' leave from 10 to 12 days per year
- eight weeks paid parental leave
- unpaid parental leave for casuals after 12 months service
- provisions for career breaks
The Labor Council of NSW has rejected the report by the Australian Chamber of Industry and Commerce as an ideological blueprint to further deregulate labour law.
NSW Labor Council secretary John Robertson's says its no surprise that ACCI's chief executive, Peter Hendy, advised former Federal Workplace Relations Minister Peter Reith.
Robertson says the report includes the extraordinary proposal that employers should have the right to opt out of the industrial relations framework.
"The employer lobby has ripped away at the industrial relations system for a decade; now they want legally mandated lawlessness," he says.
The ACCI proposal also calls for:
- no mandatory increases in uperannu8ation or retirement incomes costs on Australian employers
- the effect of labour costs to be taken into account in minimum wage fixation
- and moves to minimise employer costs of termination and redundancy.
Labor Council has referred the report to a meeting of interested affiliates with a view to developing a detailed critique of the blueprint.
The Kinko's workers, members of the AMWU, took on an American company that imposed a rule book that included no right of access to union officials, no notice board and threats to delegates.
As the situation escalated management even tried to impose the music workers listened to, issuing an 'easy listening' edict.
Now they have emerged victorious with a formal protocol laying down their rights to organise.
When workers took their concerns to Labor Council, a string of affiliates cancelled contracts with Kinko's, while CFMEU members staged a spontaneous picket outside Kinko's city store.
AMWU Printing Division state secretary Amanda Perkins says the victory highlights the importance of solidarity across the movement.
"This wasn't a strong union site; the solidarity coordinated by the Labor Council was the only way we could get a result," Perkins told delegates. "This really shows the Labor Council has become a centre for organising."
Grocon became the third of the four major building industry employers to agree to a 36-hour week, based around six common lockdown weekends. The CFMEU now has 2000 workers covered by shorter working hours agreements in NSW.
One hundred companies have signed in defiance of MBA chief Brian Seidler's demands for continued resistance but most electrical contractors still refuse to extend the deal to their employees.
The Build A Life campaign is being pursued by unions across the NSW building sector.
ETU state secretary, Bernie Riordan, revealed several contractors had broken ranks and signed 36-hour agreements, but that peak body NECA was leaning on others to reject the claim.
"They haven't moved their position through the entire negotiations and our members, who are determined to win their weekends back, have had enough," Riordan said.
Key elements of the common deals being signed by the CFMEU, include the six four-day weekends; 12 percent wage rises over three years; and employer agreements to police their sites for illegal labour.
The 'Keep Our Railway Together' campaign has addressed rallies in Newcastle, Grafton, Lismore and Narrabri in the first week of a two-week rural road show.
Workers at all venues have resolved to establish local campaign committees, circulate petitions and lobby local candidates to oppose the push, which requires agreement from Carr Government.
Unions fear that handing control to Canberra would cost 1500 rural jobs, summon in competitive tendering for track maintenance and begin the push to cherry picking profitable lines while neglecting less-profitable ones.
Labor Council deputy assistant secretary Michael Gadiel says the response to the Combined Rail Unions campaign has been overwhelming.
"People were aware of the threat but now they have a real understanding of the issue," Gadiel says. "People are beginning to feel very uneasy about their jobs; with older workers in particular realising there are not a whole lot of alternate employment options."
Gadiel says that while most of the anger has been directed at the federal government, but there is areal crying out for the Carr Government to back them
The road show continues this week with the following itinerary:
- Bathurst - Monday November 18 - Rally noon, Kings Parade
- Orange - Monday November 18 - Rally 4pm, Robertson Park
- Dubbo - Tuesday November 19 - Rally noon, Victoria Park
- Wagga - Wednesday November 20 - Rally noon, Bolton Park
- Goulburn - Thursday November 21 - Goulburn: Rally noon, Belmore Park
- Moss Vale - Friday November 22 - Rally noon, Venue TBC
The HSUA successfully argued against an employer claim that the pay rise not go ahead.
A full bench of the IRC rejected the bid by the National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation and backdated the increase to September 6.
HSUA national secretary Craig Thomson says that while it is pleasing the IRC had approved the pay rise he was concerned about the under funding of Aboriginal health organisations that led them to oppose the increase.
