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Issue No. 165 | 20 December 2002 |
Terror Australis
Interview: Taking Stock Bad Boss: Pushing the Envelope Unions: The Year That Was Republic: Still Fighting International: Global Ties, Global Binds Politics: Turning Green Technology: Unions Online 2002 Industrial: The Past Is Before Us Economics: Market Insecurity Review: Shooting for Sanity Poetry: The PM's Christmas Message Culture: Zanger's Sounds of Summer
Abbott Gears For Grocon Stoush Restaurateur Takes Knife to Wages Protection Legal Double Whammy to End Year We�re Dreaming of a Sweat-Free Christmas Abbott's Xmas Message: Go To Jail Woolies Discount Spirit of Christmas New Collapses Prove Entitlements Farce UN Migrant Worker Charter Welcomed
The Soapbox The Locker Room Bosswatch Predictions
Representative Representatives Men Only? Dry Argument Vale: Phil Berrigan
Labor Council of NSW |
News Woolies Discount Spirit of Christmas
The NSW Labor Council has accused Woolworths of 'penny-pinching' for refusing to pay the women a loading on their accrued leave when calculating redundancy payments. The total in dispute is less than $12,000 or just $300 per worker, some of whom have been with the company more than 20 years. "While $300 may sound like a trivial amount to a Woolworth executive, it is a further kick in the head for these women who Woolworths has thrown on the scrap heap," NSW Labor Council secretary John Robertson said. The redundancies arose after the Tasmanian Government induced Woolworths to move its finance department from Sydney. The 40 women, through their union, the Australian Services Union, have been arguing their redundancy payment should include loading on accrued leave, in line with the industrial award covering their employment conditions. "This is a corporate giant turning its back on faithful employees, trying to wriggle out of its legal obligations," Robertson said. "It would be unacceptable any time of year; at Christmas it's downright heartless." BHP Workers Fight XMAS Hamper Censor Meanwhile, Australian Workers' Union steelworkers walked off the job for 24 hours this week in a symbolic protest against the company's censure of steelworkers' use of the Internet. The workers used the email system to complain that there will be no Christmas hamper gift from the company this year. About 300 steelworkers met at 7am and voted to stop work for 24 hours, and for the union to meet with BHP to discuss its email policy. The dispute erupted last week when a senior AWU shop steward was reprimanded for using the internal email system to criticise BHP's decision to cancel the Christmas hamper. He said the decision to cancel the hamper was a Scrooge-like act. "While we are disappointed the company did not consult the workers about sacking the hamper we can live with that decision, what we can't live with is workplace censorship,'' he says. "Freedom of speech should not be parked at the company gates. Modern workplaces understand the value of sharing positive and negative information in the workplace,'' he said.
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