
Issue No 40		19 November 1999

News

Rail Authorities Back Down on Surveillance.

The State Rail Authority has agreed to drop disciplinary charges against staff based on secret monitoring of data captured in automatic ticketing machines.

The Australian Services Union had accused management of Big Brother tactics after charges were laid against 10 staff members, based on information captured in the State Rail computer system, for allegedly claiming pay when they were not at work.

Of the 10 employees charged, five were completely exonerated, three received final warnings and two were dismissed, and subsequently redeployed on suspension with pay whilst an independent review of the dismissals is undertaken.

"At the end of all this, the SRA has invested hundreds of hours pursuing this group of workers to discover that nine hours were not worked, but claimed over six months," ASU services branch assistant secretary George Panigiris says.

In a hearing before the Australian Industrial Relations Commission this week, the SRA agreed it would not use this type of information in disciplinary investigations until protocols are negotiated with the Labor Council and rail unions.

Labor Council acting secretary John Robertson welcomed then outcome, saying there had been undertakings

Country Rail Unrest Threatens to Escalate

Meanwhile, country rail services were disrupted this week when workers at the Broadmeadow Train Control Centre walked out for 24 hours.

The stike was called after the State Rail Authority refused to pay an eight per cent wage rise handed down in the Australian Industrial Relations Commission.

Senior deputy president Lea Drake awarded the increase under the work value principle after new 91 wagon trains were introduced.

ASU assistant secretary George Panigiris says the decision to appeal the increase rather than pay up was "outrageous and an insult to Labor's traditional support base".

The issue was resolved late Friday following the intervention of Transport Minister Carl Scully and the NSW Labor Council.

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Issue 40 contents

Interview: No Quick Fix
Online pioneer Marc Belanger explains why the Internet, on its own, will not save the union movement.

Unions: Organising With A Mission
Entries are beginning to trickle in for the Labor Council Organiser of the Year. With just two weeks to deadline, we look at the TWU's nominee.

History: Rhyme and Reason
Poems written by workers provide us with an insight into their experiences and also how they felt about their work and working conditions.

Health: The Food Police
Three times a day you take your life in your hands. How? When you sit down to eat a meal.

Politics: East Timor: Defeat or Victory for the Left?
John Passant's "Requiem for the Left" advances some rather extravagant charges regarding the left and East Timor.

International: Kiwi Unions Rebuild from Ground Up
After fifteen years as a right wing laboratory New Zealand is about to change tack. New NZCTU chief Paul Goulter outlines the challenge ahead.

Satire: Australian Democrats Revealed as Student Hoax
The Chaser has obtained an exclusive background report on the extraordinary story which reveals how and why Cheryl Kernot defected from the Democrats.

Review: The Best of the Best
Once again Channel Nine has out done itself with it�s new Ray Martin program �Simply the Best�.

Labour Review: What's New at the Information Centre
View the latest issue of Labour review, our resource for officials and students.

Deface a Face: 25,000 Teachers Can�t Be Wrong!
Angry teachers yesterday voted overwhelmingly for Education minister John Aquilina to take the mantle of this week�s face to deface.

» Contracts Fear as Teachers Sidelined

» Reith Calls on States to Split Entitlement Costs

» Burrow's Plea: Net-Heads Must Take Leadership Role

» Ozemail Downloading Leave Entitlements

» Geeks Claim 400 Per Cent for Millennium Bug Patrol

» Hospital Crisis Looms as Nurses Set Deadline

» Pre-Fab Shelter Wins UN Support in East Timor

» Rail Authorities Back Down on Surveillance.

» Rio Tinto Black List Exposed at Blair Athol

» Needle Stick Fears Spark Industrial Action

» Round One to the Cleaners

» Telstra's Greed Puts Service at Risk

» Tragic Death Leads to Lift in Contractor Safety Standards

» Oldfield in the Pub