''The Federal Government must ensure this pay rise does not lead to cuts in services. There should be additional funding provided to allow them to pay it," Thomson says.
''This $18 increase was granted in the national wage case for low-paid award workers and it is much needed by members of the union''.
The workplace safety crisis has been created by a small group of violent detainees.
" For more than two months a small group of detainees have been creating life threatening situations for our members - and for other detainees," Jo-anne Schofield, LHMU Assistant National Secretary says.
Detention officers are preparing to place bans on the Perth Detention Centre if both the Department of Immigration (DIMA) and ACM do not stop dithering about safety.
Schofield says ACM must act promptly and segregate the violent disruptive elements from the other detainees.
Meanwhile, she says DIMA's dithering at the Perth Detention Centre reflects a general tardiness in making decisions.
" The Department has postponed and postponed an announcement about who has won the contract tender to run detention centres," she says.
" Originally they were to make the announcement about the successful tenderer in September, then it was November, then before Christmas - but now it seems they can't announce it until well into next year.
" Neither DIMA nor ACM seem capable of acting to create a safe environment.
Bad Start in Port Augusta
Meanwhile, the LHMU has just completed an inspection of the new Baxter Detention Centre in Port Augusta, South Australia.
Schofield warned that ACM was starting up the facility by creating unwarranted workplace problems from the start.
" The company came into Port Augusta promising good, well-paying jobs but the people employed there feel they are being cheated on from the start because ACM knows there are few alternative jobs in the area," she says.
The company promised the new detention officers $17 an hour after training was completed. The new detention officers are being paid a training rate of only $12 an hour rather than the promised $17 pay rate.
Westfund, which controls the health plans of miners in the west of NSW, has been accused of intimidation and bullying in a bid to force a non-union enterprise agreement onto staff.
ASU Clerical organiser, Ted Tamplin, pointed out that CFMEU Mines Division representatives sit on the Board of a company that his union is accusing of ...
- forcing a vote on a "substandard" enterprise bargaining agreement
- intimidating and bullying employees
- attempting to reduce current entitlements
- failing to negotiate in good faith
CFMEU national secretary, John Maitland, promised an immediate investigation.
"Send us the papers," he invited, "we do have people on the Westfund board and we will alert them to these issues straight away."
LHMU members are frustrated the company is refusing to acknowledge the long-standing union agreement which protected the workers' redundancy rights.
For over 50 years, the Yaldara winery in the Barossa Valley, South Australia, was a family owned Company.
Several workers at the winery have given more than 25 years of loyal service.
A few years ago Simeon Wines took over this Company and, in November 2001, Simeon Wines struck a 2 year wages deal with the LHMU union members giving these workers a sense of ongoing job security.
NSW Takeover Changes Relationships
All this has changed since the merger between Simeon and the Hunter Valley, NSW-based, McGuigan Wines.
McGuigan Simeon Wines will not acknowledge the deal struck between the workers and Simeon Wines.
Workers are fearful of losing their jobs because it is now cheaper for them to be made redundant.
The Company has stripped back the redundancy entitlements that Simeon Wines had given to its workers. These workers now understand how Ansett workers felt when they lost their jobs and their redundancy payments.
The chairman of McGuigan Simeon Wines, Mr David Clarke, is also chair of Macquarie Bank and a leading light in the Sydney District of the Salvation Army.
Cast members from current shows Mamma Mia and Footloose have reviewed the agreement and their feedback will be considered at talks continue with the Australian Entertainment Industry Association.
The Alliance is seeking a six per cent pay rise over two years and improved conditions including:
- up to three weeks pay when a show is in recess
- performers to be free of publicity requirements on their day offs and on opening nights
- reimbursement for performers make-up and make-up remover
- and two complimentary tickets to each opening night.
NSW Branch Secretary Michele Hryce says the talks have been very positive and she is hopeful a deal is imminent.
Opera House Workers Make Music
Meanwhile, workers at the Sydney Opera House will receive a four per cent pay rise after voting unanimously to continue their enterprise agreement for another six months.
The deal covers every Opera House employee from orchestra and opera performers to front of house and back stage workers.
Hryce says new Opera House CEO Norman Gillespie is working well with staff and had already committed himself to a return to work program for injured workers.
Opera House management and Alliance representatives will now begin negotiations on a new agreement, which is due to commence in March 2003.
