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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.
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
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
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
Union Posters
Tom's Lessons
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other LaborNET sites |
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Labor Council of NSW
Vic Trades Hall Council
IT Workers Alliance
Bosswatch
Unions on LaborNET
Evatt Foundation
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News
Fire, Pepper Spray all in a Day’s Work
A string of attacks on Centrelink offices and staff has prompted a call for an upgrade of security.
This week's arson attack on a Brisbane Centrelink office followed hard on the heels of an incident in Adelaide where police used capsicum spray to restrain a man.
During the attack at Inala, near Brisbane, a man doused a number of desks in flammable liquid and set them alight. The office was evacuated but three people were injured and furniture and carpets were damaged.
CPSU national president Mark Gepp said the incident highlighted growing problems with Centrelink security.
"People who were there said it was a miracle that there were not more serious injuries or even a fatality," Gepp said.
"Not a week goes by without some sort of potentially dangerous incident occurring. Centrelink staff have been assaulted and spat on. Office equipment and computers have been hurled around the workplace.
In the Adelaide attack, one Centrelink worker was taken to hospital for treatment and another was treated on-site by ambulance officers.
Yesterday a Wollongong child support worker was threatened in the street, prompting management to advise staff not to wear their Centrelink ID off site.
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Issue 186 contents
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