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June 2003 | |
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History: Nest of Traitors Interview: A Nation of Hope Unions: National Focus Safety: The Shocking Truth Tribute: A Comrade Departed History: Working Bees Education: The Big Picture International: Static Labour Economics: Budget And Fudge It Technology: Google and Campaigning Review: Secretary With A Difference Poetry: The Minimale Satire: Howard Calls for Senate to be Replaced by Clap-O-Meter
Politics The Soapbox Media The Locker Room
To the Victors The Spoils
 In Defence of CubaThe Story in GeneralThinking of America
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Unions National Focus
**************** Soap Star Rebellion The MEAA has a good tip for swelling your numbers at a union rally - have Jason Donovan and other soapie stars stomp up to add a bit of glam. Soaps might have a reputation for being shallow and trivial but you can't say that about the actors from these shows. They are fronting an absolutely brilliant and important campaign to ensure there are cultural exemptions in free trade agreements. Campaign coordinator Suzanne Culph from the Alliance says over 400 turned up at the launch of the campaign last Sunday in Melbourne's Federation Square. The cast of Hair voted to turn up at the rally unified as one (man, they're really taking that age of aquarius stuff seriously), the Secret Life of Us mob were there, and Neighbours was represented. The campaign - dubbed 'Free To Be An Australian' - highlights the impact of international free trade agreements on Australia's media industries. There are echoes of the outrageous MAI here with important decisions being negotiated by the Howard Government with zero public scrutiny. These agreements will affect the Australian content of TV and films and impact on the viability of local media industries. It will also affect journos with pressure to loosen the cross-media rules and the obvious consequences that will have on diversity of opinion. Suzanne Culph says the campaign is bringing members across the union together on the same issue. 'We're about to hold briefings across the country to get members up to speed. There will be a doorstop at senate hearings in Sydney in July. We will be giving out heaps of postcards at the Sydney and Melbourne film festivals. We want people to get involved and to send a message to the pollies: we want to see Aussie faces on Aussie screens and Aussie stories in Aussie newspapers,' she says. Check out the campaign's excellent website at http://www.free2baustralian.org.au/ Nuking The Redbacks Ahhhhhh, John Howard's halcyon days of the 1950s: - slip, slop, slap a bit of whitewash on the old picket fence, the gentle thwack of leather on willow and oh yeah, a nuclearised South Australia! Unions and environmental groups - and just about everybody else in South Australia- are outraged over Federal Government plans to build a nuclear dump at Arcoona Station to replace the storage facility at Lucas Heights in NSW. In keeping with the Howard zeitgeist the dump is planned for an area of significance for local aboriginal people. There's no agreement with the locals. The state government is totally opposed. And to prove their form is as consistent as ever the Libs are threatening science funding for South Australia if the locals don't lie back and cop it. South Australian unions are looking at a ban on building and maintaining the dump: CFMEU, AWU and AMWU plus the emergency services unions are leading the charge. Transport unions are also weighing up their options. It is believed there will be 170 truck and trailers full of nuclear nastiness to be moved south of the border from Lucas Heights. South Australian Labor Council Secretary Janet Giles says nobody in the state wants the dump. 'We had Maralinga, we don't want this as well,' she says. SA unions have also just sponsored another successful Anna Stewart project with 22 women from 16 different unions, blue and white collar, swapping unions for two weeks. The feedback is that it is a wonderful experience for women delos, going out to new worksites, and participating in another union's life. Another Historical Atrocity Here's another piece of unsavoury history the conservative whitewashers would prefer was kept in the vaults: from 1897 to until the early 1970s employment, wages and savings of Aboriginal workers were controlled by successive Australian governments under compulsory labour contracts. In Queensland wages were held by the government 'in trust'. These workers have since made a claim for their wages but they have only been offered a fraction of what they are really owed. In 2002 the Queensland Government announced a 'take it or leave it' deal to pay a small percentage of the missing, unpaid and underpaid wages to the remaining living workers (not for the families of those who died before May last year) to settle their claim. Queensland unions are saying: 'don't think so Peter!' and linking up with local indigenous groups to push for a