Issue No 60 | 30 June 2000 | |
Letters to the EditorThe Burke and Wills Syndrome
The Labor Party must distance itself from the misuse of overwhelming power, by these excessively domineering Unions. The latest being the National Secretary of the, AMWU , at the 3 day A.C.T.U.Union conference in Wollongong . Where he erroneously claimed that free trade will cost thousands of jobs. It is not free trade that will/is costing Australian jobs, it is our inability to adapt to the environment in which we live, and unfortunately for all economic dinosaurs - this means eventual extinction. It is perhaps our National Ethos of "Laziness" or as some apologists would phrase it "She'll be right Mate!" that has caused our ultimate disintegration. Or it may have been a Burke and Wills conversation at Coopers Creek or in Union Head Office? , "What's a couple of miles between friends, it's a big country" We are a trading nation, and trade depends entirely on the provision of goods or services at a price that the customer is prepared to pay, not a price artificially set to protect some Union Bosses' cushy little number. We are a numerically small nation and are in desperate need of trading/economic alliances, and what better alliances that our close neighbours. But of course we are too busy playing mother, and chastising them over their domestic issues, to be bothered with things like trade and the economic well-being of our own populace. What self-righteous Bastards we are? We condemn our own indigenous peoples to beggary, and then pontificate on Fiji and East Timor! One must reluctantly congratulate Labor Council Secretary, Mr. Costa, on his foresight, of International Labor rights being an integral component in the achievement this illusory level playing field. Unfortunately this is well into the future, and is for now , in Gods' hands , and we must address the here and now. This will be easier to achieve without the invariants of Mr. Doug Cameron, National Secretary of the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union, scare mongering not only among Union Members, but also potential Labor Voters. Tom Collins
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Interview: Turning Tides ACTU President Sharan Burrow reflects on the disappearance of the middle class and what the union movement can do about it Unions: Fear and Loathing in Wollongong For four days this week, too much unionism was barely enough. We bring you the highs and lows from behind the scenes and inside the bars of this week�s ACTU Congress. Politics: The Group Hug Opposition leader Kim Beazley came, saw and conga-ed. Here's what he said to the ACTU Congress. History: Unions and Family Trees Trade union records may not be the first port of call for a beginning family historian, but down the track a little, these records could bring to life an ancestor who previously was just a name printed on the page. International: Fiji Bans Lifted Fiji employers are expected to start reinstating all their workers over the next week, now that Australian union bans have been lifted at the request of the local union leadership. Review: Room to Manoeuvre Full employment with a highly skilled well-paid workforce is a realistic goal for Australia, despite the supposed constraints of globalisation. Satire: Satan Subpoenaed To Cricket Inquiry The King Commission of Inquiry into cricket match-fixing yesterday heard evidence from Satan that he never influenced Hansie Cronje to accept bribes.
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