Blue Mountains Union News

UK: Employment Tribunal supports conspiracy

2012-01-27T10:06:00.002+11:00

23 January 2012

A construction worker who lost a case against a major firm that admitted blacklisting him for union activities and raising health and safety concerns may go to the European Court of Human Rights, arguing that UK law does not sufficiently protect agency workers.

Sitting on 20 January, the Central London Employment Tribunal ruled against Dave Smith, 46, who had worked in the past through an employment agency for respondents in the hearing, Carillion (JM) Ltd and Schal International Ltd (a wholly-owned subsidiary of Carillion). Despite the fact that the companies agreed, before the hearing, a joint statement of facts withSmith, in which they stated that they had blacklisted him, the Tribunal found that because Smith was not a direct employee of the companies, he could not win the case.

The extent of blacklisting of workers in the construction industry by some of its major players came to light in early 2009, following a raid by the Information Commissioner’s Office on a West Midlands-based firm called The Consulting Association. The firm charged construction employers to subscribe to its database containing the personal details of ‘’troublesome” workers.

Speaking after the decision outside the court, Dave Smith said: “The blacklisting conspiracy is a deliberate breach of human rights by big business. Human rights are supposed to apply to everyone but Carillion and their subsidiaries have got away with systematic abuse of power simply because I was an agency worker. If the British justice system does not protect workers’ rights then we will be taking our case to Strasbourg.”

VIC: Schweppes lockout

2012-01-27T09:38:00.000+11:00

Australia Day - Workers picket to maintain rights and conditions

Schweppes workers locked out for six weeks without pay over a roster dispute are being sent letters offering them a $5000 bonus to cross the picket line.

The offer is being made to the first 10 workers who sign up as the company attempts to divide workers to end the dispute at its Tullamarine plant.

Others who sign will get a bonus of $1000.

Struggling workers - facing mortgage payments, the Christmas credit card hangover and bills pouring in - said it was tempting, but they would not be able to face workmates if they took the money.

"You're between a rock and a hard place," one worker said.

"You've got to go back to work with these people, they're your mates, but it doesn't stop the bills coming in. I have a mortgage to pay."

People on the picket line, who have been locked out since December 15, said yesterday they would not take the company's offer.

"Everyone is enjoying a holiday for Australia Day because of what people like us did in the past," one worker said.

"Schweppes has launched a vicious attack on the eight-hour day, as well as trying to rob workers of their weekends — something that is sacred to all Australians as that hard-earned time to spend with friends and families," says Ben Redford, Assistant Victorian Secretary of United Voice, the Beverages Union.

"But when workers fought for their rights, Schweppes simply locked them out. These bullying tactics are the height of bastardry, but Schweppes’s workers are standing strong and are determined to keep fighting now matter how long it takes," Redford says.

"To make matters worse, Schweppes’s decided to lock out its workers at Christmas time. It could not have chosen a crueller time to launch an attack like this on the very people who work so hard to contribute to the company’s booming bottom line." he adds.

Aboriginal Embassy 40 years

2012-01-26T12:00:00.000+11:00

This week marks the 40th anniversary of the Aboriginal Tent Embassy, one of the most significant and sustaining political protests in the history of Australia.

1972

A series of events on the lawns of the Old Parliament House in Canberra will pay tribute to the Aboriginal rights agenda that acted as a rallying call for communities throughout the 60s, 70s and 80s.

The commemoration and celebration will highlight current debates around sovereignty and self-determination, but will also act as a showcase for political performance.

The original tent embassy set up on the eve of Australia Day in 1972 was as much about theatre as it was about land rights.

Four activists from Sydney wanted to draw attention to injustices perpetrated against Indigenous Australians by not allowing Aboriginal title to land based on traditional association.

Michael Anderson, Billy Craigie, Bertie Williams and Tony Coorey travelled to Canberra from Sydney to campaign where the politicians lived and to hopefully get their photos taken holding political placards.

As they made their way from Redfern one of the four decided they were heading to the city of embassies so they would demonstrate how they were treated like foreigners in their own land by erecting an 'Aboriginal Embassy'.

