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  Issue No 54 Official Organ of LaborNet 19 May 2000  

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News

Mines Out as Rio Tinto Torps Talks

By Paddy Gorman

Mineworkers at Rio Tinto's Mt Thorley and Howick mines in the Hunter Valley will commence industrial action against the company over its scuttling of negotiations on a new enterprise agreement and refusal to discuss looming retrenchments with the Union.

Around 330 Union mineworkers will walk off the job from this Sunday (21/5) with the Mount Thorley operation out for 7-days and Howick out for 5-days.

With Rio Tinto moving to merge Howick with Hunter Valley No. 1, management is using the threat of retrenchments to stand over the mineworkers there. This has led to enormous frustration throughout the Howick workforce and Rio Tinto's callous refusal to address the retrenchment issue in talks with the Union, has sparked next week's industrial action there.

At the same time, Rio Tinto has refused to continue enterprise bargaining negotiations at Mount Thorley.

The company continues its erosion of conditions at the mine with more contractors and staff being brought in to do work at the expense of the permanent mining workforce.

Both strikes are a declaration by the mineworkers to Rio Tinto that their patience is exhausted and the time has come to take a strong stand.

Meanwhile, Hundreds of mineworkers fighting unfair dismissals against Rio Tinto will be joined by protestors from NSW, Queensland and WA in a rally outside the company's Annual General Meeting to be held in Brisbane next Wednesday.


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*   Issue 54 contents

In this issue
Features
*  Interview: South of the Border
Victorian Trades Hall chief Leigh Hubbard on life under Bracks, militant unionism and why more people march in Melbourne.
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*  Politics: Jeff Shaw's Second Wave
The full text of the NSW Industrial Relations Minister's speech to Labor Council announcing the Carr Government's IR reform agenda.
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*  Unions: Reith's Laws: Just Say NO
The ACTU has called on Labor and the Democrats to reject Workplace Relations Minister Peter Reith's anti-industry bargaining Workplace Relations 2000 Bill out right.
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*  History: A Breed Of Their Own
Labour historian Greg Patmore explains what makes his fraternity tick - and why they're still going strong and making history.
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*  International: Sony's Asian Showdown
The Japanese electronic giant Sony is threatening to shutdown production facilities in Indonesia - where a prolonged strike has cost it US$200milliom - and move to next door Malaysia where electronic workers are banned from forming a union.
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*  Human Rights: Good Guys, Bad Guys
Everywhere we look -in our newspapers, on the television, in reports by business leaders, academics and politicians - advocacy of human rights seems to be on a collision course with governmental and business interests.
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*  Review: New Workers, New Challenges
A new wave of thought is arguing that working life is changing - but this doesn't necessarily deal unions out the action.
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*  Satire: Rain Man Withdraws Endorsement of Qantas
After the third major safety incident in the space of a year, Qantas has lost the confidence of the most famous public supporter of its once unblemished safety record, the autistic star of Rain Man, Raymond.
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News
»  Carr Moves on Casuals
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»  Democrats Wavering on Reith Bill
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»  Exit Visas for Child Care Workers
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»  GST Pay Claims to Target Allowances
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»  Tide Turns On Competitive Tendering
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»  Joy Takes Message To The World
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»  Mines Out as Rio Tinto Torps Talks
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»  Political Economy for Activists, 2000
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»  Unions March for Reconciliation
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»  STOP PRESS: AK-47s used in coup against union-aligned Fiji Labour Government
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Columns
»  The Soapbox
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»  Sport
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»  Trades Hall
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»  Tool Shed
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Letters to the editor
»  Our Teachers' Coverage
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»  Practical Reconcilliation
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»  WorkCover Blues
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»  Loose Links??
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