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Issue No. 235 27 August 2004  
E D I T O R I A L

Gold Fever
So this is our most successful Olympics ever. Our athletes will return from Athens with their biggest ever haul of medals, more winners per capita than anywhere on earth. If all this is true, why does it all feel so empty?

F E A T U R E S

Interview: Trading Places
New ACTU International Officer Alison Tate cut her teeth delivering aid to developing nations through APHEDA. Now she is helping chart the global union agenda.

Safety: Snow Job
James Hardie has been drilled into our collective consciousness as a story of power, greed and immorality. It is also, as Jim Marr reports, a tale of human tragedy.

Politics: In the Vanguard
Damien Cahill reveals how neo-liberal think tanks have been at the forefront of the corporate assault upon trade unions and social movements in Australia.

Unions: Gentle Giant Goes For Gold
Don�t get between Sydney sparkie Semir Pepic and a gold medal in a dimly lit alley, writes Tim Brunero.

Bad Boss: 'Porker' Chases Blue Ribbon
Perfect Porker, Darren Vincent, brings a history of meat worker shafting to this month�s Bad Boss nomination.

International: Cruising For A Bruising
Europe�s big unions are bruised as they watch companies roll over some of their best-organised unionised workplaces demanding longer work hours � without any recompense, reports Andrew Casey.

History: Under the Influence
Was John Kerr drunk when he wrote and signed the letter dismissing Edward Gough Whitlam from the Prime Ministership in 1975? Geraldine Willissee investigates.

Economics: Working Capital
Where superannuation fits, where it fails and what we should we do about it. Neale Towart gives the tough answers.

Review: Fahrenheit 9/11
There's many a must see moment in Mike Moore's new flick but beating the propaganda machine at its own game wreaks havoc with wearied bullshit detectors, writes Tara de Boehmler.

Poetry: Bad Intelligence Rap
When Flood washed away the PM's sins, the truth was once again left high and dry.

Satire: Osama Bin Manchu
During a recent visit to an elderly relative in a nursing home, I was waylaid by an ancient gentleman who insisted I listen to what he had to say, writes Rowan Cahill.

N E W S

 Crane Topples at Death Probe

 Treasury�s "Scary" Power Play

 Aussie Idol on the Farm

 Email Volley Defends Delegate

 Hardie Slow on the Uptake

 Meatworkers Go Full Monty

 Sydney or the Bush

 Delta Blues

 Badge of Honour Signals Row

 Libs to Trump Court

 Project Champions Working Poor

 Jobs Victory on the Border

 Scabs in the Valley

 Activists What's On!

C O L U M N S

Parliament
The Westie Wing
The Labor Governments in each State must take the lead to stop the abuse of corporate law in Australia in the absence of action from the Federal Government, as the Inquiry into James Hardie�s has highlighted, writes Ian West.

The Soapbox
Cleaners Deserve Our Support
It's time the state's cleaners were given some support, loyalty and long service leave, writes Chris Christodoulou.

The Locker Room
Half Time At The Football
Phil Doyle wants to have his pie and eat it too.

Tribute
Faithful Servant
Frank Mossfield was one of the labour movement�s quiet achievers. Former Labor Council secretary Michael Easson pays tribute.

Postcard
Lessons From East Timor
Just back from a study tour to East Timor, National Reserach Officer with the Construction division of the CFMEU, Ben Stirling, writes about the experience for Workers Online.

L E T T E R S
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News

Delta Blues


Bosses are threatening Delta Electricity workers with loss of entitlements and job security for abiding by an Industrial Relations Commission decision.

The Public Service Association (PSA) has slammed the move, revealed in letters pressuring staff not to exercise rights to nine-day fortnights.

The letters threaten "a potential impact on your appointment into any future positions", "a potential impact on you continuing in your current role" and promise "Delta will endeavour to find meaningful work for you, but may not be able to in the longer term".

The letter concludes with "while these are the foreseeable consequences, I cannot predict what other impacts there may be should you elect to work a nine day fortnight".

The PSA has been outraged by the move by the state-owned corporation.

"Senior management within Delta Electricity unilaterally decided to increase working days for all employees not on shift work," says PSA official Steve Turner. "Unions began fighting this and it was believed that this settlement reached before deputy president Harrison was agreed to by all."

"Delta has subsequently gone to various union members who were to revert to a nine day fortnight and has systematically harassed and intimidated those members."

The workers were called into meetings where they were forced to face a number of managers on their own. Here they were threatened with consequences if they did not agree to work the hours set out by Delta - in contravention of the decision of Deputy President Harrison of the NSW IRC.

The move amazed worker representatives when it came to light.

"Delta are obviously a bright bunch," says NSW Labor Council secretary John Robertson. "While it is laughable that they would put it in writing, it's also disturbing that they would think that they would get away with it."

The news came as the NSW Labor Council announced plans to launch its Dignity and Respect in the Workplace Charter at the Sydney Opera House on September 8.

The Charter is designed to assist workplaces to eliminate bullying and harassment at work.


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