The turning point came when they realised they were legally entitled to camp on Commonwealth land in front of the Parliament.

The police couldn't move them, so they settled in and put up more tents.

Veteran activist, the late Chicka Dixon recalled the Member for Canberra Kep Enderby identified the legal loophole:

"He said you found a gap in their law, they can't move ya unless they introduce legislation. So we put up eight tents then. I became the 'Minister for Defence' and we gave ourselves portfolios. We painted the gutter No Parking Aboriginal Staff Only and then we introduced the (Aboriginal) flag".

January 26 2012

ABCC pathetic wages boast

2012-01-26T10:28:00.001+11:00

Rights on Site 17 January 2012

CFMEU National Construction Assistant Secretary Frank O’Grady said today that the ABCC’s recent series of press releases boasting about the $297,000 it had recovered in unpaid wages and entitlements was a desperate attempt for the organisation to justify its existence and $135 million cost to taxpayers since its inception.

Mr O’Grady said CFMEU branches around the country had recovered almost $20 million in underpaid wages and entitlements for construction workers in 2011.

“The NSW branch was recently able to recover $800,000 of entitlements for 51 workers caught up in the collapse of the Cardinal Group of companies, just in time for Christmas. But we don’t put out a press release every time we help our members get what they’re legally owed, that’s just what unions do.

“The ABCC shouldn’t be boasting about this, they should be embarrassed it has taken them so long to start doing anything to secure workers’ rights and at how unsuccessful their efforts have been.

“The $297,000 recovered does not even cover the salary of ABCC head Leigh Johns.”

“The ABCC has consistently ignored the reality that sham contracting is a major issue facing the construction industry. A few token back payments for workers does not mean that it recognises the endemic nature of sham contracting in the construction industry.

“The CFMEU’s research has found that the illegal use of sham contracting is costing the Australian taxpayer over a billion dollars each year. There are thousands of workers in construction who are forced to sign on as sham contractors – missing out on superannuation and workers’ compensation coverage – just to get a job.”

Mr O’Grady said that it was time for the Government to act on its election commitment and scrap the ABCC.

“This anti-worker organisation and its coercive powers have no place in a free society. The legislation introduced to the Federal Parliament last year to scrap the ABCC needs to be voted on as soon as possible.”

Unions Poll well

2012-01-26T09:35:00.001+11:00

Gary Morgan of Morgan Poll says:

“Although Trade Union membership has declined significantly in Australia a clear majority of Australians (67% - up 5% since November 1974) believe on balance that Trade Unions have been good for Australia — including a majority of supporters of both major parties: 82% of ALP supporters and 56% of L-NP supporters.

“Despite this positive view of Trade Unions over the years, a very clear majority of Australians (87%) believe membership of Trade Unions should be voluntary (96% of L-NP supporters and 82% of ALP supporters) compared to only 9% that say compulsory (15% of ALP supporters and only 3% of L-NP supporters).

“However, the lack of support for compulsory unionism does not mean Australians reject the ‘right to strike’ — clear majorities of Australians support the right of Private Industry workers (83%), Public Utilities workers (76%) and Government workers (77%) to strike — this includes majorities of supporters of each major party. This is a big change from November 1974 when only 58% supported the right of Private Industry workers to strike and 48% supported the right of Public Utility workers and Government workers to strike.

“Another big change from the 1970s concerns the frequency of strikes - a majority of Australians believe there is ‘about the right number of strikes’ (57%, up 49%) while 32% (down 59%) say they 'occur too often’ and just 11% (up 10%) believe strikes should 'occur more often’. Here there is a clear ideological difference as 45% of L-NP supporters believe strikes 'occur too often’ compared to only 22% of ALP supporters and 14% of ALP supporters believe strikes should 'occur more often’ compared to only 5% of L-NP supporters.”

This special telephone Morgan Poll was conducted over the two nights last week of January 17/18, 2012, with an Australia-wide cross-section of 646 Australians aged 14+ including 540 electors.

Inquiry into Insecure Work

2012-01-26T09:18:00.001+11:00

24 January, 2012 | ACTU Media Release

More than 450 workers, unions, community and other representative groups have lodged a submission with the Independent Inquiry into Insecure Work in Australia.

