
Issue No 43		24 February 2000

News

Test Case for Bank After Hold-Up

The Commonwealth Bank is facing an historic test case following an armed hold-up in one of its country branches last year.

The Finance Sector Union has launched a prosecution under the Occupational Health and Safety Act, after four people held-up the Wellington branch of the Commonwealth shortly after it opened on August 24.

The union is arguing the bank breached its legal duty of care towards its employees and the general public by not having adequate security facilities.

Staff were terrorised when robbers wielded knives and scissors in the hold-up, with one member forced to take stress leave suffering severe trauma.

Legal sources told Workers Online it was the first prosecution of its kind in NSW where a bank has been held to account for its security problems.

The fact that the FSU warned the bank of a security problem before the hold-up four months before the hold-up adds weight to the case.

The case could also have repercussions for other workplaces where money is handled, particularly Post Offices and chemists which are taking over the role of banks in country centres.

Maximum fines under the Occupational Health and Safety Act are $550,000 for each breach by a corporation. The case is listed for mention before the Chief Industrial Magistrate on March 13.

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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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