The strike could not have come at a worse time for the British government who are trying throw their weight behind Washington for a massive military assault on Iraq in the next few months but now they have had to be diverted from these preparations as 19,000 troops, many of whom will be needed elsewhere if war breaks out with Iraq, have been called on to man aging military "Green Goddess" fire engines to provide strike cover.
Still, so far, the fire brigade strikers have garnered community support even though Blair ministers have tried to label them as traitors undermining the War against Terror.
And the union is boasting of the 100 per cent backing of their membership - even though the humanitarian instincts of some of their members has seen them walk away from the picket lines, in a couple of emergencies, to help the police and army save peoples' lives.
Labour MPs have shown their own anger with Tony Blair by defying the government and joining fire brigade workers on their picket lines in a show of solidarity.
The MPs and the union are angry at the way the government has continually 'leaked' stories to manipulate the media in an attempt to create community hostility to their 40 per cent pay demands.
A good measure of the support is indicated in the sympathetic media stories about members of the general public backing the union - such as the story of a woman hurt in an accident who owed her life to the firies.
Elizabeth Boudreaux, mother of two, says she regrets that the fire crews have felt the need to go on strike, but if that is what it takes: "I support the firemen in their strike. It's a difficult one, because at the end of the day, people's lives are at risk."
All of this support continues even though the strike is quickly hitting the UK public.
Key central city subway stations and railway lines have had to be closed and lots of schools are closing because of safety concerns while fire coverage is unavailable.
And some media have begun to run outrageous stories attacking the Fire Brigade Union leader as the Socialist who stays in swanky 5-star hotels, or stories about 'rebel' firemen breaking the strike.
The UK Fire Brigades Union site, located at http://www.fbu.org.uk is updating the site several times a day, and encourages you to send messages of support to the union at this email address:
The nurses are distressed at the lack of funding from the Federal Government to ensure quality care for the frail aged in nursing homes and hostels.
They say quality care will deteriorate if the level of funding is not urgently reviewed and say the amount of time they are being forced to spend on paperwork is also cutting into their nursing time.
The nurses add that because they are paid less than their counterparts in the public sector they feel unappreciated and undervalued.
The NSW Nurses Association is calling for concerned members of the public to wear something hot pink on the day, fly hot pink streamers from their cars, sign the nurses' petition and spread the word about the campaign.
For more information please call 1300 367 962.
The CSIRO Staff Association Secretary Sandy Ross has described the loss of 20 research jobs in Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra and Townsville as "disgraceful and short-sighted," citing declining Federal Government funds as the cause of the problem.
Key research affected by cuts include:
- Environmental clean up - Knowledge about clays can create important options for environmental clean up such as oil spills and algal blooms, waste water treatments, and nano-technology applications. CSIRO's research has made Australia a world leader in research on clays. The decision to close this area means Australia will lose a unique technological capacity derived from decades of investment.
- Management of water - understanding how crop roots grow is essential to managing water resources more efficiently, and reducing environmental impacts. CSIRO was leading the world in cutting edge science in this area, but will no longer do this work.
- Improving sugar yields - important research to alleviate a significant problem with declining yields for the beleaguered sugar cane industry is ceasing.
- Environmental restoration - work is to be ceased on mine site rehabilitation in Australia's North, in a blow to environmental restoration of mine sites.
Land and Water scientist and CSIRO Staff Association Council member Warren Hicks, said "It is a tragedy when this sort of vital environment research work is stopped. These cuts mean lost public investment, lost jobs and lost knowledge.
"As result of the current drought, the community is focussed on Australia's environmental problems and the role of scientific research in creating solutions to them. The Government should be helping this process, not hindering it," Hicks added.
Other research under threat includes:
- A 10-year research effort to monitor water flow and quality on the Murrumbidgee River. CSIRO is only two years into the life of this project and has already spent hundreds of thousands of dollars establishing 16 monitoring stations along the river - an investment which could potentially go down the drain.
Measurement and modelling research which is important for land management practices impacting on the greenhouse effect.
The Maritime Union of Australia has called on P&O to immediately lift the ban on the ITF inspector and allow him to proceed unhindered in his inspection of ships during this ITF Week of Action in Australia and the South Pacific.
