
Issue No 43		24 February 2000

News

Office Email Access for All

The NSW Law Reform Commission has been urged to provide all workers with the right to receive union information by office email.

The NSW Labor Council has made the plea in its submission to the Commission's long-running inquiry into surveillance.

The Council says that provisions in a ground-breaking public sector agreement struck last year should become standard for all employees.

"Reasonable personal use of the Internet and E-mail should be consistent with such use of the

telephone. It can include two way communication on trade union matters," the document states.

Accredited trade union delegates should be provided with reasonable access for authorised union activities."

The provisions are contained in the NSW Premiers Department "Policy and Guidelines for the Use by Staff of Employer Communication Devices".

NSW Labor Council secretary Michael Costa says a union's right to access an office email system is akin to its right to use the staff noticeboard to disseminate information to members.

"As we move towards the electronic office, online rights are becoming an important part of trade union infrastructure," Costa says.

The push for Online Rights is part of a growing international campaign to secure online rights, amidst increasing evidence of heavy-handed employer tactics, culminating in one US firm gaining a court order to inspect the home computers of employees.

   Check out the international campaign:

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  Issue 43 contents

Interview: Parting Gestures
Outgoing ACTU president Jennie George looks back on her time at the helm and charts some challenges for young women in the union movement.

Unions: While We Were Sleeping
It�s been a long hot summer for Australian workers - from the showdown in the Pilbara to the victorious National Textile workers. We look at the stories Workers Online missed while we were in the banana chair.

Media: Freudian Slips
The coverage of Jennie George�s final days as ACTU President were a case study in the art of psycho-tabloid.

Legal: Cookies� Fortune
The breakaway union led by a man personally backed by the Prime Minister has been refused registration in a ruling that raises questions over the whole enterprise.

Politics: True Deceivers
In his controversial new book, Andrew Scott argues that Labor's rhetoric has outstripped its achievements.

Review: Rebel With a Cause
A new Michael Moore has emerged at the frontline of subversive television. His technique? Combining organising with silly suits.

Satire: Victorian ALP shock: "Apparently We're in Power!"
A recent survey conducted by the Victorian State ALP has revealed that the party is in government.

International: Right Hand Drive
The rise of the extreme Right in Austria carries some important lessons for our own society.

» Did Taxpayers Fund PM�s Rogue Union?

» Woodlawn: Two Years Is Long Enough

» Bus Drivers Strike Olympic Bonus

» Office Email Access for All

» Test Case for Bank After Hold-Up

» Mad Monk Misses the Mark

» Crosby to Unions: Don't Lose Your Nerve

» The Bald Truth - Unions Hit the Campuses

» Moait Takes Reins as President

» Mardi Gras to Pay Tribute to Jennie

» Pay Equity Cyber Picket on Premier

» Log-In Every Day on LaborNet!

» The Soapbox

» The Locker Room

» Trades Hall

» Tool Shed

» Desperately Seeking Lithgow Ladies

» Just a Suggestion!

» Where is the Nexus?

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