***********
Australia is John Howard's shed and if he wants to renovate it, he'll damn well do it his way, with his tools, in his own good time. Who needs a plan when you've got a vision!
If things are getting a bit lose over at the minimum wage bench, just whack out the screwdriver and screw it tighter and tighter and tighter.
If there's a few looses edges over by the unfair dismissals, no worries, the sledgehammer will get rid of them; anyway, that breeze coming from where the floor used to be gives some good circulation.
And if all these shelves and cupboards, keeping things in order, get too confusing, just whack out the hammer and bash it all into little individual bits. Far easier to clean up individuals after all, just sweep them up and put them in the garbage.
John Howard's performance on Four Corners this week was the actions of an arrogant man with too much power who no longer feels the need to conform to the normal rules of politics.
First, as ABC reporter Sally Neighbour conceded in the online forum after the show, Howard forced her to agree to run his interview completely unedited before he ordained to talk about his IR changes.
Having secured free rein, Howard gave Australia the political equivalent of a brown eye - refusing to respond to critics, instead falling back on his well-worn mantra of standing by his dubious record and refusing to guarantee workers would not be hurt by the changes.
The fact that the ABC failed to challenge the PM on his record - particularly his claim of 14 per cent real wages - when independent analysis shows all the benefit is at the top end of the labour market - was a major failing of the program.
But even where the challenges came - such as when one of the experts, academic David Peetz, pointed that AWAs will only reduce labour costs and do nothing to productivity - a point conceded even by employer apologists for the changes like Heather Ridout - Howard just shrugged it off.
How's this for gibber? "If you run your firm more efficiently, then productivity is lifted. And higher wages result because if you make higher profits and you want to maintain that higher efficiency, you'll pay your workers more so they'll contribute more. It really is getting it at a workplace level, rather than having arrangements imposed from on-high or in some kind of pattern across an industry."
It wasn't just that the emperor was exposed as having no clothes, he seemed to be taking delight in streaking!
I wonder if Australians really appreciate what a dangerous period we are entering - a leader with full mandate, no serious plans of contesting another election, with the means to fulfil a lifelong ideological obsession.
If you think letting Dad lose with the tools in the backyard is dangerous, you aint seen nothing yet.
The 98 South Americans have been welcomed into the North Queensland community and labelled a �success story� by local trade unionists.
Lakes Creek imported the workers on two and four-year visas but Queensland Meatworkers Union official, Lee Norris, has no doubt they will become "a permanent feature of the landscape".
"The union movement needs to recognise skills shortages, where they exist, and to rally around and draw these people into our family," Norris said.
"When there are qualified local people around we will go into bat for their right to work in the industry but when those skills aren't available we welcome others with open arms."
Norris says unions should draw a distinction between the poor training and vocational policies of the federal government, and working people brought in to cover the resulting vacancies.
The Brazilians came to Rockhampton when it became clear that the reopened Lakes Creek faced a chronic shortage of butchers, slicers and other skilled trades.
There were arguments between the company and the union as the parties sorted out ground rules at the greenfields site.
Time and again, the Meatworkers Union approached management with lists of locals looking for work and, gradually, with the aid of the Industrial Relations Commission, those issues were resolved.
Norris says that shouldn't impact on the Brazilians, every one of whom has joined the union and is being paid the negotiated rate for the job.
And, he says, they haven't just joined but have brought a strong collective culture from their homeland. In response, a Meatworkers' official has started learning basic Portuguese.
"They aren't just trade unionists, they are strong trade unionists," Norris says.
"They are enjoying life, fitting in, and contributing to Australia. They are a success story."
Kerry Packer's Consolidated Meat Group owned Lakes Creek but that entity shut its gates in July, 2002, throwing hundreds of North Queenslanders out of work.
The facility reopened, two years later, after a merger between Consolidated and Teys Brothers.
The Meatworkers Union engaged in long-running battles to ensure former employees were offered work. Today, the plant employs more than 500 people.