The ITF Week of Action targets the notorious Ships of Shame for inspections. Prior to the P&O ban, it was expected that some 100 ships would be inspected at Australian ports this week. In the past, these inspections have uncovered cases of gross underpayment of crews and exposed some shocking cases of dangerous rust-bucket flag of convenience vessels described as floating time bombs.
The P&O ban was sparked by attempts by Dean Summers to inspect the foreign-registered flag of convenience ship, ANL Excellence, following reports of the Pacific Island crew being paid low wages. Dean Summers was also concerned for the crew's welfare. The German captain of the vessel refused to cooperate with the ITF inspection and shortly after Mr Summers was informed by P&O that he was banned from entering ships berthed at its ports.
"P&O told me that they were reacting to complaints by 'clients' but refused to say who they were", Summers says. "This ban is a complete break from past practices.
"This ITF Week of Action has been incredibly successful in the past in exposing all kinds of rip-offs of crews by Ships of Shame. ANL has a sorry record in this regard and only recently had to settle after we intervened on behalf of the crew of the ANL Progress when they complained of being paid lower wages than they were entitled to".
Summers remains concerned for the Kiribati crew of the ANL Excellence. Summers is the ITF's National Coordinator for Australia and Kiribas. "I'm keen to find out what they are hiding from us and we also want to know why P&O is conspiring with the Ships of Shame to ban the ITF from what we believe could be an attempted cover-up", he said.
Protests in Queensland
Meanwhile, Queensland unions Queensland Unions have condemned the impending arrival at the Port of Brisbane of a notorious 'ship of shame', following the direct intervention of the Federal Minister for Transport, John Anderson.
The MV Stadacona, owned by flag-of-convenience operator Canadian Steamship Lines, was last month denied a licence to ply Queensland waters by the state government.
However this decision was overturned by the Federal Minister for Transport, setting a dangerous precedent of intrusion by a federal government into the maritime affairs of Queensland.
"The contrast between the approaches of the Beattie and Howard governments to Australian Shipping could not be starker," Queensland Council of Unions General Secretary Grace Grace says.
"While the Queensland Government puts the interests of Australian workers ahead of the commercial interests of a foreign corporation, the Howard government is prepared to aid and abet a flag-of-convenience outfit whose employees pay no income tax and yet ply our waters at the expense of local workers."
"It's obvious that Howard government is prepared to flout its own immigration laws in its obsession with pursuing the maritime unions and their members."
Grace says the foreign crew of the Stadacona have no immigration visas allowing them to enter Australian territorial waters. It defies belief that in these times of heightened security concerns, they are not subjected to background checks.
Unions and community groups picketed the Stadacona on Thursday as the ship berthed at Bulk Terminals wharf, Fishermans Island.
NSW Labor Council secretary John Robertson says labor issues are often ignored when negotiating trade agreements, meaning that workers from different nations were pitted against each other in what amounted to a global jobs auction.
"At present the WTO is resisting calls by the international union movement to have core International Labor Organistion standards enshrined in all free trade agreements," Robertson says..
These standards include:
- a ban on child labour
- a ban on slave labour and
- a commitment to the right to organise.
"Without these standards, global trade will never deliver the sorts of benefits its proponents argue are inherent in Free Trade Agreements," he says.
In reference to this week's Sydney meeting, the Labor Council voiced its concerns that the richer countries and more powerful nations were imposing an agenda that may not be in the best interests of all WTO member-states.
"Unions have an obligation to educate their members about the WTO and their issues and we would support organisations such as AFTINET (Australian Free Trade and Investment Network) in their campaign for the community to understand these issues," Robertson says.
Shorten says the Coroner's findings showed Esso failed on many levels to provide a safe workplace for its workforce.
"This finding is consistent with the rulings of the Supreme Court of Victoria and the Royal Commission into the gas explosion, and investigations of the Australian Workers' Union. The question remaining is: When will Esso accept responsibility?'' Shorten says.
"What is particularly aggravating is that Esso has had three different umpires declare it out, yet the company is still batting at the crease spending money defending itself against compensating some workers,'' he says.
"The AWU calls on Esso to fully compensate the workers affected and reimburse the State of Victoria for the costs incurred during these lengthy inquiries.''
Shorten says the Coroner's findings - that Esso had failed to provide a safe workplace and had inadequate safety training - vindicated workers who were initially blamed by the company for the explosion.
