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| Issue No 18 |  |
18 June 1999 |
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NewsOakdale Miners Take Message to Canberra
Sacked Oakdale miners will rally outside Federal Parliament on Tuesday to protest laws that have left them $6.3 million out of pocket in unpaid entitlements.
Opposition leader Kim Beazley will address the rally organised by the Mining Division of the CFMEU, which will also highlight the impact of proposed changes to Long Service Leave laws which would take away the little security that workers currently have. "We are going to Canberra to impress on this Federal Government and all politicians the public�s disgust with ordinary workers being left high and dry," CFMEU mining and energy deivision general president Tony Maher says. "The recent closure of the Oakdale Colliery in NSW, which has seen 150 workers robbed of $6.3 million in entitlements, is an example of the threat facing all Australian workers. "We are demanding the Federal Government introduce legislation to provide for every Australian workers entitlements to be secured." The Issues * Workers entitlements: 150 coal mineworkers at the Oakdale Colliery in NSW have been robbed of $6.3 million of entitlements following the recent closure of their colliery. Their plight highlights the precarious position faced by every worker because there is no legal protection for workers entitlements in the event of companies declaring bankruptcies. This scandal must end now. * Long Service Leave: Workplace Relations Minister Peter Reith plans to abolish Long Service Leave as an Award entitlement, robbing all workers of a valuable asset. The only benefit the Oakdale miners are guaranteed is their long service leave payments and Reith wants to abolish it! * Coal Price War: The CFMEU is campaigning to end the suicidal price-cutting war between coal producers in Australia which has led to over 4,000 mineworkers losing their jobs in the past 18-months. Big producers cut prices and drive smaller producers to the wall. They then cut their existing workforce to cushion the effects of price cuts on profits. These massive job losses have occurred since the Howard Government removed export licence controls from the coal export industry. As a result, Australia will lose more than $2 billion in coal export earnings this year alone because of the price cuts.
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   Interview: Ballot BoxingIn the midst of a key anti-union ballot, the Finance Sector Union's Geoff Derrick is learning vital lessons about life in a deregulated labour market. Unions: Psyched OutIntense competition in the labour market has fuelled a new renaissance in psychometric testing. History: Rhetoric and RealityThis month will be a big one for Labor Party rhetoric about the "light on the hill". International: ILO Adopts Child Labor ConventionChild slavery, prostitution and hazardous work have been outlawed in Geneva Legal: Competing Agendas in Enterprise BargainingRecent developments show unions how they can turn the Reith laws on their head. Review: Sister PowerA new book offers practical help for women who want to be heard.
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