E D I T O R I A L

Terror Australis
When the historians get down to chronicling 2002 their analysis will read simply: the Bali bombing brought the new era of terror home to Australians and heightened our feelings of insecurity and fear at our ill-defined place in the world.

F E A T U R E S

Interview: Taking Stock
Labor Council secretary John Robertson reflects on 2002 and outlines the challenges for the year to come.

Bad Boss: Pushing the Envelope
Ongoing and resolute commitment to principles advanced by Workplace Relations Minister Tony Abbott have seen Australia Post make history as the first recipient of the Tony Award, recognising Australia's worst employer.

Unions: The Year That Was
From Cole�s witch-hunt to funky union tunes, Peter Lewis reviews the biggest stories from the world of work in 2002.

Republic: Still Fighting
Three years since the constitutional referendum, and despite constant reports of its impending demise, the Australian Republican Movement is still around and active

International: Global Ties, Global Binds
Labourstart's Eric Lee files his annual wrap-up of the year from an international perspective.

Politics: Turning Green
Union support for the ALP is no longer a given, with trade unionists turning to the Greens, as Jim Marr reports.

Technology: Unions Online 2002
Social Change Online's Mark McGrath looks at what worked best for unions online in 2002.

Industrial: The Past Is Before Us
Neale Towart argues that 2003 will be a year where traditional industrial campaigns come back into fashion.

Economics: Market Insecurity
Sydney University�s Frank Stilwell looks back at 2002 from a political economist�s perspective.

Review: Shooting for Sanity
Michael Moore's new movie Bowling for Columbine looks at America's love affair with guns, writes Mark Hebblewhite

Poetry: The PM's Christmas Message
Workers Online has secretly obtained an advance copy of the text of the Address to the Nation that the Prime Minister plans to make. We reproduce the text below.

Culture: Zanger's Sounds of Summer
If 2001-02 was the summer of political and musical terror then this summer 2002-03 is where irreverent Aussie music runs rife.

N E W S

Abbott Gears For Grocon Stoush

Delo Brushes Taubmans Pay Off

Restaurateur Takes Knife to Wages Protection

Legal Double Whammy to End Year

We�re Dreaming of a Sweat-Free Christmas

Star Organiser Takes Off

Abbott's Xmas Message: Go To Jail

Nurses Perform Wage Surgery

Woolies Discount Spirit of Christmas

New Collapses Prove Entitlements Farce

Suncorp Ballot Draws Fire

Unions On Big Day Out

UN Migrant Worker Charter Welcomed

C O L U M N S

The Soapbox
Tread Carefully - Very Carefully
Nick Housten argues that structural weaknesses could keep federal Labor in Opposition for many years to come.

The Locker Room
A Year Of Two Halves
It was one of those years. It started with a lot of sport and it ended with a lot of sport. Noel Hester and Peter Moss check the runes and dish out the gongs in this year�s Workers Online Sports Awards.

Bosswatch
Footloose Capital
It was a year where the corporate world finally came close to consuming itself with bloated salaries, off the wall options and a string of mega-collapses

Predictions
Into the Beyond
Every year we ask our readers to gaze into the crystal ball. While history shows the view is mirky, we�ve don it again.

L E T T E R S

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Abbott Gears For Grocon Stoush

Clearly disappointed by the 440-150 secret ballot result, the Workplace Relations Minister suggested voters would not necessarily get their way.

"I think that this is the opening skirmish rather than the closing battle, so to speak, in this particular campaign," Abbott told the media after the result was announced

Abbott has admitted holding meetings with Grocon boss, Daniel Grollo, as the latter plotted to use the Workplace Relations Act to sideline the CFMEU.

His plan, openly supported by Abbott, had appeared to swing on an early-morning, December 19 mass meeting at the Moonee Valley Racecourse from which CFMEU representatives were barred.

Workers, surrounded by up to 200 salaried staff not be covered by the negotiations, were asked to vote on a Section 170LK agreement to which their union would not be a party. The carrot-and-stick case put by Grollo included additional leave inducements and a warning that rejection would jeopardise employment.

The company's corporate-style presentation was chaired by former AFL star and Brownlow medalist, Robert Dipiedominico.

But, despite the urgings of the Murdoch-controlled Herald Sun and Australian newspapers, construction workers rejected Grollo's anti-union proposition.

However, the way Grocon counted its ballot has left open the possibility of Government becoming embroiled in another Patrick-style rort, where workers are transferred from one company to another without their knowledge or agreement.

Despite being listed on IBIS' World Company Profiles as a company with "no subsidiaries" Grocon divided ballot results amongst five separate entities and, just minutes after the meeting, put out a press release announcing "100 per cent" support for its proposition at one of those "companies". It was later revealed that this referred to a 2-0 vote of staff at something called Grocon PL.

Grocon, understood to be in trouble after under-estimating costs on its $425 million MCG redevelopment, has launched legal action against the CFMEU and five leading officials, including state secretary Martin Kingham. Industry sources suggest costings were underestimated because the company failed to take into account 60 down days forced by major sporting events. The CFMEU has offered to negotiate "flexibilities" for the MCG job.

Union officials were this week playing down the spectre of being caught in a Grocon-Federal Government pincer movement.

They urged the company to respect the wishes of its employees and commit to the industry agreement which all other major Victorian construction contractors and sub-contractors have signed.

Kingham said the principle area of disagreement between the Grocon proposal and the pattern agreement was hours of work. Grocon wants to be able to work their employees unlimited hours and to buy out rostered days off, annual leave and sick leave.

"They're talking about winding back the clock," Kingham said. "We are moving towards family-friendly hours that recognise the other responsibilities of construction workers, while they are pushing Abbott's agenda to eliminate leisure time.

"Grocon should respect the democratic decision of its employees and recognise they have voted overwhelmingly for union representation."

Abbott, meanwhile, claimed "union coercion" had been behind rejection of the Grocon proposal. He refused to give any evidence in support of the allegation.

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Last Modified: 15 Nov 2005