"There is a salient lesson here for all future developers of Australia's natural resources to talk to the AWU and State Government to ensure their workplace has adequate safety training and meets all safety standards,'' he says.
"These findings are a powerful reminder that the word 'accident' has no place in describing the Longford explosion. An accident implies that it was unavoidable. Clearly, the Longford explosion was a terrible incident for which corporate hands are to blame.''
Today's findings include:
� Esso was solely to blame for the gas explosion at Longford.
� Esso failed to conduct detailed periodic risk assessment or a more comprehensive hazard audit in accordance with its own procedures
� If risk assessment had been carried out the tragic incident may have been avoidable
� Esso's established systems could have avoided the disaster if they were put in place.
Recommendations include:
� Tougher accountability process of system errors
� Better communications between staff and management
� Establishment of an industry-wide database to catalogue plant failures
University of East Timor Library website launch party at Gleebooks, 49 Glebe Point Rd on Monday, 18th November at 6:00 for 6:30 - 8:00PM.
Speakers: Sister Susan Connelly, Judy Blood, & Justice John Dowd.
Donation welcome Conc. Refreshments served (RSVP Merilyn -
[email protected]
5615, or fax 9660 0473 or ph - 9351 5619, by 15th November)
Come to the launch and help the rebuilding of East Timor
****************
Politics in the Pub:
Bob Ellis Speaks on "Babylon Revisited" - Thoughts on the Fate of the Australian Labour Party
As always, it's at 6pm upstairs at the Gaelic Club, 64 Devonshire Street, Surry Hills.
****************
1. The Australian Fabian Society (NSW Branch) invites you to ...
A forum on public education
This forum examines public education in Australia today and the work of the NSW Government's current inquiry into public education. This forum considers what is the purpose of public education and what are the resources needed to realise our goals in the provision of public education today.
With special guest speakers:
* Emeritus Professor Tony Vinson
Chair of the Inquiry into the Provision of Public Education in NSW and Emeritus Professor at The University of NSW
* Dick Shearman
NSW-ACT Secretary of the Independent Education Union
* Sharryn Brownlee
President of the Federation of Parents and Citizens' Associations of NSW
Time: 6.30 pm start
Date: Wednesday, 20 November, 2002
Place: Upstairs Caf�, Berkelouw Books, 70 Norton Street, Leichhardt
Entry: $5 members/$10 non-members
Bonus: Entry price entitles you to a free coffee/tea/soft drink in the cafe
For more details:
Contact Tony Moore on 02 9692 5111 or Troy Bramston on 0412 508 580
AND
2. The Australian Fabian Society (NSW Branch) invites you to ...
"How to Argue with an Economist: Debating the Value of the Dismal Science"
Using a provocative new book by economist Lindy Edwards, How to Argue with an Economist, this forum seeks to broaden political debate in Australia and questions the value of economics in every day life.
With special guest speakers:
* Lindy Edwards
Former Economics Adviser in the Department of Prime Minister & Cabinet, former Economics Adviser with Natasha Stott Despoja, Sydney Morning Herald journalist and author of How to Argue with an Economist: Reopening Political Debate in Australia. Ms Edwards is based at the Australian National University.
* Dr Steve Keen
Associate Professor of Economics and Finance at The University of Western Sydney and author of Debunking Economics: The Naked Emperor of the Social Sciences.
Reflecting on how economics has become central to our lives, and how the 'economic rationalist' perspective has become the lens through which all matters in Australian public life are viewed, Cambridge University Press has published a book where the author explains how economists think, and then how one can argue with them.
The forum will also feature highly respected economist Dr Steve Keen whose own book Debunking Economics: The Naked Emperor of the Social Sciences provided a stinging critique of neoclassical economics and current economics orthodoxy. He will provide his own perspective on the dismal science and weigh up the value of economics in society today.
Time: 6.30 pm start
Date: Wednesday, 18 December, 2002
Place: Upstairs Caf�, Berkelouw Books, 70 Norton Street, Leichhardt
Entry: $5 members/$10 non-members
Government money markets and social security: Costello's latest and dangerous proposal
Australians may be aware that the Treasurer's (Peter Costello) recently released a Discussion Paper on the future of Australian government bonds. He wants to get rid of the role of the government in this element of the capital market. Some of you would have seen the reports (eg Sydney Morning Herald 31/10/02) and / or read the discussion paper.
