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  Issue No 83 Official Organ of LaborNet 09 February 2001  

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News

Korean Worker Bashed for Questioning Wages

By Amanda Tatersall

Police are investigating allegations that a Korean national was bashed by his employer after questioning the wages he was being paid.

CFMEU construction division secretary Andrew Ferguson says the assault, which occurred in Sydney this week, shows Triad-related violence in the building industry has reached disturbing levels.

The victim of the assault was one of four Korean tilers, unfairly dismissed by their sub-contractor who came to the CFMEU for help and support.

The next day, the CFMEU called a stop work meeting at their job to investigate the conditions and wages of all the workers, at the same time facilitating negotiations with the contractors regarding their sacking.

At 10pm that night the workers were confronted at their home by their employer who threatened to have their visa's revoked, to take their lives if they ever contacted the CFMEU again. He then struck one of the worker's on the head with a stone, an attack that resulted in the worker being taken to hospital.

In representations made by the police to the union and the workers the next day, it was uncovered that their violent subcontractor was a known thug - previously involved in underworld activity.

Ferguson says the incident is a reminder of the world of exploitation that exists without the protection offered by both unions and the law.

"For migrant workers, and especially those who either are on a temporary visas or have no visa, their experience of Australia is often a mixture of oppression and abuse," he says.

"What is clear is that these workers need the protection and representation that is only possible through unions."

He says the union movement needs to develop links with migrant communities, such as the CFMEU's link with the Korean community to ensure that this form of exploitation can be stamped out.


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In this issue
Features
*  Interview: Dispatch from Davos
ACTU President Shahran Burrow reports back on the trade union movement�s presence at last week�s meeting of the heavyweights of global capital.
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*  Unions: After the Gold Rush
Recent mass sackings at high-profile e-businesses are beginning to expose the flimsiness of the �jobs for all� predictions made on behalf of the sector.
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*  Economics: The Other Davos
While the world�s business leaders met in Davos, a very different gathering was taking place in Porto Alegre, Brazil. Pat Ranald was there.
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*  Politics: While We Were Snoozing
As we lay in our banana chair through summer the political world kept turning with a new man in the White House. Here�s what we missed while we were off the air.
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*  History: Federation Day, 1901
One hundred years after Australia became a nation, Ralph Sawyer relives the original Federation Day through the eyes of Billy Hughes.
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*  International: Burma: The Struggle Continues
As the internatinal community moves to bring Burma to account, APHEDA - Union Aid Abroad is working on the ground.
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*  Review: Inside the Journopolis
In his new book, Rob Johnson brings the infamous Cash for Comment Affair to life.
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*  Satire: Families Demand Longer Work Hours
A new report confirms the long held suspicion that employees who reduce their workload to spend more time with their spouse and children just end up annoying their families even more.
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News
»  Union Busters Target Call Centres
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»  Workers Take Message to World Bank
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»  Korean Worker Bashed for Questioning Wages
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»  Steelworkers Draw The Line
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»  Sartor Thanks Workers for Games by Outsourcing Jobs
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»  Outworkers Still Waiting for Action of Sweatshops
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»  Workers Casualties in Wentworth Fire Sale
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»  Fantastic Win for Furniture Workers
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»  Billions Spent on Mine Takeovers
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»  No Guarantees on Orange Jobs
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»  M5 Project- Worker Pays the Price
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»  Forum: Organising Youth in a Hostile Workplace
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»  Western Sahara Marks 25 Years of Waiting
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»  Action as Australia Considers WTO Ties
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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
»  Cavalier Attitude to Cricketers
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»  Unions and the WEF: How should unions bridge the divide?
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»  Botsman's Ivory Tower
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»  Volunteering a Modest Proposal
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»  Well Done, Workers Online
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