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The New Radicals
Many of us lament the fact the Labor Party has little these days to do with labour; some even whimsically remember how the Liberals were once liberal; but evolving world events are now putting a lie to that most enduring of political labels �the conservative�.
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.
 Why Cole is a Merry Old Soul
Fight Breaks Out of Schoolyard
Child Care for a Song
"Back Off" Call To Death Inquiry
Carr No Mussolini
Sweet Box-all for Ballot Bureaucrats
Unions Fire Up
Beattie Papers Over Stink
Glue Bullies Come Unstuck
Johnnie Tugs the Rug
Bank Jobs Under Spotlight
Federal Muzzle for Shareholders
Unions Earn $19 For Low Paid
Fashionistas Go Fair
Activists What�s On!
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.
Howard The Chucker
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Unions on LaborNET
Evatt Foundation
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News
Fight Breaks Out of Schoolyard
Teachers aren�t the only ones worried by the Premier's refusal to rule out raiding the education budget to fund pay rises, according to their federation.
Striking teachers are warning that Premier Bob Carr's attempt to hold themselves and the Industrial Relations Commission over a barrel has implications for the entire public sector.
Nurses, teachers, fire fighters and general public servants are all set to run Work Value cases before the IRC this year.
But scaling back the Government's assessment of the health of the economy in new evidence put to the Commission, along with a warning that "...the Industrial Relations Commission simply cannot continue to hand out unaffordable wage increases" has set alarm bells ringing.
NSW Teachers Federation secretary Barry Johnson said the State Government's actions were "never about the economy and never about the budget".
"It was always about whether the State Government wanted to pay teachers and other public servants the salaries they were entitled to," he said.
NSW Labor Council secretary John Robertson has put Treasurer Michael Egan and Carr's grip on the purse strings down to an obsession with retiring debt.
Robertson used the analogy of someone trying to pay off a 25 year mortgage in 10 years. You might save a lot of money but it doesn't do you much good if you can't pay the electricity bill or put food on the table, he said.
"You don't cut back on other services to fund a pay rise. The Government needs to say it will find additional dollars to ensure it can afford pay rises."
And if Carr doesn't, and he continues to undermine the umpire, Robertson said there would be an "almighty brawl in NSW".
"Don't interfere in the democratic processes of the IRC because if you do you will have the wrath of the whole trade union movement to deal with," he said.
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Issue 222 contents
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