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Issue No. 304 28 April 2006  
E D I T O R I A L

Canaries in the Coalmine
It was one of the defining symbols of the industrial era and the tenuous nature of working life � the bird in the cage whose expiration was a miner�s early warning that things were not OK.

F E A T U R E S

Interview: Head On
John Buchanan has been warning that WorkChoices would be a car crash. Now he surveys the damage.

Unions: Do You Have a Moment?
CFMEU Mining national secretary Tony Maher lets fly at the new industrial laws.

Industrial: Vital Signs
In his new book, Craig Emerson argues that destroying unionism will not be in Australia's long term interests.

Economics: Taxing Times
Frank Stilwell argues that there are progressive alternatives to the slash and burn approach to tax reform.

Environment: It Ain�t Necessarily So
Don't let anyone tell you that jobs and the environment are opposities, argues Neale Towart.

History: Melbourne�s Hours
Neale Towart reluctantly pays homage to Victoria's celebration of the eight hour day.

Immigration: Opening the Floodgates
John Howard is deciding more and more foreign workers should come into this country - without the rights of citizenship, writes John Sutton,

Review: Pollie Fiction
For someone barely 25 years Sarah Doyle has an enviable track record in theatre behind her.

Poetry: The Cabal
Poetry returns to Workers Online with this rollicking ode to employer power.

N E W S

 Hit Run Mum Bats For Son

 Revealed: Bosses Told To Blame Howard

 Amber Light for Pay Cuts

 Andrews Backs Armed Hold Ups

 New Front on High Court Attack

 Homer Takes Rights to India

 Tunnel Vision a �Disgrace�

 Mining Vigil at Day of Mourning

 Dad's Death Revisited

 Canberra Confidential, Andrews on the Run

 Rock Solid Tony For Sale

 SA Boss Not Trusted With Kids

 Army Declares War On Workers

 Unions Take On Space Invaders

 Activist's What's On!

C O L U M N S

Politics
Democracy in Action
Former NSW Premier Neville Wran's speech to commemorate 150 years of responsible government.

Politics
The Westie Wing
There has been activity aplenty in the NSW Parliament this month, reports Ian West.

The Soapbox
From Chaver to Cobber
John Robertson, Unions NSW Secretary, hosting Passover at Sydney Trades Hall discovers the first comrades followed a bloke called Moses.

Postcard
Postcard from New Orleans
Mark Brenner surveys the long-term impact of Hurricane Katrina on the regions workers.

The Locker Room
My Country Right Or In Lane Five
Phil Doyle observes the golden shower at the recent Commonwealth Games, and asks what it means for the last great unpredictable drama.

Obituary
Vale Bill Hartley
Unlike some of his comrades, Bill Hartley never departed from his position as a radical nor did he die rich in assets, writes Bob Scates.

L E T T E R S
 Win in the Post
 Belly Battles
 Answer is Easy
WHAT YOU CAN DO
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News

Revealed: Bosses Told To Blame Howard


How are employers being advised to deal with angry and confused workers as their rights are whittled away? Blame the government.

The advice, o by Australian Business Limited advises employers how to explain the changes to staff and endorses a 'Blame the Government' approach when explaining to workers why their rights were being taken away.

The article, published on the ABL website, Workplace Info, advises:

"'Blame the Government' will be a popular strategy. If an entitlement has been removed by law, tell employees that you had no option but to get rid of it, because that is what the law required you to do."

Ms Burrow said the blame shifting by employers was understandable but disingenuous.

"The Howard Government's industrial relations agenda has been wholly conceived and sponsored by the business lobby," Burrow says.

"Employers are not forced to take away rights from workers - they can choose to allow arrangements to remain as existed in the past - it is their 'Work Choice'.

"At the end of the day, workers should be blaming the Howard Government - but they should also be blaming big business for the decade-long campaign it has run to strip away their working rights."


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