Lawyers say the Prime Minister's plan to offer $4000 towards legal fees in suitable cases will help only a handful of people due to the expense and difficulty of the type of actions that will be available once the government introduces its IR changes.
"It [$4000] would cover about 10 per cent of the cost of an action in the Federal Court," says Steven Penning, partner of law firm Turner Freeman.
The Federal Government's plan to scrap unfair dismissal laws for 90 per cent of working Australians will mean those who are fired because of family responsibilities, race, gender, religious beliefs or political associations will have to argue "unlawful dismissal" in the Federal Court.
"$4000 would barely get you to the conciliation [the step before a hearing]" says another legal expert.
They say the difficulty in being able to prove that a worker was sacked for such reasons is backed up by court statistics, which show only five "unlawful terminations" have been heard in the Federal Court over the last three years, compared to 20,000 "unfair dismissals" in the Australian Industrial Relations Commission.
Under the current system, state and federal IR Commissions can consider whether a sacking was harsh, unjust or unreasonable, rather than proving to the Federal Court an employee was sacked on grounds such as race or childcare commitments.
Besides the less formal process of proving "unfair dismissal" to a Commission, Mr Penning estimates such actions cost around half that of a Federal Court action.
"The Prime Minister's offer to provide legal advice to sacked workers is of no benefit whatsoever," says NSW Minister for Industrial Relations, John Della Bosca.
According to him, the standard advice will be that almost every unfairly sacked worker will have no rights and no prospect of reinstatement.
"It's a job that could be done by an answering machine," he says.
The CPSU issued a series of emails and posters calling on Whalan to drop his Pontious Pilate stance to stalled negotiations. Whalan responded with an improved offer then pulled all electronic contact with the union, making it impossible for members to comment or vote on his revised position.
CPSU spokesperson, Paul Ingwersen, said Whalan's blocking manoeuvre would do nothing to resolve the dispute.
"This is a denial of people's basic right to representation and information," Ingwersen said. "The federal government says people are free to join unions then, as an employer, denies them the right to meaningful contact with their union.
Whalan's counter-strike came after Centrelink clients had been warned of looming disruption as staff resisted the agency's urge to drive the federal government's IR agenda.
Thousands of CPSU members are holding rolling stoppages around Australia in an effort to have Centrelink deal with enterprise bargaining claims on their merits.
Ingwersen, said five months of negotiations had stalled over attempts to impose AWAs, move employment conditions from the enforceable EBA into "policy"; and a below-par wage offer.
Earlier this year, Centrelink moved to undermine the collective agreement by advertising for staff who would be forced onto individual, non-union AWAs.
Ingwersen said Centrelink management had taken an "ideological" approach to bargaining.
"This approach is needlessly making life more difficult for Centrelink clients and placing services at risk by forcing workers to choose between industrial action, an AWA, or a sub-standard EBA offer," Ingwersen said.
"It's as if Centrelink is trying to road-test the federal government's new industrial relations laws.'
Twenty four thousand Centrelink employees begin rolling stopwork meetings this week and millions of agency clients have been warned they may need to reschedule appointments.
They are chasing a 12.5 percent wage increase over three years, a Centrelink commitment to negotiate the next collective agreement with their union, and the right of staff to choose whether or not they are employed under AWAs.
The RTBU members are appealing for other workers to join them on a four-day bike ride to Canberra where they will petition parliament to reject John Howard's plan to sideline collective bargaining, strip entitlements and green-light unfair dismissals.
They will overnight in Moss Vale, Goulburn and Yass, taking their message to regional communities that experiences in WA, Victoria and New Zealand suggest will be hardest-hit by individual contracts.
Willoughby-based operators, Narelle Sinclar and Peter Ellery, are organising the pedal-power protest.
The pair were among 30 drivers, from depots all round Sydney, who undertook an 11-day ride to Melbourne, earlier this year, to raise funds for Canteen.
"It was terrific," Ellery said. "The girls and guys who rode have become the tightest group of people you could imagine.
"I am 56 and I never thought I would ride a bike to Melbourne. It was great fun."
