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Issue No. 269 24 June 2005  
E D I T O R I A L

Truth In Advertising
In the past seven days we have witnessed the unprecedented spectacle of a Howard Minister attempting to campaign on �Truth�. That it has come back to bite him on the bum is the clearest proof yet of some eternal notion of justice.

F E A T U R E S

Interview: The Baby Drought
Social ethicist Leslie Cannold has delved into why women - and men - are having fewer children. And it all comes back to the workplace.

Industrial: Lies, AWAs and Statistics
David Peetz uncovers the truth behind the latest statistics on earnings under Australian Workplace Agreements.

Workplace: The Invisible Parents
Current government policies about work and family do not reflect the realities of either family life or the modern workplace. writes Don Edgar.

History: Bruce�s Big Blunder
The Big Fella, Jack Lang, gives an eyewitness account of the last time Conservatives tried to dismantle Australia�s industrial relations system.

Politics: All God's Children
The battle for morality is not confined to Australian polittics. Michael Walzer writes on the American perspective

Economics: Spun Out
The business groups are feeling cocky. The feds have announced their IR changes, business says they don't go far enough. What a surprise, writes Neale Towart

International: Shakey Trials
Lyndy McIntyre argues the New Zealnd IR experiment provides warnings - and hope - for the Australian union movement.

Legal: Civil Distrubance
Tom Roberts argues that there is more at stake than an attack on building workers in the looming legsilation.

Review: Crash Course In Racism
Paul Haggis flick Crash suggests that when cars collide the extent of people's prejudices are revealed sans the usual veil of political correctness, writes Tara de Boehmler.

Poetry: You're Fired
New laws will leave bosses holding the whip and workers with a Raw Hide, writes resident bard David Peetz

N E W S

 Choice Bro, Andrews Unmasked

 Rev Kev�s Big Stick

 Grass Roots Flourish

 Academics Give an F

 Feds Invoke Feared Beard

 Mum Gives Johnny the Slip

 Hadgkiss in Family Friendly Assault

 Slick Operator Goes Down

 Tassie in Grip of Chip Strip

 Elderly Boss Gets Cranky

 Army Used To Privatise Phones

 Dangerous Vic bosses face slammer

 Activists Whats On!

C O L U M N S

The Locker Room
Ashes to Dust
In which Phil Doyle travels to distant lands in search of a meat pie, and prepares for the joys of sleep deprivation

Parliament
The Westie Wing
Ian West lists the Top Ten reasons why workers in NSW can gain some solace from having the Labor Party sitting on the Treasury benches�

The Soapbox
Dear John
In response to this year�s Federal Budget, Bishop Kevin Manning wrote an open letter to the Prime Minister, Mr John Howard

L E T T E R S
 Good outlook at Hertz
 Foxtel�s folly
 Stuck for words
 More care, less scare
 Do or die time
 China throws in Mao�s towel
 Don�t strike out strikes
WHAT YOU CAN DO
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Letters to the Editor

More care, less scare


In response to your editorial justifying the ACTU's TV advertising campaign: I don't object to the union movement spending money on advertising to get a message to the wider public, but having viewed the finished product I don't think this is money well spent. The TV ads employ scare tactics and create an atmosphere of imminent doom. Maybe that's not far from the truth, but how will this motivate anyone to take action? I just felt depressed after watching them.

Where is the POSITIVE message from the ACTU about what it is going to do to resist these changes, about why it's time to join a union? Are our union leaders so resigned to living with these laws that all that can be done is sheet home the blame to Howard and co? If we want to resist these laws, don't we need some direction about what the characters in the ads could do instead of abandoning their kids or signing the contract? We need more than a PR campaign - some of the millions devoted to advertising should be spent on employing more organisers to get the message out to the grassroots - to sign up the scared workers, set up public meetings, leaflet train stations, and so on.

Jarvis Ryan

MEAA


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