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Issue No. 240 | 01 October 2004 |
The Premiership Quarter
Interview: The Last Bastian Unions: High and Dry Security: Liquid Borders Industrial: No Bully For You History: Radical Brisbane International: No Vacancies Economics: Life After Capitalism Technology: Cyber Winners Poetry: Do It Yourself Poetry Review: Hard Labo(u)r
Xerox Copies Waterfront Tactics Hardies Asbestos Woes "Snowballs" Air Fleet Grounded By Job Cuts Pacific National Sidetracks Hunter Jobs Black Diamond Deaths Spark Mining Inquiry Pensioners Strip Over Pension Strip
Politics Parliament The Soapbox The Locker Room Parliament Postcard
Problem Solved How To Run Society
Labor Council of NSW |
News Xerox Copies Waterfront Tactics
In echoes of Patricks� tactics in the 1998 Waterfront dispute, technicians on training visas from Singapore and New Zealand were used to clear the backlog of jobs caused by the week long strike. The full extent of this operation is unclear, but Workers Online understands at least 30 foreign nationals were on the road for Fuji-Xerox in Sydney this week. The 100 ASU members took the action over their EBA deal, which included a bid by the company to install global positioning tracking devices in workers' cars, in order to spy on their movements via satellite. The dispute took a bizarre twist this week when strikers received a DVDs with a personal message from the CEO delivered to their doors imploring them to return to work. They also received letters threatening to take away the strikers vehicles and mobile phones, a clear breach of the Workplace Relations Act. The video pitch fell flat though, with 98 per cent of workers voting to extend the strike for two more days the next morning. The story of Fuji-Xerox management bastardry went global, with articles running in many Australian newspapers and as far a field as The Inquirer newspaper in Britain. Yesterday workers decided to switch tactics and return to work as a goodwill gesture and to facilitate further negotiations. ASU Organiser Gabi Wynhausen is in no doubt Fuji-Xerox technicians will ultimately win their dispute. "I have been a union organiser in a variety of industries for nearly 10 years and I have never before seen such a solid group of workers. They have right absolutely on their side and they know it. "All these guys wanted was a pay rise of less than 4%. The company has responded with the spectre of satellite surveillance and an international strike breaking conspiracy!"
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