E D I T O R I A L

I'm No Economist, But ….
I'm no economist, but there a few things about the national economic debate right now that I don't quite get.

F E A T U R E S

Interview: Rock Solid
Bill Shorten gives the inside story on the Australian Workers Union's involvement in the Beaconsfield rescue.

Industrial: Eight Simple Rules for Employing My Teenage Daughter
Phil Oswald bought up his kids to believe in their rights; so when his 16-year old daughter was told to cop a pay cut she was never going to take it quietly.

Politics: The Johnnie Code
WorkChoices is encrypted deep in the PM's political DNA, writes Evan Jones

Energy: Fission Fantasies
Adam Ma’anit looks at the big business push behind the 'clean nuclear' debate that is sweeping the globe.

History: All The Way With Clarrie O'Shea
The WorkChoices Penal Powers are the latest in a long line of penal sanctions against trade unions, writes Neale Towart

International: Closer to Home
If Australia can forgive its debt to Iraq, why not to Indonesia and the Philippines, write Luke Fletcher and Karen Iles

Economics: Taking the Fizz
While the Treasurer has been popping the post-Budget champers, Frank Stilwell gives a more sober assessment.

Unions: Stronger Together
Amanada Tattersall looks at the possibilities of strengthening alliances between unions, environmental and community organisations

Review: Montezuma's Revenge
Tommy Lee Jones directs and stars in a film about racism and retribution, writes James Gallaway.

Poetry: Fair Go Gone
Employers in the land rejoice, for we are girt by greed.

N E W S

Grandmother Fights Fabrication Company

Bog Standards, Hanssen Exposed

Foxtel Channels Contracts

Telstra Dials Up A Shocker

Viva La Resolution

Smirk Boss Loses Control

Iemma Told To Change At Central

On The Tiles

APHEDA Offices Attacked

Vanstone Sits On Wages

PM Slap for Battered Women

"Spineless" Andrews Apologises

Howard Lags “Best Practice”

Harper's Bizarre Theories

Process Abused - Call Peter McIlwain

Activists What's On!

C O L U M N S

The Soapbox
The Beaconsfield Declaration
As the Prime Minister feted Brant Webb and Todd Russell, their colleagues were outside with a message to the rest of Australia.

The Locker Room
Run Like You Stole Something
Phil Doyle observes that there are some tough bastards out there.

Parliament
The Westie Wing
That fun-loving friend of the workers, Ian West, reports from the red leather of the Bear Pit.

Education
Class Action
Phil Bradley draws the lines between education funding and the current skills crisis.

L E T T E R S

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Coming Up Swinging

message: Like the majority readers of this website I am your average blue collar Australian worker who is also a Union ember .

Having kept myself up to date on all the hype originating from both sides of the political spectrum surrounding new industrial legislation ,I have come to the conclusion that the ACTU should stand alone on fighting Howards attack on us workers . The Labor party will huff and puff hard now to gain our confidence and hopefully that will transpire into votes at the next election , but I believe we will be once again forgotten by them as they have done in the past - Bob Hawke with the airline pilots back in the late eighties . Laurie Beretton introducing enterprize bargaining which destroyed Industrial awards and got the ball rolling towards the mess of eventual AWAs .

Here in SA we just had a election in which the Public Service Union financed a range of TV adds against the Liberals who wanted to trash a large amount of their jobs .What happened almost straight after Labors win ? The Labor Government stabs their supporters in the back and announces PS cutbacks .

As far as Im concerned all these Politicians are the same suit wearing toffee nosed backstabbers . Their carreer paths guide their principles and us Blue Collar workers are paving their path .

Lets stand alone and state our claim , then if a Political Party out there wants our vote - make them sweat for it . We,ve got the numbers , but have we got the guts ?

Unfortunately, I believe we missed a golden opportunity to hit Howard hard by not holding a national strike on Nov 5 last year .

Rallies are nice but ineffective .

Strikes hit the national nerve .

Good or bad they arouse emotion and passion which is what the ACTU needs right now .What is Howard going to do in such an event - throw us all in the can ?

We're hanging on by our finger nails and have'nt got much more to loose. I once read a verse -

Anger grows

Adrenalin flows

Aggression shows .

Victor Horvat

SA

Vic

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Last Modified: 09 Jun 2006