Its tempting when we read or hear of these things, reported in some inadequate way in the commercial media, to dismiss them from thought because its about the arcane world of the financial markets.
Costello was reported in the Sydney Morning Herald as follows: "Mr C said he was concerned that a government asset portfolio could incur large losses, give the government market-moving powers (oh no!) and create a pot of gold for future 'Labor governments' to raid."
All 3 of his objections ring alarm bells to me, but I have missed any effective critique from progressive economists. Also, I don't have enough confidence in my own kitchen table economics to go with my own ideas.
So, starting from the assumption that anything Costello is up to is no good for working people, I asked a number of Australian and overseas based economists some questions about what Costello's plans for the Australian bond market might mean.
Two sets of responses came back (plus some advice on what to read and a public forum to go to - see below.) I have tried to distil these responses and toss in some extra thoughts.
What are government bonds? And how do they work? And who controls them?
Essentially, a bond is a promise to pay back periodically with interest or a set amount at a future date (eg borrow $500 by issuing a bond to pay $1000 in 10 years - about 7% compounded).
Government bonds are the main way the government borrows money to fund its activities beyond the scope of the annual budget. People and institutions buy the bonds, which generally pay interest and are repaid after a term set out in the bond eg 3 years, 10 years, 25 years.
What do they do?
The main objective of the bonds is to finance government programs, especially infrastructure investments such as hospitals, schools, railways, ports, roads. The government earns money from these investments over a long period, and so it can pay back the bonds over a long period.
Also, the interest rate on the bonds is generally taken as the measure for all sorts of other bonds issued by public sector enterprises and by private companies. This is one way the government bond market helps the operation of the larger capital markets.
What might they do to meet criteria associated with 'social need?
So, bonds are quite important in meeting social needs such as hospitals, schools, universities, roads, ports, railways etc.
What are the implications of the government getting out of the bond market? Who gains from Costello's proposals? Who loses (or might lose) in the future?
Taking away the government's right to do this is a way of denying the government the right to borrow money - ie to run a deficit of any kind whatsoever. Any expenditures have to be paid out of taxes.
Since this will - if not now, later - come with calls for tax cuts, such cuts will then directly imply social service cuts. That's the issue. This is simply a vehicle to sharply reduce social programs. Especially during economic downturns, because that is the time when government revenues fall, but social need rises. Even in good times, it means even greater restriction on public infrastructure investment than we have now.
It also means that the larger capital markets lose their convenient indicator, and reliable place to park money. This could lead to higher interest rates because it will be harder for private sector bond buyers to measure the risk involved in the Australian economy.
What other neoliberal governments have done or are contemplating the same thing?
Both respondents did not know of any other government doing this. But others might know more. Even neo conservatives don't generally go this far since temporary deficits are unavoidable (eg sudden downturn).
How does Costello's proposal fit into the neoliberal framework?
This is extreme neo-liberal theory, which sees government investment as a bad intervention in the market. Governments should not intervene in financial markets, nor should they invest in infrastructure, according to the theory. Only private investor's decisions can allocate resources in the most efficient way, because they are driven purely by profit expectations.
What, if anything, should unions say? What might our own proposals be?
"Unions should be yelling out that this is theoretical madness which will really harm social services, and destabilise even the private sector and the jobs there," said one of the respondents
The other developed the argument:
"Since wanting a deficit is not a particularly intriguing political demand, and since in general we would agree that social programs have to be paid for, the response has to be carefully expressed - and exposed.
For example, it's tempting to say that private companies always go into debt - its part of their business. Why not the government? The claim is that the private debt is an investment that will be repaid in profits.
The best response is: a) This is about cutting social programs not discussing how to pay for them, and if that's the issue the government should just say so. b) Its absurd - as every country has recognized (including the neoliberal leading U.S. - to think a complex society can be run by tying its hands through rigid annual balancing. c) Of course social programs have to be paid for over time - that's why we call for fair taxation. d) This is a dumb way of debating our priorities and processes as a country.
Assuming a more public debate is necessary, how might we promote that?
We need a wide range of voices - including well known business people, perhaps from the union super funds - to say that this is a lunatic proposal from a fundamentalist, lunatic Treasurer.
