Issue No 79 | 24 November 2000 | |
NewsKorean Unions Lift The Roof
Korean workers broke out in song after scoring a win over insurance giant GIO on behalf of one of their colleagues.
The workers pressured the insurer to agree to pay compensation to a worker who was almost killed and left permanently disabled after falling several meters while working on a construction job in Sydney. The worker who had about $20,000 worth of hospital bills was told by the employer he was not covered by compensation and he should leave the country immediately. Michael Costa Labor Council Secretary after organising a meeting with the GIO insurance company presented the Korean worker with a cheque for his full compensation entitlements. The Koreans were so overwhelmed by their victory that they performed a traditional union song and Labor Council delegates jumped to their feet to join there union colleagues celebrate According to one delegate it was a very stirring moment and it was like a scene from Les Miserables where the students rise again. Incu Kang a representative from a visiting Korean trade union delegation said " we are very impressed with the outcome of this and the respect and influence the unions have in Australia " Incu went on to say we very grateful to the Labor Council for their assistance and when I address the Korean community later I will tell them about this experience and the importance of being in a union. Article By Super Slueth Work Experience Student John Anderson
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Interview: Back on Track After blowing the whistle on rail privatization, NSW Transport Minister Carl Scully is rebuilding bridges with the trade union movement. Unions: The Problem with Organising It may be the new mantra, but Brisbane Institute director Peter Botsman argues that organising may be the wrong to go for a movement attempting to attract a new breed of workers. International: Burma: Workers Act on ILO Ruling Energy workers' trade unions across the Asia-Pacific have urged Western oil and gas companies to "cease investment in Burma while the use of forced labour continues". Economics: Rethinking Incomes Policy While many have thrown incomes policy out with the Acoord bathwater, Graham White argues it still has a role to play. History: What Goes Around Comes Around Labor Council's Mark Lennon argues that while trade unions - and labour history - might be unfashionable, there's life left in both of them. Education: Peas in a Pod Both sides of politics must take blame for funding levels in our public schools, argues NSW Teachers Federation president Sue Simpson. Satire: Hurley Rebukes Actors' Guild: I'm No Actor! Liz Hurley has responded angrily to claims by actors that she crossed a picket line by filming an Estee Lauder ad. Review: It's Only a Job In a stunning new book, author Phil Thornton and photographer Paul Jones have combined to portray working life in all its diversity through the eyes of ordinary people like process worker Sharonak Shannon
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