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Issue No. 214 26 March 2004  
 
F E A T U R E S

Interview: Baby Bust
Labor's Wayne Swan argues that the plight of our aging workforce is only one side of our demographic dilemma.

Safety: Dust To Dust
Failure by authorities to police safety in the asbestos removal industry is threatening the lives of members of the public, writes Phil Doyle.

Bad Boss: Shaming in Print
Delegates from print shops around Sydney will publicly shame this month�s Bad Boss nominee with a rally outside his new Alexandria operation next Thursday.

National Focus: Work's Cripplin' Us
Noel Hester reports on a spin doctors' talkfest, workplace pain, stroppy teachers and IWD party time in the national wrap.

International: Bulk Bullies
An extraordinary five month struggle over affordable health care, by nearly 70,000 Californian supermarket workers, has just come to an end, writes Andrew Casey.

History: The Battle for Kelly's Bush
Green Bans saved a piece of bush before they saved much of the Sydney�s built environment, writes Neale Towart

Economics: Aid, Trade And Oil
Tim Anderson reveals Australia�s second betrayal Of East Timor is playing out before our eyes.

Review: The Art Of Work
Workers and westies are being celebrated as the cultural icons they are thanks to two Sydney exhibitions reminding us there is a world of art in the everyday, writes Tara de Boehmler.

Poetry: Sew His Lips Together
Wondering where the next porkie is going to come from? Resident bard David Peetz knows.

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L A T E S T   N E W S

Terrorism: Workers In Front Line
A Flag of Convenience bulk carrier bound for Victoria loaded "one of the most dangerous cargoes" out of NSW on the day the Federal government moved to crack down on maritime terrorism.

Maritime workers have questioned whether the Federal government�s changes to shipping laws are undermining the nation�s efforts in the war on terror. [full story]

�Racist Throwback� on Rail Project
In a reprise of the bad days of 'coloured' labour, Aboriginal and Kanaky-descended workers have been shipped from northern Queensland to Victoria to work under colonial conditions.

Unions on the Traralgon-Melbourne arm of the state�s Very Fast Rail Project have discovered at least 19 Aboriginal and Kanaky-descended being short-changed by labour hire outfit, Skilled Engineering. [full story]

Green Light for Council Code
A ground-breaking code binding NSW local councils to decent labour standards has been OK�ed by the Federal Government�s competition watchdog.

The breakthrough will provide fresh impetus to the push to have the NSW Government and all local councils thinking about worker's rights when they make purchasing and tendering decisions. [full story]

Underground Mines a Time Bomb
Excessive and illegal working hours amongst mine workers mean a major mining disaster in NSW is simply waiting to happen, the Australian Workers Union has warned.

AWU state president Mick Madden says mining companies are openly flouting laws governing hours of working underground and called on the Chief Inspector of Mines to urgently intervene. [full story]

Teachers Delete Email
A lack of assurances from top bureaucrats over child protection and security has led NSW teachers to ban a statewide roll out of trouble-plagued �e-learning� email accounts.

Teachers have found the $84 million system to be cumbersome, and there have been significant technical problems.  [full story]

Bush Uses Burma Sweatshops
Embattled US President, George Bush, has outsourced re-election merchandise to sweatshops in Burma.

According to a report in Newsday a fleece pullover embroidered with the Bush�Cheney �04 logo bore a label stating it was made in Burma. [full story]

ALSO MAKING NEWS

 Family Mourns Dead Worker

 Call Centre Shocker

 Bosses Touched Up With Wet Lettuce

 Andrews Throws Last Dice at CFMEU

 Smelter Contractors Clear Air

 Activists What�s On!

email workers to a friend latest breaking news from labornet
"Life is priceless," says Sun Winson Chai, whose father died after a fall on a Strathfield building site.

E D I T O R I A L
Where once it seemed all a conservative leader had to do was elevate the threat of terror to bump themselves up a few points in polls, the time has finally come when the public wants to stop being scared.

THE OTHER PETER LEWIS

C O L U M N S

The Soapbox
Iraq and Your Mortgage
How high interest rates go will be a key issue in 2004 and if you are looking for a clue, there's no better place to look than the war in Iraq, writes Michael Rafferty.

Sport
Hang Onto the Day Job
Show someone else the money, says Phil Doyle.

Politics
Westie Wing
Ian West shows why Eveleigh Street�s not so far away from Macquarie Street

Postcard
Don�t Give Up the Fight
Get Up, Stand Up is the logo of choice on a popular range of subversive condoms. Ken Davis from Union Aid Abroad reports from Zimbabwe�s second city


LETTERS to the Editor
 More On Green Bans
 But Will He Get the Trains To Run On Time?
 Uniting For Peace
 Cyberstalking

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