E D I T O R I A L

Give Truth A Chance
Civic values - aah another boring conservative rant. Well, perhaps, but here goes.

F E A T U R E S

Interview: The Month Of Living Dangerously
When the mobs took over the streets of Dili it was the people of East Timor that bore the brunt. Elisabeth Lino de Araujo from Union Aid Abroad-APHEDA was there to witness what happened.

Unions: Staying Mum
Penrith mums, Linda Everingham and Jo Jacobson, are at the heart of a grassroots campaign to boot Jackie Kelly, out of federal parliament. Jim Marr caught up with one half of the sister act.

Economics: Precious Metals
There's a lot of spin around AWAs in the mining industry, but Tony Maher argues all that glitters is not gold.

Industrial: The Cold 100
The Iemma Government has come up with 100 reasons why WorkChoices is a dud, with 100 examples of ripped off workers

History: The Vinegar Hill Mob
This month's Blacktown Rally was not the first time workers had stood up for their rights in the region, writes Andrew Moore.

Legal: Free Agents
Is an independent contractor a small businessperson or a worker? The answer depends upon whether the contractor is genuinely ‘independent’ or not, writes Even Jones.

Politics: Under The Influence
Bob Gould thinks Sonny Bill Williams is a hunk; he reveals all in a left wing view of The Bulletin’s 100 most influential Australians, questioning the relevance of some, and adding a few of his own.

International: How Swede It Was
Geoff Dow pays tribute to the passing of Rudolf Meidner, one of the architects of the Swedish model of capitalism.

Review: Keating's Men Slam Dance on Howard
These punk rockers are out to KO WorkChoices. Nathan Brown joins the fray.

N E W S

Howard's $30m Rip Off

Jetstar Sells Job Interviews

Jail or Jobs - Seamen Choose

Vanstone Mum on Rorts

WorkChoices Whacks Chalkies

Telstra MIA in Bush

WA Safety Rep On Mission

Sallies Join Sack-A-Thon

CFMEU Dips Out on Fullback

Pollies Brush Sick, Kids

Pollie Cries Like a Croc

Training Minister Gives Himself an A

25 Years On the Grass

Activist's What's On!

C O L U M N S

The Soapbox
Work Choice: US Military Style
John Howard has learnt a few lessons on workers rights from his Texan buddy, writes Rowan Cahill.

Politics
Westie Wing
As Pru Goward slams into the glass ceiling of the NSW Liberal Party, Ian West considers how women are faring under the Howard-Costello Government.

The Locker Room
A World Away
Phil Doyle is pleased that a display of subtle beauty and athletic grace has been overtaken by some good old-fashioned mindless violence

L E T T E R S

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Jail or Jobs - Seamen Choose

The Stolt Australia was tied up in Hobart for six days as crew protested plans for the mass sacking of Australians and their replacement by Filipinos earning barely $400 a month.

Stolt won back-to-work orders in the Australian Industrial Relations Commission that exposed MUA members to fines of $6000 a day and possible 12-month prison terms under John Howard's draconian workplace regime.

But the vessel only sailed, with its cargo of sulphuric acid, after Stolt agreed to open its books to the MUA and investigate the replacement of the Stolt Australia with another Australian-crewed vessel.

One shift of the 18-strong crew remained inside the Zinifex smelter while members of a second shift chained themselves outside the gate.

During negotiations, both parties agreed the Stolt Australia was unsuitable for coastal duties.

The dispute broke when Stolt revealed it would operate the vessel under a flag of Caribbean tax haven, the Cayman Islands, with low-wage labour.

MUA Tasmanian secretary, Mike Wickham, said crew saw every day alongside as a victory.

"They saw this as an opportunity to make it widely known that the IR laws stank and that they were prepared to something about them," Wickham said.

"The MOU is a moral victory for the crew. They were standing up for the rights and conditions of all workers in this country."

Australian shipping has been decimated since the Howard Government encouraged companies to go offshore in search of cheap, unskilled labour.

The possibility of an alternative, Australian-crewed tanker is seen as a holding measure in that battle.

The ACTU and International Transport Workers Federation (ICFTU) supported the MUA in negotiations with the company.

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