The ride leaves Sydney on Saturday, November 19, and is due at Parliament House on Tuesday, November 22. It will be supported on the road by motor cycle riders armed with water, fruit and equipment for minor repairs.
Participants are collecting petitions urging MPs to vote down the Coalition's workplace agenda.
Thirty bus operators have already confirmed they will be starters.
Sinclair urges other would-be riders to sign up with Bicycle NSW so they will be covered by injury insurance.
Anyone interested in joining the ride can contact Sinclair on 0438 119304 or the RTBU Bus and Tram Division on Sydney 9319 7277.
The decision, which the company blames on a collapse in the state's rail infrastructure, will see 2,000 extra road container movements every week.
"That is 2,000 extra trucks - including 30 b-doubles - on Tasmanian roads, increasing the risk of tragic road accidents," says RTBU national secretary Bob Hayden.
The Rail Tram and Bus Union has released a rescue plan that would secure the future of the rail freight network in Tasmania, following talks yesterday with Tasmanian Transport Minister Bryan Green.
The proposal would involve the federal government, the Tasmanian Government and Pacific National in investing in the rail infrastructure.
Under the plan:
- the federal government would release $80 million in Auslink funding to the Tasmanian Government.
- the Tasmanian Government would supplement these funds with state moneys.
- Pacific National would commit $40 million for infrastructure and roiling stock.
The RTBU has also called on Pacific National to defer any cuts to jobs or services until all options for securing funds have been explored.
Mr Hayden said that these funds would be an investment in the future of Tasmania and the safety of Tasmanian families.
"It is incumbent on all levels of government and Pacific National to take a leadership role and ensure that Tasmania does not become the only Australian state without an effective rail network.
The RTBU's own investigations have concluded Tasmanian has the nation's worst rail infrastructure.
Five of the Bank's six non-executive directors, tasked with attending 11 meetings a year, will trouser between $50,000 and $60,000, for their efforts, up from $30,000 to 40,000 previously.
Non-executive directors of the Reserve Bank, concerned with wage pressures and interest rates, include leading business identities.
Amongst their number are shopping centre magnate, Frank Lowy, Telstra boss Donald McGauchie and Business Council of Australia chief, Hugh Morgan, a key backer of federal government's campaign to hold down wages.
The Australian Financial Review quoted one director as saying the Reserve Bank earn was such an insignificant sum he wasn't even sure how much the fee was.
The increases, authorised by federal government's Remuneration Tribunal, came two days after the Reserve Bank held 311 agreement-covered worked to four percent annual rises - in line with settlements for ANZ, CBA and Westpac workers but below the 4.5 percent agreed for NAB staff.
Most of the Reserve Bank's 800 staff are on individual contracts but the enterprise agreement is important to them because it establishes most of their conditions.
The agreement struck with the FSU gives fathers returning from paternity leave the right to 12 months of part-time work, and allows new mums to spread their 14 weeks of maternity leave over 28 weeks.
The deal also retains the ability of the AIRC to resolve disputes and improves annual holiday provisions.
Reserve Bank governor, Ian Macfarlane, told a parliamentary inquiry, last month, the organisation would monitor wages and other inflationary pressures to ensure inflation did not threaten the Bank's 2-3 percent target band.
As Victorian unions plan major celebrations of 150 years of the eight-hour day next year, labour historian Rowan Cahill claims the first agreements were secured by Sydney masons in 1855.
Cahill says the agreements, struck on October 1, covered masons at several Sydney churches who had taken industrial action in support of their claim.
"A less known aspect of the eight-hour day struggle is that the Melbourne workers were actually pipped, and inspired, by their brother colleagues in Sydney," Cahill says
"Before the Melbourne stonemasons activated, stonemasons in Sydney successfully organised, agitated for, and gained, the eight-hour day. "
On 18 August 1855 the Stonemasons� Society in Sydney issued an ultimatum to employers that in six months time, masons would only work an eight-hour day.
