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Issue No. 221 21 May 2004  
E D I T O R I A L

Wage Fixing
The Premier�s attempt to cajole the NSW Industrial Relations Commission - and his subsequent eleventh hour bid to reopen wage negotiations - is about a lot more than the teachers' pay claim.

F E A T U R E S

Interview: Machine Man
It�s regarded as the most powerful job in the Party, but new NSW ALP general secretary Mark Arbib wants to build a bridge with the union movement.

Unions: Testing Times
Unions are not opposed to drug and alcohol testing, but they do want to see real safety issues addressed, writes Phil Doyle.

Bad Boss: Freespirit Haunts Internet
FreeSpirit forked out a motza for a whiz bang internet presence then disappeared right off the radar � once it was nominated as our Bad Boss for May.

Unions: Badge of Honour
Surry Hills is home to one of the world�s finest displays of union badges thanks to Bill "The Bear" Pirie and a supporting cast headed by Joe Strummer, Mark Knopfler, George Benson, Annie Lennox and other seriously big noises.

National Focus: Noel's World
Shrill bosses bleat over minimum wage rise, union spinmeisters congregate in Melbourne and Tassie�s nurses take the baton from their mob in Victoria reports Noel Hester in this national round up.

Economics: Safe Refuge
A humanitarian approach to refugees and an economically rational one?? I�d like to see that. Frank Stilwell did, when he went to Young in NSW to look into the impact of the Afghan refugees on temporary protection visas who came to work for the local abattoir

International: Global Abuse
Amnesty International have joined the chorus against the violation of trade union rights in the former Soviet republic of Belarus.

History: The Honeypot
To the Honeypot come those individuals anxious to get their hands on instant wealth. So it was in the early days of Broken Hill, wrties Grace Hawes in this homage to the mining town.

Review: Death And The Barbarians
This new take on coming of age films focuses on the coming of death and the dignity and maturity it can inspire among those touched by it - though not always easily in the overcrowded Canadian public health system, writes Tara de Boehmler.

Poetry: Who Wants to be a Millionaire?
Resident Bard David Peetz uncovers some of the unfolding mysteries of talk back radio.

N E W S

 Chalkies Draw Line In Sand

 Porkies Leave Shearers In Tents

 Dust Flies In Asbestos Blue

 Joel�s Law One Step Closer

 BHP In Hedland Horror

 Occupation Focuses Anglo Minds

 STOP PRESS - Mitsubishi Carves Up SA

 Ties That Bind

 Fair Play At The Olympics

 Rally Demands Boss� Head

 Nurses Stake Aged Claim

 Labor To Roll Up Sleeves

 Feds Take Axe To Safety

 AWU Remembers 9-11 Victim

 Activists What�s On!

C O L U M N S

The Soapbox
Rethinking Left and Right Part 1
Dr David McKnight, from the University of Technology, Sydney presents a new frame for looking at the competing ideas within Social Democracy.

The Soapbox
Rethinking Left and Right Part 2
David McKnight concludes the paper he presented to the �Rethinking Social Democracy� conference, in London, April 15-17, 2004.

Sport
Out On A Limb
Phil Doyle becomes the first Australian journalist to state that the Olympics will be called off.

Politics
The Westie Wing
In the latest episode, Ian West explores what Disraeli called "Lies, damn lies and statistics".

Postcard
Message from America
Searing snapshots from a landscape of uncertainty have plunged the Bush Administration into deeper crisis, writes WorkingForChange's Bill Berkowitz.

L E T T E R S
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News

Ties That Bind


Canberra public servants were greeting customers in some of the ugliest ties known to mankind, last week, in an odd-ball tribute to popular former workmate, Matthew Reynolds, who died 12 months ago.

A number or public service types turned up in their "least tasteful" neckwear as part of a two-pronged CPSU memorial for Reynolds who was claimed by a brain aneurism at the age of 38.

The union is also urging members and supporters to emulate its former national president's decision to join the Organ Donor Program. When he died a number of his organs went to people in urgent need of replacements.

The tie idea was born when, earlier this year, Reynolds' widow, Jenny, donated a selection of his worst neckwear to staff in the CPSU's Canberra office as keepsakes.

The union's website recorded Reynolds passions as his wife, two children, trade unionism, football, politics and "rather tasteless neckties".

His shock death brought a flood of messages from union members, employers and others who had been touched by his passion and commitment.

His leadership had been credited with successfully repositioning the CPSU in the ACT public sector, after massive federal cutbacks, and delivering significant improvements to pay and conditions.

Meanwhile, the CPSU is running a competition offering "very ordinary prizes", to members who can correctly guess the location of four new Defence Department accounts and business centres.

The Government has confirmed that it, rather than the department, will decide the locations and the CPSU is offering members updated lists of the most marginal regional electorates to take some of the guesswork out of their entries.

http://www.cpsu.org.au/news/1077062055_14391.html


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