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Kill the Lawyers
What’s left of the HR Nichols Society must be popping the champagne this week, with a NSW court ruling that sees the triumph of their 20-year battle to kill industrial relations and replace it with a ‘rule of law’.
Interview: Power and the Passion
ALP's star recruit Peter Garrett shares his views on unions, forests and being the Member for Wedding Cake Island
Unions: Tackling the Heavy Hitters
Tony Butterfield became a State of Origin gladiator at the unlikely age of 33. Even that, Jim Marr reports, couldn’t prepare him for the knock-down, drag-em-out world of modern IR.
Industrial: Seeing the Forest For The Wood
Proposals to flog off NSW’s forests have raised eyebrows and temperatures amongst some of the key players reports Phil Doyle.
Housing: Home Truths
CFMEU national secretary John Sutton argues for a radical solution to the housing affordability crisis.
International: Boycott Busters
International unions have issued a new list of corporations breaching ILO sanctions to do business in Burma.
Economics: Ideology and Free Trade
The absurdities of neoclassical economic assumptions has never stood in the way of their being trotted out to justify profiteering and attacks on the rights of citizens. The AUSFTA is the latest rort we are supposed to swallow, writes Neale Towart.
History: Long Shadow of a Forgotten Man
Interest in JC Watson's short time as Labor's first Prime Minister should not detract from his more substantial role as Party leader, writes Mark Hearn
Review: Chewing the Fat
As debate rages in Australia about Fast Food advertising, Julianne Taverner takes a look at a side of the industry that Ronald McDonald won’t tell you about in Supersize Me.
Poetry: Dear John
Workers Online reader Rob Mullen shares some personal correspondence with our glorious leader.
 Vandals Hit Sweat Shoppers
Blow For Union Busters
Poll Rocks Election Boat
It’s Official: Eggs Come Second
Tetra Packs Private Dick
Workers Demand Act of Contrition
Wollongong’s $4000 Hamberger
Company Pays for Casual Affair
Shame Ships Hide Sausage
First Test for Death Law
Convenience Store Detains Student
Bashed Youth Workers Walk
Un-Fairfax Leads Paper Chase
Nile On The Death Law
ACCC Lays Down Council Code
Activists What’s On!
Politics
The Westie Wing
As the NSW Labor Government sells its first budget deficit in nine years, the real concern for the union movement is the devil in the detail, especially when it comes to procurement agreements, writes Ian West. The Soapbox
Rubber Bullets
Labor's IR spokesman Craig Emerson launches a few characteristic salvos across the Parliamentary chamber The Locker Room
Tears After Bedtime
Phil Doyle says that it's all fun and games until someone loses an eye Postcard
Postcard from Vietnam
APHEDA's Hoang Thi Le Hang reports from the north of Vietnam on a project being fund by Australian unionists.,
End Poverty
The Agony Of The Refugee
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Evatt Foundation
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News
Convenience Store Detains Student
A Melbourne student was held captive at a city convenience store until he "confessed" to stealing from his employer.
The RMIT students' union highlighted John's predicament in launching a "Your Work, Your Rights" website this week which aims to inform students of their rights at work.
According to Liz Thompson, RMIT Students Rights Officer, John came to see her about having to sign a "confession" and hand over $600 of his own money before he was allowed to go, although, he insisted, he had stolen nothing.
Thompson called the police who said that there was little they could do since it was an industrial issue.
In a time when most students work an average of 17 hours a week, she has heard of some terrible cases - rips offs and underpayments to threats of deportation.
"Most students don't know their rights at work and accept bad pay and conditions. There's some serious exploitation that goes on. They're not in unions and by the time they come to see me, there's little I can do to help them."
Thompson is also coordinating collaboration between labour unions and student unions to inform and educate students of their rights.
At the same time, the NSW Labour Council has employed Amanda Tattersall to build relationships between student workers and trade unions.
"The reality these days is that work is a big part of every student's life," she says. "We're building relationships between students and labour unions: organising unions to come onto campus during Orientation Week and helping unions develop strategies to reach student workers, recruit them and help them in their work situations."
RMIT student website is at: www.rmit.edu.au/workrights
NSW students can go to: workingstudents.com.au
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Issue 230 contents
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