better deal. To find out more go to the Queensland Council of Unions website at http://www.qcu.asn.au/. In other Queensland news: unlike NSW there is no automatic flow on of the minimum wages case in Queensland. Employers are fighting a rearguard action which now sees all parties in the commission on June 16. The QCU has just opened an office in Bundaberg as part of a commitment and push into regional areas. The office was opened by Jim Emery a 72 year old stalward who has been keeping the flame of unionism burning brightly in the area for decades. There are 1800 nurses and 700 teachers alone in the area which justifies a presence and resources. The QCU is now looking at opening an office in Townsville next year. Victorian Unions Step Up Pressure There's plenty of industrial activity in Victoria at the moment. Electrical Trade Union (ETU) members at the Smorgon Laverton plant have been on the picket line for over three months now as they fight for the 36-hour week, in line with what other sparkies get in the contracting industry in Victoria. The AMWU has 10 pickets going on around Melbourne in their fight for a 36 hour week. Hundreds of workers from the textile, clothing and footwear industry marched on the Productivity Commission in Melbourne this week to protest against the threat of further tariff cuts in their industry. Workers and unions fear that the cuts will have a devastating effect on the TCF industry. Victoria accommodates 44 per cent of what remains of the industry, providing jobs for 34,000 workers and contributing almost $5 billion a year to the state's economy. For more Victorian union news check out the VTHC's newsy website: www.vthc.org.au Insult and Injury in Tassie Unions Tasmania report that the Tasmanian Government has announced a review of workers compensation - albeit limited and excluding any review of the current restricted access to common law. However, the review provides an opportunity for the union movement to argue for and secure beneficial change to the system. Secretary Lynne Fitzgerald 'adds insult to injury' campaign aims to understand the experiences of workers who suffer work related injury or illness and educate and inform union members, workers and the community generally about these workers' experiences. 'We have established a 1300 number (through the ACTU Call Centre - 1300 362 698) and are encouraging workers with a workers comp experience to call that number and provide details of their experience and to advise what involvement they want in the 'adds insult to injury' campaign. We have stickers, posters, union journal articles and information for organisers to take into workplaces,' she says. To date callers to the hotline have told of their anger because their injuries could have been prevented through proper OHS, their disappointment at the lack of support provided to them and their frustration at not being able to return to work. 'The information collected will inform our submission to the government's review.' The Blue Ribbon Dispute enters its eleventh week. As reported last month the workers at Blue Ribbon Products (a meat works in Launceston) were locked out when they refused to sign on with the labour hire company, Newemploy, as independent contractors and now face a further delay in the resolution of the dispute. The Tasmanian Industrial Commission granted an adjournment to Blue Ribbon Products till June 30. The AMIEU is arguing in the Industrial Commission that these workers have been unfairly and unlawfully dismissed. These workers were advised in late March that their employment would be terminated at the conclusion of their traineeships in early April and that if they wished to continue to work at the meatworks they would be required to become 'independent contractors'. Many of these workers have worked at the meatworks, with various employers, for up to 20 years. ********** And in news from the ACTU the Redundancy test case has begun in the Australian Industrial Relations Commission. The ACTU has presented its evidence in chief with an army of expert witnesses supporting a strong case for change. The case has been adjourned till July when employer groups will respond. A decision is expected later this year. The ACTU's Test Case would: � double severance entitlements from eight weeks pay to 16 weeks pay for workers made redundant after more than six years of service; � increase severance pay for workers with between two and five years service in line with the current New South Wales standard; and � provide up to four weeks extra severance pay for workers aged over 45, who on average face being unemployed for more than twice as long as younger workers. And a last reminder about the Future of Work conference to be held in Sydney next week. There are still places available for unions at $125 per head and can be booked through ACIRRT on (02) 9351 5626. Non-union conference delegates will be charged $695 to attend so it is important that unions let ACIRRT know who they are when booking.
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