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Issue No. 321 | 25 August 2006 |
Crude Politics
Interview: A Life And Death Matter Unions: Fighting Back Industrial: What Cowra Means Environment: Scrambling for Energy Security Politics: Page Turner Economics: The State of Labour International: Workers Blood For Oil History: Liberty in Spain Review: Go Roys, Make A Noise
BHP Confronts Chilean Resistance Pollies Wings Clipped By Junket Ban Academics Take Contract Lessons Hardie, Ha, Ha - Directors Laughing
The Locker Room Fiction Politics
Labor Council of NSW |
News Howard Amps Up Repression
CFMEU assistant naational secretary Dave Noonan faces the charges, as 107 Perth workers prepare to face charges that could see them fined up to $28,600 each. Noonan faces fines of up to $2.5 million under legal action to be initiated by the Howard Government this week. Lawyers for Mr Noonan have been informed that papers alleging a breach of the Trades Practices Act will be served on him as well as his union this week. The action will be bought by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission under secondary boycott provisions drafted by John Howard in the 1970's. They allege Mr Noonan colluded with Bovis Lend Lease in terminating a Canberra sub-contractor's contract for employing independent contractors in 2003. "This is a politically motivated attack from a government that is preparing to personally sue 107 workers for taking industrial action," Noonan says "I am being pursued for standing up for decent conditions and job security in the building industry." "This prosecution raises a number of questions about the political nature of supposed independent government agencies. "First, why is the agency choosing the eve of elections for national secretary of CFMEU Construction, for which I am standing, to launch a prosecution against me after more than three years of delay? "Secondly, it shows the extent the Howard Government is prepared to go in order to prevent union officials from protecting the rights of working men and women."
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