However men working on the Holy Trinity Church in Argyle Cut, and on the Mariners� Church (an evangelical mission to seafarers, now an art gallery and caf�) in Lower George Street (98-100 George Street), could not contain their enthusiasm and decided not to wait.
They pre-emptively went on strike, won the eight-hour day, and celebrated with a victory dinner on 1 October 1855.
Unions NSW assistant secretary Mark Lennon says workers are planning a ceremony to mark the occasion later this year. "Like most things, things happen in NSW first," Lennon says.
Red Scooter, based in Melbourne, won the award for spruiking the secretive individual contracts on the OEA website, as well as to the media.
Proprietors Eammon and Flora Hamilton have appeared on Channel Nine's Business Success program and the ABC's 7.30 report.
The OEA's website says Red Scooter has benefited from the introduction of a flat rate of pay which encompasses all benefits, including penalty rates and sick pay.
"The ability to have a flat rate over seven days helps us control costs," Flora Hamilton is quoted as saying.
The awarding of the plaque coincided with Industrial Relations Minister Kevin Andrews announcing the number of approved AWAs have reached the "significant milestone" of 750,000.
Andrews said AWAs have led to higher productivity.
However, this has been disputed by academics.
Professor Mark Wooden from the Melbourne Institute for Applied Economic Research and backer of the Government's upcoming industrial relations reforms, told ABC's 4 Corners last week that AWAs were detrimental to productivity growth.
"I think productivity gains still revolve around a system that is collectively based," he said.
John Howard has overruled Communications Minister Helen Coonan's plans for a radical shake-up to the media industry, instead opting to free up restrictions on existing media owners.
Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance federal secretary Chris Warren said the changes would lead to job losses.
"The last big shake up in the media industry in the late 80s-early 90s led to 1000 journalists losing their jobs," Warren said.
He said the planned changes also carried grave implications for the independence of journalists and diversity of opinions.
The media changes include easing restrictions on ownership, allowing free-to-air television owners to extend their business to newspapers and vice versa. This is currently not allowed.
There will also be easing of restrictions on foreign ownership regulations.
Plans to preserve diversity through allowing free-to-air television stations to offer multiple channels have been scrapped, as have plans for a fourth channel.
Former Prime Minister Paul Keating, who led the last raft of media changes, said the Howard Government's policy was a "recipe for massive media concentration and further abuses of power by the existing network owners".
He said the plans were "designed to suit, principally, two operators only: the Packer-controlled Publishing and Broadcasting Ltd and the Murdoch-controlled News Limited".
"If people think they have seen exercises in media power already, they are as nothing like it may be should these two corporations have their way unfettered."
The High Court has ruled the Government can dip into the public purse after an attempt by unions and the Labor Party to stop the plan failed last week.
"We lost on a technicality," says Labor justice spokesperson Nicola Roxon, adding the Opposition will try other methods to stop the Government's "taxpayer-funded propaganda".
The reasons for the court's decision are not yet know.
Political observers are interested to see the court's decision in full because two of the judges, who will probably make the unions and Labor pay up to $200,000 of the Government's legal costs, likened Howard's new ad plan to the propaganda of former Soviet bloc countries.
The Howard government is planning a massive television, newspaper and radio ad blitz to counter the ACTU's "Footy Dad" and other IR TV ads, which have put an unwelcomed spotlight on the Government's industrial relations agenda over the last few months.
The Howard government has not sought authorisation from parliament to spend public funds on the ads.
It is estimated that the Government plans to spend $20 million on the new ad blitz, and may have already spent around $5 million.
Taking a swipe at state and territory laws which impose fines and jail time for bosses whose negligence leads to a worker's death, Andrews said blame was not the answer to the construction industry's high fatality rate.
"The offences will create uncertainties for employers," Andrews said.
The comments came just days after the CFMEU launched proceedings against Australand Holdings for the death of 16-year-old roofer Joel Exner at a Sydney building site.
Australand escaped charges earlier this year when a coroner found there was not enough evidence to warrant prosecution, however, the company's cost-cutting was found to have contributed to the death.
Exner was killed on his third day at work when he fell 12 metres and through a safety mesh.
