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Issue No. 334 24 November 2006  
E D I T O R I A L

It�s Who The Economy Works For, Stupid
As the movement prepares for the National Day of Action on November 30, we embark on the third, final and, perhaps most difficult phase of the Rights at Work campaign.

F E A T U R E S

Interview: Common Ground
Nature Conservation Council director Cate Faehrmann on the fight against global warming and how unions and greens can learn from each other.

Industrial: A Low Act
The Low Paid. The Fair Pay Commission knows who pays them. We can do something about it as they will not.

Unions: The Number of the Least
Forget 666 - 457 is looming as the scariest number for Aussie workers and their families, Jim Marr writes.

Politics: The Smoking Gun
Hayek's henchman, Raplph Harris, goes to free market heaven, writes Evan Jones

Economics: Microcredit, Compulsory Superannuation and Inequality
They are supposed to ensure the wealth of well-being of individuals. Whats wrong with that? asks Neale Towart

Environment: Low Voltage
Nuclear Power and Prime Ministerial pronouncements are seriously short of a few volts, wrties Neal Towart

History: The Art of Social Justice
Tom Martin was a terrific cartoonist and part of a great tradition in labour movement history and culture, swrties Neale Towart.

Review: Work�s Unhealthy Appetite
It pays the bills � usually � but going to work should come with a warning, wrties Jackie Woods.

Culture: A Forgotten Poet
There is little information on the public record about the radical working class poet Ernest Antony, writes Rowan Cahill.

N E W S

 OWS: Cash for Query Scam

 Watchdog Bites Own Pups

 Silver Lining to Qantas Storm

 Wages Heading South Under WorkChoices

 Hardies Finally Coughs Up

 Face Up to Save Harbour

 STOP PRESS: Workers Docked for Meeting Pollies

 Telstra Redundancies �Inhumane�

 AWAs Carpeted

 Contracts Shut Down

 ILO Gets Tough on Forced Labour

 Houston Win Sparks Hope for New Era

 Full List of November 30 Venues

C O L U M N S

The Soapbox
Robbo Goes Green
John Robertson's speech to the Walk Against Warming

Parliament
The Westie Wing
Ian West takes a look at a former public institution and its contribution to NSW.

L E T T E R S
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News

STOP PRESS: Workers Docked for Meeting Pollies


Forty workers at a Melbouorne carpet factory have been docked four hours pay for spending 15 minutes talking to Labor politicians.

Labor IR spoksemsan Steven Smioth release dthis statement late Friday:

"John Howard's unfair and extreme industrial relations legislation was on full display today at the Feltex carpet making business in Melbourne.

Godfrey Hirst recently purchased Feltex Carpets and offered the 300 workers AWAs that cut conditions and entitlements, despite the fact that their current collective agreement is not due to expire until August 2007.

At 8:45 this morning, I met with about 40 Feltex employees after they advised management that they would take an early tea break to meet with me, their local Federal Member and a local State Member about their situation.

I have been advised that after the workers returned to work about 1 or 2 minutes late, their employer told them they will have 4 hours pay docked for participating in unlawful industrial action.

John Howard's extreme industrial relations laws dictate that if employees take industrial action their employer must dock them a minimum of 4 hours pay.

These workers have little bargaining power. But when they used their tea break to put their plight to the Shadow Minister, their local Federal Member and local State Member - they were immediately punished by John Howard's extreme laws.

Feltex is a live and living example of John Howard's wage cutting AWAs.

It is a live example of his meaningless guarantees about having existing conditions and entitlements protected if a business is sold.

And now it is a live example about how these laws punish Australian workers for discussing their workplace circumstances with their elected representatives during a tea break."


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