
Issue No 41		26 November 1999

LaborNET	Ask Neale	Tool of the Week

News

Olympic Job Cut Fears

Unions fear Olympic organisers are planning to cut back on the number of paid workers for the games and replace them with volunteers under the weight of budgetary constraints.

With the SOCOG budget under pressure from the ticketing fiasco, the Australian Workers Union has written to SOCOG general manager Jim Sloman seeking guarantees that an agreement on paid-voluntary staff ratios will be honoured.

Under the Sydney 2000 Award unions and SOCOG agreed on the number and use of volunteer staff for deployment at both permanent and temporary venues.

Labor Council secretary Michael Costa says it's essential that the award agreement is honoured - regardless of outside events. The AWU has asked Labor Council to organise a meeting between unions and SOCOG to clarify the issue.

Unions 2000 Update

Meanwhile, Paul Howes reports: If you were to visit the Unions NSW Organising Centre in recent week you would be forgiven for thinking you have walked into a branch of SOCOG.

The Unions 2000 project is now in full swing over 1500 calls have been received by the centre on the 1300 number and over 550 applications have been received.

Most notably coming from Wollongong where Labor Council's Olympic Guru Chris Chrisodoulou has been whipping up massive public support for the project.

Unions 2000 staff are confident that the target of 5000 applications will be easily meet with an average of 40 forms being received daily. A lot of applicants have been referred to the service by Centrelink staff and even some Centrelink staff have been applying themselves!

The positions available are mainly in catering, cleaning and hospitality but some applicants have been inquiring into the possibility of Michael Knight's position being available, the Unions 2000 staff replied that the were unaware of that position being available but it wouldn't hurt to apply.

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Issue 41 contents

Interview: A Bob Each Way
ALP tactician Bob McMullan is responsible for charting Labor industry policy into the next millennium. He tells us where he�s heading.

Unions: Organiser of the Year
Just ten days to go before entries close for our $2000 air ticket. Here�s another nomination.

History: Labour Daze
A report from the 6th National Biennial Conference of the Australian Society For The Study Of Labour and Community.

Politics: Tomorrow�s Questions
While the turn of the century sees Sydney play host to the Olympic games, the International Youth Parliament 2000 will bring world focus to contemporary issues facing young people.

Health: Red Ribbons
December 1, World AIDS Day has a special place in the history of the AIDS pandemic.

International: Organised Chaos
Persistent rumours are floating around Jakarta that the former boss of the official pro-Soeharto Indonesian trade union movement is about to be charged with corruption.

Economics: Seattle Numbers Grow for WTO Protest
News of the agreement to smooth China�s entry to the World Trade Organisation has created its own "China Syndrome" for organisers of the Seattle WTO event.

Satire: Too Many Media Players!
The Productivity Commission has issued a report calling for the abolition of existing cross-media ownership laws.

Review: Leviathan
John Birmingham has lifted the lid on Sydney�s shady past - and found trade unions to be at the centre of the sordid tales.

Deface a Face: Reith Loses His Shine
With his Second Wave looking more like a splash in the bath-tub, Workplace Relations Minister Peter Reith still reigns as the union movement�s favourite bogeyman.

» Labor Hire Faces Deregulation

» Democrats Poised to Say No

» Olympic Job Cut Fears

» Inspectors to Act on Ships of Shame

» Grave Concerns About Body Bags

» Former Trades Hall Boss Into Teachers Fray

» Tools for Timor Plea

» Rio Tinto Sacks 84 for Christmas Eve

» Hotel Workers in Unprecedented Action

» Tug Action Hits Sydney Harbour

» Free National Parks Access as Bans Kick In

» Parkers Issue Ticket To Loitering Government

» Stop Forced Repatriation of Burmese Migrant Workers

» Will the Real Casual Workers Please Stand Up?

» STOP PRESS: Labor Wins NZ Election