Sue Baxter, Exner's mother, said although her son's death had shattered her family, the fact that no one was held responsible added to their distress.
"I am thankful the CFMEU take safety seriously and will be prosecuting Australand so we can finally have justice and those people responsible for Joel's death can be made to pay," Baxter said.
Although Exner's death led to the stronger state laws which include jail time for employer negligence, the CFMEU's prosecution will come under previous health and safety laws.
Andrews said it was "very disappointing that the union movement has attempted to cynically exploit the grief and misfortune of those people who are injured or killed in workplace accidents".
Andrews was speaking at the launch of employer group Master Builders Association of Australia's blueprint for occupational health and safety last week.
Members of Monash University's business school say scandals such as James Hardie, and corporate collapses like One.Tel and Ansett are proof corporations should put employees, unions and environmental groups on an equal footing with shareholders.
"Directors could also be permitted to place stakeholders' interests ahead of shareholders where the company's reputation or long-term viability would be at risk if the directors failed to do so," they say in their submission to a senate inquiry into corporate responsibility.
The academics say current corporate law leaves employees vulnerable.
"Despite their enormous investment of 'human capital' in the firms for which they work, employees are still largely regarded as 'outsiders' by company law - with none of the information rights and measures to protect their interests enjoyed by 'insiders' such as shareholders and secured creditors," they say.
Most controversially, the academics advocate directors be directed to consider the interests of employees, creditors, consumers and environmental groups in their decision making, even in circumstances where it conflicts with the interests of shareholders and maximising profits.
Other submissions to the inquiry, including one by the ACTU, also point to infamous events such as the James hardy scandal as grounds for change, although not as radical a change as proposed by the Monash business school.
The ACTU says the difficulty asbestos victims have had in getting compensation from James Hardy illustrates the need for companies to not be allowed to set up systems of corporate entities that deliberately frustrate rightful compensation claims.
The ACTU also wants the federal government to encourage states and territories to make corporations subject to criminal laws relating to intentionally negligent or reckless causation of injury or death.
Transport Minister John Watkins said fares would rise eight per cent and a number of CountryLink offices would be closed down.
Both Watkins and Vince Graham, chief executive of RailCorp, which runs CountryLink, have said country services would be maintained.
But the Rail Tram and Bus Union's Phil Kessey said RailCorp could not be taken at its word.
"We had a situation last year where Murwillumbah was closed after
they guaranteed it wouldn't be," Kessey said.
"This is the beginning of the end for CountryLink."
Kessey said while the loss of jobs was unacceptable, the real losers would be those who use the services.
"It will impact on people's ability to get a good service," he said.
"People should let Vince Graham know what they think of this by sending letters and making calls."
The RTBU is about to launch a campaign to save country services, called "Our Jobs today - your trains tomorrow".
"What's particularly galling is this announcement comes as we celebrate 150 years of rail this year," Kessey said.
Despite workloads more than doubling in the past three years and the addition of highly complex work previously done by doctors, five nurses based at Surry Hills and Goulburn get $4 an hour less than public hospital colleagues.
NSW Nurses Association acting general secretary Judith Kiejda said that under the Police Service's pay offer nurses would continue to lag more than $2 per hour behind public hospital counterparts for the next few years.
She said the highly specialised skills required for their job, combined with increases in workloads and responsibilities, meant the nurses were worth at least as much as their public hospital colleagues.
"They work hard, have specialised skills and, in the last few years, have taken over most of the duties previously done by Police Medical Officers, whose numbers were slashed from 6 to 1.4 full-time-equivalent staff.
"The number of medicals performed by each nurse at the Surry Hills centre has increased from around 600 in 2001-02 to nearly 1400 per year in 2004-05. The complexity of these examinations has also increased with the nurses now doing much of the testing previously done by the Police doctors.
"These nurses are now required to ensure police officers assigned to various squads are medically fit to perform the duties of that squad. In fact, the police nurses now perform medical scanning for 20 different squads. This level of work was non-existent five years ago. One of the main reasons is the Police force now takes more officers with pre-existing medical conditions."
