Issue No 33 | 01 October 1999 | |
NewsSimmering Discontent Hits Boiling PointBy Noel Hester
Amid loud cheering and clapping about 800 members voted at South Sydney Oval to continue industrial action if restructuring and management inactivity on the enterprise agreement continue. There was particular anger over Sydney Water's deliberate stalling on the enterprise agreement over the last 18 months. Members gave management one month to come to the table with a constructive offer. If they don't another whole-of -Sydney Water stoppage is likely. Members also left no doubt that the voluntary redundancy program offered to the entire workforce two months ago will lead to disputes within the different business areas. ASU Secretary Alison Peters says management is obliged to follow a consultative procedure where it leads to significant restructure. 'The process for the voluntary redundancy program sees senior executives meet and look at individual applications. Eventually they restructure by default,' she said. Members also committed themselves to broader union movement action, unanimously endorsing a public sector strike over continued job cuts. ASU officials were pleased with the good turnout at Redfern Oval despite the transport difficulties on the day. 'We would have got 2000 only for the rail strike,' said Alison Peters.
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Interview: The Boys Labor Party heavyweights Eric Roozendaal and Damian O'Connor will lock horns this weekend. They fire their first shots. Economics: Reasons to Be Cheerful Can we change the way we look at the economy to better reflect community happiness and well-being? Unions: Breaking the Wave ACTU President's submission to the Senate Inquiry into the Workplace Relations Act. International: The Wisdom of Solomon A disturbing case from the Pacific where corporate lawyers are playing a deadly game. History: Groundhog Day Ghosts of Conferences past: some strangely familiar debates and decisions from previous state ALP conferences Legal: Bad, Bad Things Some of Australia's leading industrial lawyers argue that the Workplace Relations Act breaches basic international obligations. Review: Tailing Out As the BHP steelworks close in Newcastle a special book chronicles the stories of working live that have just become history. Satire: Police Cut-Backs Lead To Drop In Organised Crime An audit of the NSW Police has revealed that they have been seriously cutting back their operating budgets to ensure that they will be able to afford the increased security costs of the Olympics. Work/Time/Life: It's Official: Aussies Work Harder Australians continue to work long hours in contrast to a world-wide trend in industrialised countries that has seen hours at work remaining steady or declining in recent years.
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