We should explain and repeat the relationship between this proposal and the life of the unemployed and those needing social security beneficiaries. Contemporary capitalism requires tight controls over the working class, especially controls that are more difficult to identify and explain. Managing the level of unemployment and underemployment and maintaining a state of desperation for work in this disposable workforce is the most powerful form of social control. Costello's proposal once again fulfill's his responsibilities to the richest and most powerful, the owners of capital.
What about some proposals for action?
Don Sutherland
AMWU
Ed's Note: The Evatt Foundation is hsoting a forum on the public debt issue this week - details at http://evatt.labor.net.au/events/32_20021021.html
Dear Sir,
As one who has been through many a 'rite of
passage' of protest and rebelliousness, and making many a detour and 'volte face' through changed circumstances and environment ,starting in 1960 , I have complete empathy with these protestors.
In fact the quintessence of their protests are issues that were raised by my self and ridiculed by the cliques, at a 1977, Union Annual conference, with the subsequent caricature of my self as a Radical Rat being promulgated by those whose vision ends at their wallet.
I take no joy in my prophesies materialiseing.
My foresight was in no way associated with the spiritual or supernatural, but a simple analysis of world wide trends and the direction and flow of ideas emanating from the think tanks of the world.
I note with great amusement , one of those unstable parasites who is no longer game to hit the hustings without the 'Prozac' , and of that elite elect who cast the first stones at me , recently used Union Members Funds in a call to arms (from behind the barricades) for Union members to attend this protest.
The point of this letter is , while not altering my opinion of Police Minister Costa ,as a innovative wanker and an experienced protester , in this case I agree , that ; there is no excuse for this behaviour, and I believe that unions and/or their officials who publicly endorse and/or incite this behaviour are leaving themselves and their members open to litigation.
Bravo Costa!
Costa and Sartor : Laurel and Hardy. etc ....the list is endless.......
We certainly are, living in Interesting Times!
Tom Collins
The Republicans did not "win" this election 2002- the Democrats "gave it away"! When you have 2 parties so close in "core" philosophies, all else becomes window dressing to the voters. For years, progressive Democrats like Kuchinich of Ohio (he should be our next President) and McDermott of Washington and but a handful of others, have been tugging at the sleeves of the current DLC and national Democratic leaders. They have been literally pleading for a party platform of "substance" over hype. A platform of real positions and plans for a fairer America: Federal and Statewide Clean
Election laws, finally ending the corrupting process of "money talks or you don't walk"; real healthcare reform, not the sell-out offer of prescription drug plans for seniors. What the Democrats should have been trumpeting for years was Universal Medicare for all Americans. Goodness, even the majority of physicians are willing to accept it! Meanwhile the DLC should have hounded the Bushes on the criminal corporate rip-offs of average American investors. Chaney's "closed door" national energy policy meetings with Enron, the lead culprit in the scandal, should have brought this administration to face an impeachment order. (Alas, too many skeletons in the Democratic corporate donation closet, so that idea was squashed before it even gained momentum.)
Remember the recent Patriot Act and the soon to be preemptive war with Iraq (the most perilous international action this nation will take since Vietnam, mark my words)? Most mainstream Democrats walked lockstep with Bush on it. I recall the Missouri Senate debate last week. I saw, to my disgust, Sen. Carnahan "reciting" proudly, how she "stood behind my President on the resolution regarding Iraq". How she "voted many times with this administration". Yet, it was the Green candidate who spoke of a "war about oil, nothing more" and the need for Nat'l Healthcare for all, not just the very wealthy and very poor. He was the only candidate to call for a halt to this obscene overflow of money in campaigns; the only candidate calling for public funding of all elections. By the way, when Democrats and Republicans protest vehemently how "I am against using hard earned taxpayer dollars to pay for my campaign'; remember that public funding of State elections would cost each taxpayer approximately 3 bucks per election year. Federal public funding about 5 bucks per election year- that's not even every year!!
The only hope for this nation is the following scenario to play out: - Millions of Americans must bombard the DLC demanding that the above stated ideas be supported or the Democrats lose their vote. We need millions of such calls and letters-now! - Once the party leadership agrees to become more progressive, they can use their money, usually spent foolishly on hot button phony issues, to " educate' the American public on what is really going on. To explain how 1% of the population controls 85% of our wealth. To explain the many trillions the "war economy" corporations receive in taxpayer dollars.
