E D I T O R I A L

Good Versus Evil
So it's come to this - working women's groups that alert clients to union activities will be denied federal government funding and, effectively, forced to close.

F E A T U R E S

Interview: A Life And Death Matter
Macquarie Street and Canberra are squaring off over safety in the workplace, NSW Minister for Industrial relations, John Della Bosca, explains what's at stake.

Unions: Fighting Back
When John Howard's building industry enforcer started threatening people's homes, one couple hit the road. Jim Marr met them in Sydney.

Industrial: What Cowra Means
The ruling on the Cowra abattoir case highlights the implications of the new IR rules, according to John Howe and Jill Murray

Environment: Scrambling for Energy Security
Howard Government hypocrisy is showcased in its climate change manoeuvring, Stuart Rosewarne writes:

Politics: Page Turner
A new book leaves no doubt about whether the faction came before the ego, Nathan Brown writes.

Economics: The State of Labour
The capacity of the state to shape the political economy and thus improve the social lives of the people must be reasserted, argues Geoff Dow.

International: Workers Blood For Oil
A new book by Abdullah Muhsin and Alan Johnson lifts the lid on the bloody reality of US backed democracy for Iraq's trade unions

History: Liberty in Spain
Worker Self-Management is good management. The proof in Spain was in Catalania, Andalusia and continues in the Basque Country, as Neale Towart explains.

Review: Go Roys, Make A Noise
Phil Doyle thought he'd find nostalgia, but instead Vulgar Press' new book, Maroon & Blue is a penetrating insight into the suburban mind under stress.

N E W S

Sprung: Light on Day

Mal Content to Challenge King

More Standover Tactics in WA

Qantas Holidays Delayed 150 Years

Hockey Wields Stick

We Have Ways of Cutting Your Pay

Jihad Johnny Targets Women

Council Workers Talk The Walk

Trujillo Slices Millions Off Bottom Line

Vehicle Jobs on Skids

Teachers Suspend Selves

Bishop Damns WorkChoices

Workers Rights On The Road

ACTU Backs Business, Germans

Activist's What's On!

C O L U M N S

The Locker Room
Ruled Out
Phil Doyle plays by the rules

Fiction
Tommy's Apprentice
Chapter One - Tommy and "The Boy"

Politics
Westie Wing
Ian West wonders what might happen if the NSW Coalition actually did win power next March at the State elections.

L E T T E R S

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Mal Content to Challenge King

King's company, Leighton, used John Howard's WorkChoices laws to sack the last remaining health and safety rep on part of the Perth-Mandurah rail project, after he reported five �serious breaches� to WorkSafe, last week.

Leighton cited "operational reasons", after it instantly dismissed Mal Peters, last Monday.

Peters and his wife had just returned from a two-week, annual leave speaking tour of eastern states to raise support for 107 workers facing $28,600 fines for taking industrial action in support of sacked union delegate, Peter Ballard.

"This is victimisation, pure and simple," Peters told Workers Online. "They have targeted safety reps and union delegates since the job started but it got much worse after the new laws gave them a free hand.

"Two years ago we had six elected safety reps, now there are none. The action they are taking us to court for came about because they sacked our union delegate.

"Anyone who put his hand up was targeted for the chop.

"My family has legal costs and $28,000 fines hanging over our heads, and now I have been sacked. If I can't pay their fine, I suppose I will have to go to jail.

"I would like Wal King to come my place and tell my family what this agenda of his is about."

King, who trousered more than $30 million from Leightons last year, is a big wheel in the Business Council of Australia that aggressively supported Howard's workplace revolution.

The Business Council backed fines and jail sentences for workers and actively promoted sack-at-will laws used to bullet Peters and other elected representatives on the rail project.

The CFMEU has confirmed it will contest Peters' dismissal through the IRC and WA's Occupational Safety and Health Tribunal.

"We can't sit back and let these sort of standover tactics go unchallenged," WA secretary, Kevin Reynolds, said.

"When companies think they can sack elected safety reps who do their jobs and contact health and safety authorities about serious problems, everybody has got a problem.

"We're going to do everything we can to fix it."

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Last Modified: 14 Aug 2006