The nurses have now imposed a range of work bans that the union says will continue until the wages dispute is settled satisfactorily. The bans include:
- declining to provide any statistical data or monthly reports to NSW police;
- declining to perform filing and non-nursing clerical duties;
- refusing to be compensated for overtime by way of time in lieu and enforce a strict non-work policy for unpaid work;
- not responding to requests for information made on the day of request and all requests must be made in writing; and
- not performing medical assessments that are not pre-arranged.
"There is no doubt these nurses do a difficult and important job and they are worth at least the same pay as their public hospital colleagues," Ms Kiejda said.
A survey funded by the Department of Family and Community services has found that heterosexual couples are significantly happier when the man works between 35 and 40 hours a week.
However, the survey said men's satisfaction in their working lives started dropping off after 50 hours a week.
It also found women were happy working part-time, between 21 and 34 hours a week, or not at all.
The Household Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (Hilda) survey is managed by the Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research.
For more information visit: http://www.melbourneinstitute.com/hilda/
Rudd Raises the Roof
Willoughby ALP Branch and SEC Cocktail Party
Meet Kevin Rudd - Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs, Trade and International Security
Bookings Essential
When: Thursday 13 October 2005
Time: 6.00 pm - 8.00 pm
Where: 105 Mowbray Road,
Willoughby NSW 2068
Cost: $35.00 (Includes liquid refreshments and home cooked food)
MC - Carmel Tebbutt, NSW Minister for Education & Training
Once only auction of original political cartoons by Alan Moir, Bill Leak, Ward O'Neill, Stewart McCrae, Bruce Petty, Lindsay Foyle
RSVP by C.O.B. Friday 7 October 2005 to:
Imogen Wareing : Tel: 9967 2300 (wk) 0407 477 225 (Mob)
Fax: 9967 2311 Email: [email protected]
Address: 105 Mowbray Road, Willoughby NSW 2068
Cheques made out to: Willoughby Branch of the Australian Labor Party
Neilson comes to Sydney
An exhibition of new paintings by Peter Neilson will be held at Australian Galleries in Sydney from September 6 to October 1, 2005
Drifting South, Always South
Australian Galleries
15 Roylston Street
PADDINGTON
NSW 2021
02 9360 5177
"The art of Peter Neilson is very much a product of urban Melbourne radicalism. He was born in East Melbourne in 1944 and grew up in the inner - Melbourne suburb of Essendon where he formed a life long affiliation with the local football club." (Dr Sasha Grishin 2002)
Justive for Jack - Court Vigil
Stand up for civil liberties!
Speakers: Brian Walters SC, President, Liberty Victoria
David Risstrom, Greens
Alongside the recent deportation of US activist Scott Parkin and the likelihood of more draconian "anti-terror" laws being introduced, the case of Jack Thomas - dubbed "Jihad Jack" by the media - provides a concrete example of the political way that these laws are being used. With the suggestion of closed courts, demands for ASIO clearances for his lawyers and the use of evidence taken without Jack's legal rights being observed, this is a crucial test case with grave implications for civil liberties.
We encourage those concerned about the erosion of our civil liberties to take part in this peaceful vigil at the beginning of the preliminary hearings into Jack's case.
9am Monday, October 3
Supreme Court, 192-228 William St, City
(near the cnr of Lonsdale St)
Contact [email protected] or call 0409 399 429 for more information.
www.justice4jack.com
Organised by the Justice for Jack Campaign
Tribute to HT Lee
Photojournalist - Independent film-maker
Trade unionist
Activist for East Timor
07.08.1946 - 27.07.2005
Saturday 8th October
2-6pm
Gaelic Club
64 Devonshire Street, Surry Hills (upstairs)
Speakers include;
� Andrew Refshauge (former Deputy Premier)
� Andrew Ferguson, State Secretary, CFMEU
� Katherine Thomson (Playwright)
� Kim Gago (East Timor Community)
� Neil McLean
� Peter Chandran
� Carmela Baranowsk
Other speakers to be confirmed
Performances by Enda Kenny and a choir
Entry by donation
Money raised will go to the HT Lee Memorial Political Film-makers Fund to assist people going to East Timor to work on film documentaries
Jointly organised by Construction Forestry Mining Energy Union (Construction & General Division) and the Australia-East Timor Association (NSW)
www.cfmeu-construction-nsw.com
AUSIRAQ union solidarity Jazz night
6.30pm
Tuesday 18 Oct.