Finally, the DLC, made up (hopefully) of true progressives (and not the hacks), should pinpoint 2 or 3 key concerns and focus entirely on them, rather than being all over the place. Imagine if there was a concerted effort by the mainstream Democratic party to educate the public while demanding universal Medicare for all Americans? Once the general public realizes that national health care is not a free ride - rather everyone contributes according to ones income (like FICA), many would see the merit vs. this current failed "privatized" system.
Imagine if the same were done for Clean Election laws? How many of you reading this actually know how the nation's model, the Maine Clean Election Law, actually works? My point: we Americans are not "stupid", just purposely misinformed (or not at all) by the media in cahoots with this "One Party" system. If they do not want something, then you and I do not hear about it properly, over airwaves that we the people actually own!
Finally, as Pogo said: "we have met the enemy and he is us". The "nine to five" working folk, who by the way make up the MAJORITY of the voting pool, are foolish, to say the least. Few out there investigate, or question, or seek out options. They watch the corporate owned media and accept the garbage passed as news. The same media determines (what arrogance!) what "issues" voters are concerned about. I guess they do not have problems paying their health care costs. I guess they do not see how difficult it is to run for office while working full time and earning less than a million or two a year.
In the recent Statehouse race in my district (Florida), the winner spent over two million dollars and her opponent $600,000 - for a job that pays less than $100,000 per year. Would any sane businessperson invest two million (or $600K) on a business that earns less than $100K a year? Finally, if we still had a military draft, how many parents of 17 and 18 and 21 year old young men would "line up behind my President"? Isn't it time for the working stiffs, and retired working stiffs, and poor working stiffs, to demand a better life?
When the ship of state is "going down" don't rearrange the deck chairs- get a bloody life preserver!!
Philip A Farruggio
Brooklyn
While many local councils call themselves 'Labor' and utilise the ALP machine to run campaigns, how many actually embrace Labor values in the discharge of their duties?
As many local government workers would know, modern local government is a world of contracting out, competitive tendering and job cuts. Core Labor values indeed.
It is these trends that the Memorandum and broader efforts to establish Labor values in local government seek to address. But beyond the specifics it is a call for a public commitment to the labour movement from those who purport to represent its values.
With a number of high profile local government leaders seeking election as Labor candidates at the upcoming state election, it will be interesting to note which other councils come on board.
Holroyd's Mayor Mal Tulloch has set the benchmark for a 'True Labor' Council and Workers Online will watch with interest as other Councils decide whether or not to sign on to the memorandum in the weeks to come.
Meanwhile, in Canberra, Treasurer Peter Costello proved how out of touch he was with the Labour movement when he claimed the NSW Labor Council had pressured Premier Carr into opposing the appointment of a Tory free marketeer to head up the ACCC.
If the flurry of activity the Costello spray sparked in Macquarie Street in an attempt to rebut such an outrageous allegation was at any time matched by a similar determination to promote workers' issues, then Costello might really have had something to run on.
The reality is that the political wing is jumping at shadows, spooked by a fear of a public backlash that is not even there.
As ACTU and Labor Council polling shows, the punters are looking for someone to stand up for them, at every tier of government, not ferret away in the shadows ashamed to step up to the plate as their advocate.
Rather than rushing off and joining the Greens, True Believers at all levels of the movement should be putting their energies into changing this dynamic - from new Labor to True Labor.
Holroyd City Council's commitment to ethical labour standards is just the first step.
Peter Lewis
Editor
The Transport workers Union is running a special award test case in the NSW Industrial Relations Commission to win 100 percent protection of entitlements across the transport industry.
Unlike federal awards, state awards cover all industry employers, meaning a benchmark could be established that would enable other unions to flow the provision across the economy.
Reporting on the union's industrial campaign, secretary Tony Sheldon, said short, sharp stoppages by 7000 transport workers had already delivered $18 weekly increases without trade-offs. Sheldon said the failure of Governments to adequately protect entitlements continued to rob workers of $456 million every year.
The TWU will argue that employers should have a "positive obligation" to protect entitlements, including redundancy money, through either a bank guarantee, a trust account or an underwritten insurance policy.
Labor Council is backing the TWU claim and will investigate how it can best be supported at a meeting of affiliated unions.
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