
Issue No 53		12 May 2000

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News

Conference Call: Support the NSW Way

Firms pursuing policies at odds with the values behind the NSW industrial relations laws should not receive financial support from the Carr Government, unions will argue at the ALP State Conference next month.

The general resolution, being prepared by unions from both factions, would prevent government assistance to firms that impose non-union individual contracts on their workers.

Currently firms operating in NSW but covered by federal awards can use Australian Workplace Agreements, even though they are against the objects of NSW Industrial Relations Act.

The resolution has been framed following revelations that the Department of State and Regional Development had provided funds to Telstra-offshoot Stellar to set up a call center in Wollongong. Stellar requires staff to operate on AWAs as a mechanism for reducing labour costs and undercutting competitors who employ workers through collective agreements.

NSW Labor Council secretary Michael Costa says the Stellar saga has shone the spotlight on the broader issue of government support. "Why should a Labor Government give its financial support to companies that are undermining Labor values?" Costa says.

"We are all for new development that delivers jobs, but we also need to ask about the type of jobs created. Budget call centers targeting depressed areas with AWAs is not our idea of development."

The draft resolution calls on: "The Carr Labor Government, when considering the provision of funding to take into account not just the potential employment opportunities that might arise with the location or relocation of a business but also the employment practices and industrial relations policies of the business operator.

"Governments place numerous obligations on recipients of Government funds. One key obligation placed on any business receiving funding from the NSW Labor Government should be a requirement to apply industrial relations and employment practices consistent with the Government's philosophies and approach."

That approach is defined in objects of the NSW Industrial Relations Act and includes the following: - "to encourage participation in industrial relations by representative bodies of employers and employees ..."

A meeting of affiliated union leaders has also agreed to move resolutions on competitive tendering, security of employee entitlements, workers compensation and the ongoing saga of industrial relations reform.

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Issue 53 contents

Interview: The Fruitful Shaw
After ten years in Parliament, NSW Industrial Relations Minister Jeff Shaw looks at some mountains still to be climbed.

Politics: Budget in Reply
Opposition Leader Kim Beazley replies to the Federal budget and paints Labor's alternative vision for the future.

Economics: Petition to Move a Mountain
A child born in Zambia or Tanzania or Bolivia owes more to international creditors than she or he will ever earn in a lifetime.

International: Solidarity in a Cold Climate
After an overnight bargaining marathon, Norway's unions have secured most of their main demands and have now ended their nationwide strike.

Health: Workers Health Centre Comes of Age
In 2001, the Workers Health Centre will celebrate its 25th anniversary, making it the longest running independent trade union based health and safety service in the country.

History: A Tribute to the Fallen
A Canadian tractor operator is seeking help to produce a book on monuments to people killed in the workplace.

Satire: Ralph Web Ring Busted
Following the dismissal of 27 Telstra employees last week for downloading hardcore pornography on their work computers, Ralph magazine sacked five employees yesterday for downloading positive images of women.

Review: Waterfront - Through the Reporters' Eyes
Fairfax journalists Helen Trinca and Anne Davies have skillfully transformed the waterfront war into the sort of thriller that any self-respecting Hollywood mogul would reject for being too wild to be true.

» Costello Backs National GST Pay Claim

» Conference Call: Support the NSW Way

» Games Rail Service in Limbo

» Shaw Moves on Email Protection

» Salami Reform: Reith Chops Up the Nasties

» Advocate in Trouble Over Rural Sackings

» Unionists take to Streets for May Day 2000

» Shareholders Rattle Rinto Tinto Cage

» Joy Dispute Widens With Midnight Run

» Employers Fail to Defy History

» Indonesian Labor Educator Reports to Local Unions

» Big Drum-Up This Wednesday