CFMEU auditorium
12 Railway St. Lidcombe
Dinner & live jazz $25
Kids & unwaged $15.00
Home cooked Iraqi food
To book & pay by credit card ph. Ken at APHEDA 9264 9343
All money to Iraqi trade unions
Organised by Australia/Iraq Trade Union SoIidarity.
Call Lynn 0439 640118 or Michael 0406 020702 for info
One Year Down & Two to Go - Can Labor Win in 2007?
With John Singleton (Advertising Executive), Geoff Walsh (former ALP National Secretary) & Julie Owens MP (Member for Parramatta)
When: Wednesday 26 October from 6.00pm to 7.30pm
Where: LHMU Auditorium, 187 Thomas Street Haymarket
Cost: Free
Chair: Michael Samaras, Secretary NSW Fabian Society
Monday night's "4 Corners" reported that there is no evidence that putting people on AWAs increases productivity.
Meanwhile the Prime Minister refuses to guarantee that wages wont drop.
Nor is there any guarantee that real wages wont drop.
It's all about choice, freedom, "maximising" employee and employer "common ground", and promoting "individualism".
Economics 101 for dummies, according to the PM. Otherwise known as hateful ideology clothed in outdated and discredited economic jargon and jingoism for us in the real world.
Julianne Taverner, NSW
Despite the mass of confusion the Howard Government are trying to generate around industrial relations reforms, union ads have managed to decode the truth rather well.
Take the following puzzle, for example, it is designed to test your intelligence (not insult it), much like the Howard Government seem to be trying to do with the issue of IR:
Can you raed tihs? Olny srmat poelpe can.I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg.The phaonmneal pweor of the human mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is that the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the human mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Amzanig huh? yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt! if you can raed this psas it on !
Maybe Mr Howard can push something else, because his old tricks are just that, OLD!
The structure of his proposals will remain the same 'unfair and unjust', however, the content continues to change in in subtle ways in an attempt the confuse an manipulate.
Game's UP!
John McPhilbin, NSW
Headline in our Local Murdoch Rag: "What would have happened if Latham was elected as PM"
Unfortunately we all know what has happened when Howard was elected PM:
* War in Iraq
* GST introduced
* Sale of Telstra
* Unfair IR rules being introduced
* Cut in funding for Public Schools and Universities
* Forcing our Disabled to Work
* Imprisoning Refugees children for years
ALL THE ABOVE AGAINST THE WISHES OF AUSTALIAN VOTERS
Of course there is also the constant lying and bungling of Government Ministers.
Hal Crossing, SA
How I can sympathise with Glenda Kwek - I am also one of those alleged incompetents aka retail employees - suffering the same repetitive tunes and abrasive ill-informed customers, day in and out. I am doing my final subject of a Masters in Journalism, holding onto the notion that I will have a lot to write about the human condition, when I land myself a "real" job.
Kate Windon, NSW
It would be wrong to think that the Howard government and oil companies want cheaper petrol prices.
The US attack on Iraq is not only about controlling and stealing Iraqi oil but also keeping it off the world market. Iraq has the third largest oil deposit in the world and it can be pumped from the ground at $1 per barrel as opposed to US oil at $10 per barrel. By prevent Iraq from selling their oil for over a decade, the US has helped keep prices for themselves and their other Arab friends high.
Ironic too that Howard would be promoting Ethanol as a cheap alternative.
Does he think that Australians have forgotten the Ethanol scandal where he introduced legislation to protect his friends in the ethanol industry and PREVENT cheap ethanol being imported from Brazil.
