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Issue No. 186 11 July 2003  
E D I T O R I A L

Beyond the Possible
For a union movement that is struggling to break through the constraints of time and place, the visit of US union leader Amy Dean this week has been a breath of fresh air.

F E A T U R E S

Interview: As They Say In The Bible ...
One the movement�s great characters, Public Service Association general secretary Maurie O�Sullivan, is calling it a day. He looks back on his career with Workers Online.

Industrial: Just Doing It
Sportswear giant, Nike, is the first company to sign off on an agreement that purports to protect Australian clothing workers, wherever they labour, writes Jim Marr.

Unions: Breaking Into the Boys Club
For a 23-year-old woman who has never worked in the trade, recruiting young construction apprentices into the union has its challenges, reports Carly Knowles.

Activists: Making the Hard Yards
Mal Cochrane came to the smoke as part of an Aboriginal avalanche that redefined the face of Rugby League. Today, he serves his community through the trade union movement.

Bad Boss: In the Pooh
What do you give a boss who makes his workers labour in raw sewage? A nomination for the Tonys.

Unions: National Focus
In the national wrap Noel Hester finds a Victorian Misso delo who is redistributing lucre from Eddie McGuire into workers� theatre, South Australian unions taking that Let�s Get Real stuff seriously, an American unionist fronts up at a distinguished �meeting of the brains� in Adelaide and a look at the line up for ACTU Congress.

Economics: Pop Will Eat Itself
Dick Bryan wonders if we can be insured against pop economists promising financial nirvana as well as financial market instability.

Technology: Dean for President
Paul Smith looks at how the internet is helping one Democrat candidate to the front of the primary pack

International: Rangoon Rumble
Union Aid Abroad's Marj O'Callaghan looks at Australia's weak response to developments in Burma.

Education: Blackboard Jungle
Lifelong learning shouldn�t mean cutting jobs, but that's exactly what the Carr Government is proposing, argues Tony Brown

Review: From Weakness to Strength
Labor Council crime-fighter Chris Christodoulou catches up with his boyhood hero, the Incredible Hulk

Poetry: Downsized
Resident bard David Peetz pens the song the Industrial Relations Commission needed to hear

N E W S

 Stop Thief: Shelf Company Owes Millions

 Axed Workers Take on Max

 Seven Bowls Bouncer at Umpire

 Smokescreen Clouds Morris McMahon Win

 Rail Boss Locked In

 Actors To Be Paid Their Dues

 Ruddock Urged to Block Immigration Scam

 Silicon Workers Seize Their Valley

 Wage Case Swings on Fare Go

 Fire, Pepper Spray all in a Day�s Work

 Taking It Up for Medicare

 Shelved Worker Fights Back

 Activists Notebook

C O L U M N S

The Soapbox
Cleaning Up
Rabbi Laurie Coskey from San Diego adds her voice to the global campaign for just for cleaners in Westfield malls.

The Locker Room
The Name In The Game
In an age of the sportsperson as celebrity it seems that names are overtaking the games, writes Phil Doyle.

Postcard
The Beach
Southern Thailand�s terrorist activities: facts or fiction asks HT Lee

L E T T E R S
 Union Posters
 Tom's Lessons
WHAT YOU CAN DO
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News

Axed Workers Take on Max


Sydney airport workers will stop work this week as a campaign builds against plans by Sydney Airport Corporation chief Max Moore Wilton to cut 40 percent of the workforce.

The workers will consider whether they will be able to meet the demands from the upcoming Rugby World Cup and call for details on how Moore-Wilton will gain personally from cutting 160 of the 400 jobs at the airport.

The job cuts will impact on airport maintenance, including those responsible for lighting runways, administration and general security.

The Airport was privatised 12 months ago, with new owners Macquarie Bank head-hunting Moore-Wilton from the Prime Minister's Department to help meet a promised $380 million first year profit.

CPSU spokeswoman Larissa Andelman says workers deserve to know the terms of Moore-Wilton's deal with the Sydney Airport Corporation.

"If our members are losing their jobs so that Max the Axe gets a pay bonus it is totally unacceptable," Andelman says.

"Airport management has been open about the fact that the profit targets are driving the cuts, rather than any problem with the existing workforce.

"The public should be concerned that jobs cuts, with the potential to impact on public safety, are being proposed purely to satisfy shareholders."

AMWU state president Tim Ayers says the timing of the cuts could not be worse, at a time when the performance of Sydney's tourist gateway is under the microscope.

"We find it amazing that at a time when Sydney Airport will be asked to cater for the biggest influx of tourists since the 2000 Olympics, wholesale job cuts are on the table," Ayers says.

"The airport only functioned during the Olympics thanks to the goodwill of the workforce, who worked through breaks and agreed to overtime to deal with the huge passenger load.

"If Max the Axe is not going to treat his workers with respect, they may not be prepared to go the extra mile for him."


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