
Issue No 44		03 March 2000

News

Jennie To Sign Off Online

Outgoing ACTU President Jennie George will spend her final hours in the job looking to the future, taking part in an online chat with casual women workers.

Workers are invited to spend their lunch hour chatting with George between 1pm and 2pm on Wednesday, March 8 - international Women's Day.

George says she came up with the online chat idea as a parting gesture to emphasise the importance of unions coming to terms with new ways of organising new types of workers.

In an interview with Workers Online last week, George nominated the issue of casual workers, particularly women, as a key priority for the unions.

"Young people are coming into the workforce as casuals and our structures don't adequately appreciate or deal with that," George said. "I would estimate that 40 per cent of workers at the moment are what you call precariously employed.

"They don't fit readily into the models of yesteryear, and I think the challenge will be for the union movement to allow people with different ideas to have their place in the decisions for the future."

George says she's keen to find out what casual workers think of their working lives, as well as being on hand to offer some advice on how to get organised. The event will also give supporters a chance to personally say farewell to a woman who transformed the union movement.

The chat will be the official christening of LaborNet's new Virtual Trades Hall auditorium, which will regularly host live chats with high profile union figures.

   Click here to go to the VTH Auditorium

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  Issue 44 contents

Interview: The Big Fella
Opposition Leader Kim Beazley speaks about Labor�s evolving relationship with the trade union movement in the post-Accord era.

Unions: An Interactive Resource
The priority for unions in the 21st century is organising and growth. Greg Combet�s unions @work report identified the direction unions should be moving.

Media: Public Hearings
As the big media players look increasingly tarnished, the broadcasting minnows like FBi are seeking their share of the airwaves.

History: Labour History Under Siege
In good labour tradition, the history section of Workers Online begins the year with a call to arms.

Olympics: Games Greed Boosts Homeless Numbers
'Homeless in Sydney' is shaping up to be the theme of the Olympics with many property owners evicting tenants and pushing up rents.

Women: No Time To Be Casual
International Women�s Day is a day to take action. As a shop steward or union delegate why not use IWD as an opportunity to encourage the women in your workplace to join the union?

International: Serbian And Kosovo Unions Meet
The Italian metalworkers has hosted meetings on how to build a different future for the workers in the Balkans.

Labour Review: What's New
Read the latest issue of Labour Review our resource for students, activists and officials.

Review: Rock and a Hard Place
A hippie festival? Alternative? No way...the music festival know as the Big Day Out (BDO) is fast becoming a mainstream youth cultural event, a snapshot of the broader society that unions are struggling to engage.

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» LaborNet A Step Forward in Democracy

» From the Lorry to the Creche, We're Watching

» Penal Provisions Against Teachers Condemned

» Auditor General Moves on TAFE

» Yahoo! Under Fire for Union Censorship

» Unrest Bubbles Over Coke Sackings

» Jennie To Sign Off Online

» Basic Goods Sought for East Timorese

» Western Sydney Added to Campus Tour

» Pay Equity Update

» STOP PRESS: Mac Attack Tuesday