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What�s In a Name?
McDonalds is doing it, IAG has done it, James Hardie desperately needs to do it � and now the Labor Council of NSW is doing it, re-working its brand to meet the changing demands of their markets.
Interview: The Reich Stuff
Robert Reich has led the debate on the future of work � both as an academic and politician. Now he�s on his way to Australia to help NSW unions push the envelope.
Economics: Crime and Punishment
Mark Findlay argues that the present psychological approach to prison programs is increasing the likelihood of re-offending and the threat to community safety.
Environment: Beyond The Wedge
Whether the great forestry divide can ever be overcome or whether it is best sidestepped for the sake of unity and sustainability in other areas is up for debate, writes Tara de Boehmler.
International: The End Of The Lucky Country
Linda Weiss, Elizabeth Thurbon and John Mathews show us How To Kill A Country
Safety: Tests Fail Tests
Nick Lewocki from the RTBU lifts the lid on the shonky science behind RailCorp testing
Politics: Labo(u)r Day
John Robertson lets fly at this years Labor Day dinner
Human Rights: Arabian Lights
Tim Brunero reports on how a Sydney sparky took on the Taliban and lived to tell the tale.
History: Labour's Titan
Percy Brookfield was a big man who was at the heart of the trade union struggles that made Broken Hill a quintessential union town writes Neale Towart.
Review: Foxy Fiasco
To find out who is outfoxing who, read Tara de Boehmler's biased review of a subjective documentary about corrupt journalism.
Poetry: Then I Saw The Light
Brothers and sisters! Praise the Lord! Brother George has saved the White House from an invasion by infidels, writes resident bard David Peetz.
Unions Dump Labor
Shearers Brush Woolly Mammoths
Girls Should Be Short Changed
Sydney Turns Down Volume
Minister Rides Collie
Staff, Trees Weather the Blame
Offshore Embassy for Families
Visy Paper Folds
Workers Unplug Power Cuts
Silverwater Offers Porridge
Environment Wiped Out In Dubbo
Justice Eludes Kariong Staff
Nelson Flags Another Raid
Five Steps to Sanity
Activists What's On!
The Locker Room
In Naming Rights Only
Phil Doyle has Gone to Gowings The Soapbox
Homeland Insecurity
Rowan Cahill tells us how the Howard Government�s appointment of Major-General Duncan Lewis to head up the national security division of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet has received little critical comment, until now. Parliament
The Westie Wing
New proposed legislation in NSW provides a vital window of opportunity for unions to ensure they achieve convictions for workplace deaths, writes Ian West.
Too Young
Let's Start A New Party
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Labor Council of NSW
Vic Trades Hall Council
IT Workers Alliance
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Evatt Foundation
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News
Environment Wiped Out In Dubbo
A government department has sacked bush workers by email in a move that has sparked anger across the state.
The New South Wales Department of Environment & Conservation move to close the Western Regional Assessment Unit (WRAU) in Dubbo has sparked industrial action across the department.
"For people to receive an e-mail telling them their job has gone speaks volumes about the way in which this Department is conducting its industrial relations," says John Cahill, general secretary of the Public Service Association (PSA). "This closure and the way in which it has been handled is nothing short of a disgrace. There has been no consultation or discussion of any type with the PSA.
"This incident has now sparked industrial action across the entire Department. To say our members are very angry is an understatement."
The PSA believes that the decision will amount to further job cuts to the regional workforce.
"The Carr government has no regard for workers in regional areas and has treated these people with complete disdain," says Andrew Ferguson of the Construction Forestry Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU), whose members have also been caught up in the move.
"It's appalling treatment that workers can be told by email that they are no longer wanted or needed."
"The Carr Government needs to start treating workers and the community with respect and engaging in genuine consultation before conducting these cynical acts of cost-cutting."
The WRAU was responsible for performing important environmental studies into the Brigalow Belt Unit across an area stretching from Dubbo to Grafton in the State's northeast, an area workers claim is of vital importance to the regional economy of the State.
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Issue 245 contents
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