Furthermore, given that Australia produces 80% of its own oil and steals much of it from East Timor there really is no excuse.
Peter Smernos, SA
I'd like to bring to the attention of fellow unionists the brutal slaying on 23 September of a Filipino unionist, Diosado Fortuna. He was shot by unidentified motorcycle riding gunmen believed to be agents of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. Fortuna was the President of the Nestle Workers Union who have been on strike with their multinational owners over a deadlock in their collective bargaining agreement since January, 2002. He was a prominent union leader at both regional and national levels. His national union centre, the KMU believes his murder was politically motivated. He had been under constant surveillance by military agents and company goons since the strike at Nestle began. The death of Diosdado Fortuna is the latest in a growing list of union, community, church and human rights activists who have been murdered or have disappeared in recent years in the Philippines.
Roger Jowett (President, PAUL (Philippines-Australia Union Links)
Working class families should enjoy the Labour Day long weekend because it will be the last before Howard's industrial laws go through.
Under the Liberals laws employers are able to come to employees saying you have to work on public holidays and without public holiday penalty rates.
This would mean that more and more workers would not be enjoying public holidays.
This Liberal move undermines the community celebrations, the long weekends, the festivities, cultural events and family barbecues that we all enjoy.
Some business support this move arguing that it costs to close on a public holiday. They want the days to be taken when it suits their business needs. It sounds feasible for employers...but not good for the community.
Although raising this issue on Labour Day, it impacts on all public holidays.
This Industrial change would not occur all at once but more and more workers would be required to work. The more this happened the less the holiday would be public. Already a sizeable number of service, tourism and special events workers as well as essential workers work on public
holidays but at union penalty rates.
This Liberal proposal is part of their unfair work plans for the workforce that would be disastrous for workers; namely taking away unfair dismissal rights; making workers work longer hours not reasonable hours; cuts to take home pay; removing the protection of the independent Industrial Commission, taking away the right to strike and making it harder for unions to organise workers.
As we enjoy this Labour Day, many working families will be aware of their rights at work and the government's plans to take them away.
Chris White
At the heart of the ads is the plight of a footy Dad, being given no option but to trade off his weekends and regular hours, leaving his kid to kick the footy alone.
Who are the footy dads? They can be blue collar or white collar, they can even be Mums! What drives them is that they want to have a life that extends beyond the workplace.
They have built a decent job and life for themselves and want to be good parents. In coaching the local footy team, or running the organs on the sideline, they are committing to their kids and the kids of their neighbours - they are putting in 'social capital', because they know this is what community is all about.
But it is getting harder. More and more they feel themselves being squeezed between being a good worker and a good parent.
And if the Prime Minister really plans to take away their rights at work - leaving them to fight for things like penalty rates, weekend allowances and even four weeks annual leave - then things are about to get a whole lot harder.
This is a section of society that could emerge as the potent political bloc of the next few years, traditional Labor voters who, if only they were given an alternative, would come back to the fold.
In many ways they are Labor's lost generation. They voted for Hawke in the eighties because he was a good bloke and believed everyone had a fair go.
They were a bit iffy about Keating - some stuck with him because they are decent people who believe in giving indigenous Australians respect, but others thought he was pushing the globalisation a bit far, while Howard promised to slow it all down and make them feel 'comfortable and relaxed'.
They were shaken up by terrorism and more shifted to Howard in the Tampa election and, when their mortgage rates were under threat, they had no option but to keep voting for the PM.
Now the PM has the power to pursue an ideological obsession that he never even mentioned at the last election - and its these guys who will make them pay.
They don't want to be enterprise workers or small business people, their primary - aspiration is far more important - to be a good parent - and that means being an active participant in their kids' community.
The 'workers friend' has opened a can of worms, and no talk of opportunity and flexibility, no $20 million spin job, will convince the footy dads otherwise.
A dog is a dog is a dog. And this one has paws.
Peter Lewis
Editor
Search All Issues | Latest Issue | Previous Issues | Print Latest Issue |
© 1999-2002 Workers Online |
|