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Interview: Life After Keating
Labor's foreign affairs spokesman Kevin Rudd looks at the world and wonders what might have been ...
Industrial: That Friday Feeling
Anthony Stavropoulos has been working six days a week for the last eight years and now he wants his weekends back. �Remember that Friday feeling?� he asks. �You just don�t get that anymore.�
Bad Boss: Begging to Work
They may put themselves about as the Saints of the Fourth Estate, but bosses at the Big Issue Magazine have been nominated by their own vendors for this month�s Tony award.
Organising: Project Pilbara
Sydney University�s Bradon Ellem reports on how unions are bouncing back in Rio territory
Unions: Off the Rails
The Federal Government is attempting to turn NSW Railways into a political football with a proposal that threatens the safety of freight and passenger trains in NSW and life in our rail Towns, writes Phil Doyle.
International: Brazil Turns Left
Union stalwarts throughout the American hemisphere are cheering the election of Lula � the peanut seller and shoeshine boy, turned union leader - who has been elected as the first working-class President of Brazil.
Environment: Brown Wash
Stuart Rosewarn argues the Johannesburg Sunmmit was a gripping showcase of Australia�s lack of a strategic vision.
History Special: Learning from the Past
Ray Markey looks at union membership growth in the 1880s & 1900s to argue that today�s unions must engage to grow.
Corporate: Will the Bullying Backfire?
Job insecurity, unemployment, a growing gap between rich and poor, massive global poverty and environmental danger are the big issues for the protests at the World Trade Organisation meeting in Sydney.
Technology: Danger Lurks For The Passive
If unions fail to exploit opportunities on the web to gain members, other organisations are likely to fill the void and provide services to workers on the internet.
History: In Labour�s Image
Neale Towart looks at a long-overdue initiative to around NSW through the eyes of the workers.
Politics: Without Power Or Glory
South Coast contributor Rowan Cahill gives his take on the Cunningham by-election result.
History Special: A 'Cosy Relationship'
Barbara Webster looks at Rockhampton between 1916 � 1957 to debunk the �dependence� theory of trade union growth.
Culture: Blood Stains the Wattle
Former Queensland Treasurer Keith De Lacey has turned up in print with a rollicking tale of life during the famous Mt Isa strike of the 60s.
Satire: Iraq Pre-empts Pre-emptive Strike
Saddam Hussein has launched a pre-emptive strike on the United States to prevent it from pre-emptively striking Iraq first.
Poetry: The Executive Pay Cut
Executives accepting pay freezes, or even pay cuts? This outrageous proposal has been put on the table by some capitalists themselves, and taken up by our bard.
Review: Time Out
When a family man invents a new life after losing his steady job, Tara de Boehmler watches his charade escalate until there is no turning back.
Month In Review
War and Pieces of Work
The Bali Tragedy dominated the news this month, leaving many questioning the motive and wondering if this is fallout from Australia�s unquestioning support of George Dubya�s �War On Terror�. The Soapbox
Beware of Greeks Bearing Historical Allusions
Roland Stephens argues that the current popular line that the USA is a modern day version of the Roman Empire is flawed. The Locker Room
Over The Fence Is Out
Phil Doyle warms up for another season of hard hitting and fast bowling in the park, making the rules up as he goes along. Indigenous
The Sea of Hands
Australians for Native Title and Reconciliation are five years old. Spokeswoman Dameeli Coates addressed labor Council to mark the event. Postcard
Tokyo Youth Call
Tokyo unions are relying on young organisers to infiltrate workplaces as part of a major organising campaign, which focuses on non-unionised companies, reports Mary Yaager. Bosswatch
Still Crazy After All These Years
With new research suggests CEO carry similar personality traits to psycho-paths, the AGM season is proving that there�s little room for logic in our nation�s board rooms.
Why The User Should Pay
Unions have often been the victims of the user-pays ethos � the pointy end of the assault on the State by the Top End of Town that has left our public sector looking like the poor relation to the corporates.
 Bargaining Fees In the Dock
Deadly �Slave Labour� Racket Exposed
Zoo Workers Buck Indecent Proposal
Cabinet Takes Stick To Abbott's Carrot
Cyber Action Behind Hilton Win
Aussies Back On Board
City Workers To Help Country Cousins
Sour Taste for Wine Workers
Government Grounds Ansett Levy
TAB Workers Winners as Cup Strike Averted
Aussie Post Gets Mail On Sick Leave
Council Backs Community Radio Venture
First Steps to Compo Clean-Up
Workers Out! Conference Opens In Sydney
Aussie Union Rep Power, Yes Please: TUC
New Burma Shame File
Activists Notebook
Trashing the Siren Theory
More Bali Feed Back
Clean Election Laws Now!
And Now, Some Fan Mail!
Policy Vacuum
Tom's Postscript
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Postcard
Tokyo Youth Call
Tokyo unions are relying on young organisers to infiltrate workplaces as part of a major organising campaign, which focuses on non-unionised companies, reports Mary Yaager.
Rengo Tokyo, who are the equivalent of the Labor Council of NSW, are conducting a campaign where young organisers are going in to workplaces and distributing material featuring a union hotline number. The hotline goes through to a call centre in the union head office of Rengo Tokyo, which is staffed by experienced union officials.
The hotline has received an overwhelming amount of calls from people who are not in the union and have major workplace issues. The union assists these individuals and in return they organise their workplace.
While the campaign is still in its early days, it is already shaping up to be a roaring success. It is enabling numerous unions to organise workplaces where they previously had no coverage.
A Labor Council Delegation comprising of Mary Yaager, OHS & Workers Compensation Coordinator for Labor Council, Maurie O'Sullivan, Secretary of PSA, Barry Johnson, Secretary of Teachers Federation, and Robert Hayden, Assistant Secretary of RTBU, recently went to Japan. The delegation was surprised to find Japan is experiencing similar union density and workplace issues as other industrialised nations.
The union density in Japan is around 20 percent and therefore only 12 million out of 60 million workers are members of a union. Japan's other issues include balancing work and family, massive increases in part timework, the collapse of major corporations and massive retrenchments as a result.
The unions were also concerned about the deregulation of banks, which was a major issue during our visit. The Japanese government was about to announce major reforms in this sector, which are hoped to address the unions concerns.
One of the major problems facing young workers is the aging population. It is estimated that by the year 2025 the average worker will have to pay 40% of their wages for health and aged care alone.
The Japanese unions were very impressed with the approach of the NSW unions in their organising and campaign approach. The Rengo Tokyo Women's Committee were encouraged by the fact that we had so many women leaders, not only in the union movement but also in parliament. They were also very impressed that the Labor Council has a female President, Sam Moait.
The Secretary of Rengo Tokyo has recently appointed a woman as Vice President (this is a first) and is hopeful they can increase the number of women in influential union positions and also in parliament.
On a lighter note the delegation, being good trade unionists, purchased Japanese headbands with the slogan "Fight to Win". And later, while the four of us were having our photographs taken, our interpreter advised Maurie O'Sullivan that his headband featured a different headband which read "Kami Kazi" (the suicide slogan).
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