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Issue No. 264 | 20 May 2005 |
Conviction Politics
Interview: Fortress NSW Unions: Fashions Afield Industrial: Pay Dirt Politics: Infrastructure Blues History: Big Day Out International: Making History Economics: The Fear Factor Review: The Robots Revolt Poetry: The Corporation's Power
PM Noses into Pinocchio Territory Newsroom Bullies Make Headlines Council Unhealthy for Families
The Soapbox The Locker Room Parliament
Labor Council of NSW |
News Nelson Takes Axe To Brains
"Howard has come out in print and said that his government is going to smash the NTEU," says NTEU state secretary Chris Game. "They are going to cut dissent and cut debate. "This is not just about higher education. This is going to filter through to any area where Federal Government funding is used." Game singled out health and local government as two other areas where Federal Government funding would be tied to introducing individual employment contracts. Unions NSW Secretary John Robertson blasted the Federal Government as "hypocrites" over the move to link between funding and AWA's. "This exposes how ideologically driven these people are," says Robertson. "For years they have said that the employment relationship should be free from third party intervention. "Now they're introducing third party intervention themselves. "This is a government full of hypocrites, using funding to beat people into submission." The National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) rejected claims by education Minister Dr Nelson that further workplace reform is needed in the higher education sector so that universities can attract and keep top academics. "While Minister Nelson claims his workplace reform proposals are all about rewarding high flyers, the detail doesn't bear this out," says Mr Grahame McCulloch, NTEU General Secretary. "In fact, his key proposal is that AWAs must prevail over the conditions in an Enterprise Agreement - the sole legal effect of which is to ensure AWA conditions can undercut those in an Enterprise Agreement." Newcastle Jobs On the Line Meanwhile, NTEU members at Newcastle Uni expressed deep anger at the breach of the University's enterprise agreements, with management announcing that 450 positions would be abolished. "For the past forty years The University of Newcastle has responded to the needs of the Hunter. Staff and the Newcastle community are being left out to dry now that Canberra is running the agenda for this University." Says NTEU Newcastle Branch President Associate Professor Wayne Reynolds. "How did a $3 million deficit become $29 million deficit and why does the University need to eliminate such a large deficit in one year?
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