
Issue No 60		30 June 2000

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Free Trade: Debate We Have to Have

ACTU President Sharan Burrow says the union movement has positioned itself at the center of the global trade debate through it's Congress resolution.

Burrow told Workers Online that the trade debate had been "terrific" and the resolution to push for core labour standards to be incorporated in WTO negotiations was vital/

"We deal every day now in Australia with the negative impact of deregulation and privatization in our own country," Burrow says.

"The challenge for us now is how you deal with that, on a global stage, when international trade, international investment, and now international management and provision of services, is up for grabs."

She says that by monitoring the debate on social tariffs - the key area of debate - the ACTU would ensure it played a leading role in this debate.

ACTU Backs User Pays for Non-Members

Meanwhile, the ACTU has endorsed a policy which could see non-union members charged a service fee when trade unions negotiate a pay rise on their behalf.

The policy was endorsed during debate on the industrial legislation policy at the ACTU Congress in Wollongong.

ACTU secretary Greg Combet says the issue of user pays needs to be considered by individual unions. He says the issue can be taken up separately by unions in enterprise agreements or could be developed into a broader legislative proposition.

Attempts by the NSW union movement to enshrine the notion of service fees has so far failed to gain the endorsement of the Carr Government.

The industrial debate also reaffirmed commitment to wiping out individual contracts and stated that non-union agreements should not be allowed to be used as a deunionisation tactic.

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Issue 60 contents

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 weekï¿½s 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.

» Delegate Rights Up in 48 Hours

» Email Express to Orange Rally

» Nose Stud Leads to Sacking

» Shaw Walks, Costa Considers Future

» Reith's Waterfront Ghost Returns

» Free Trade: Debate We Have to Have

» Superannuation to Hit 15 Per Cent

» ATSIC Chief Calls for Workplace Quotas

» Those Bastards in There

» Strike Marks Resurgence In Community Sector Activism

» Casino Olympic Pay Deal

» NSW School Staff Ban GST Work

» Workers Online Wins ACTU Media Award

» Update: Computer War Hots Up

» STOP PRESS: Pay Equity Decision Handed Down