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Issue No. 215 | 02 April 2004 |
Something Smells
Interview: Terror Australis Unions: Graeme Beard's Second Dig Industrial: The Hell of Troy Organising: Miners Strike Gold Economics: The Accepted Wisdom History: Vicious Old Lady International: Out of Sight, Out of Mind Review: War Unfogged Poetry: TAFE
Gong Points Death Bone at Iemma Strip – Howard’s Order to Shoppies Workers Victory - We’re Legal! Patrick Faces Million Dollar Fines Water Quality in Budget Back-Wash Life – Cambodia’s Grand Raffle
Postcard The Soapbox The Locker Room Politics
Getting Away With Murder Terrorism
Labor Council of NSW |
News Strip – Howard’s Order to Shoppies
Senior manager, Andrew Hart, told staff around Australia that resistance would be futile. "NO T-shirt equals NO work," he insisted in a memo revealed this week by The Australian newspaper. "Any team member that does not dress correctly for work will be sent home. "The company at great expense has provided these T-shirts and they should be worn with great pride." But they weren't. One Melbourne shop assistant who wore a barrage of offensive comments refused to wear the garment and was told to go home. Westco Jeans staff in a Bankstown outlet flatly refused to wear the offensive shirts. Melbourne Trades Hall's Jobwatch blew the whistle on the company, accusing it of failing in its obligation to provide a safe and healthy working environment. It's involvement led Westco Jeans to withdraw its directive, described by The Australian as "draconian". The company's ability to put female staff in such an invidious position has been sheeted home to the Howard Government's policy of forcibly stripping awards back to 20 matters it deems "allowable" . That policy removed a provision from the federal Shop Assistants Award that stated employers could not require employees to wear revealing or indecent clothing that would cause harrassment. Shadow Workplace Relations Minister, Craig Emerson, called the Government's demands "ideology gone mad". He demanded an explanation from Minister, Kevin Andrews. "How can he defend the immoral exploitation of women made possible by his award stripping agenda?" Emerson asked. "The previous provision cost employers nothing, and its removal could hardly be said to have assisted productivity." Andrews is currently sponsoring a Bill, the Workplace Relations Amendment Bill 2002, that would lead to another round of award stripping. It seeks to remove negotiated clauses on skills-based classifications, training, jury service payments and long service leave from federal awards.
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