ACTU President Ged Kearney said the overwhelming response to the inquiry, chaired by former Deputy Prime Minister Brian Howe, showed insecure jobs were clearly a major concern for Australian workers and their families.

The inquiry began taking submissions in November. They closed last Friday, after they were extended due to enormous public interest.

Ms Kearney said 412 workers had told of their individual experiences in insecure work through its website, and almost 60 organisations had also lodged submissions to the inquiry. More submissions will be received in coming days after further extensions were granted.

“The Howe Inquiry is one of the most important investigations into the changing nature of Australian work in recent times, with the use of casual, fixed or short-term contracts, and labour hire almost doubling in the last two decades to make up about 40% of the workforce now,” Ms Kearney said.

“The submissions will provide valuable evidence for the inquiry panel to consider the impact insecure work has on people’s ability to plan for their future, to make ends meet and to spend time with family and friends.

“The Howe Inquiry is investigating all of these issues and it is important that we hear from as many in the community affected by insecure work as possible.”

Mr Howe said the Inquiry panel was delighted with the number of submissions, which provided insights into the impact of insecure work on individuals and on families, as well as providing policy recommendations from unions, community organisations and other workplace representatives who deal directly with the consequences of insecure work.

“The submissions provide a depth of knowledge and understanding about this issue that has not been explored in Australia before, and we look forward to investigating the issue and exploring policy solutions through hearings around Australia that begin next month,” Mr Howe said.

Hearing dates in capital cities and regional centres will be announced shortly.

Ms Kearney said that many business and employer groups and other representatives have been vocal in their campaign to remove workers’ rights, yet when given the opportunity to provide evidence to support their claims, they were silent, choosing not to lodge a submission to the Howe Inquiry.

“Despite our open invitation to all sectors, business and employer groups were missing in action during the submissions process. These organisations can hardly complain about the Howe Inquiry when they chose not to have their voices heard,” she said.

Greece: Financial Vultures circling

2012-01-25T15:23:00.001+11:00

Costas Lapavitsas guardian.co.uk, Monday 23 January 2012

Negotiations to reduce Greek debt have been suspended after no agreement could be reached last week. At some point in the near future Greece seems certain to default on its obligations. But the drama surrounding the talks in Athens, Berlin and Paris shows that there will be nothing co-operative about Greek default. It is a ruthless contest dominated by the so-called troika: the European Union, the European Central Bank, and the International Monetary Fund.

At every turn the interests and rights of people across Europe have been disregarded. Negotiations have proceeded in secrecy. Greece, whose government is led by an unelected central banker, is represented by a team of politicians and technocrats who have performed lamentably during the crisis. They have hired bankers Lazard Freres and lawyers Cleary Gottlieb, renowned sovereign default specialists, although the benefits remain to be seen. Those who are owed money by Greece have been represented by the International Institute of Finance, a self-styled mouthpiece for bankers. Other lenders, including hedge funds, have no collective representative.

The troika has accepted that Greek debt must be reduced to sustainable levels; but it also wants the reduction to appear voluntary because, if the lenders were coerced, Greece would be declared in formal default, and banks and financial markets would be thrown into crisis. The troika would also like the reduction to be on terms that would allow immediate fresh loans to Greece – an urgent step if the country is not to stop repayments altogether – and wants Greek debt held by official bodies, including the ECB, to remain intact. Not surprisingly, the circle is proving hard to square.

The debt in question is €200bn. About half belongs to Greeks – banks, social security funds and others – who are first in line to bear the costs of reduction (the "haircut"). Less than a quarter belongs to international banks, and a good part of the rest to hedge funds.

The deal proposed by the troika is geared to the interests of lenders, particularly international banks. The face value of the debt would be reduced by 50%, and the remaining debt would be replaced by new long-term bonds bearing a low interest rate, perhaps less than 4%. The new bonds would be subject to British law, which favours lenders.

The losses for international banks would be modest. Even so, they are angling for a higher interest rate, although their bargaining power is weakened by reliance on the state for liquidity and capital. The real blow would fall on Greek banks, which would effectively go bankrupt. The Greek state is thus desperately seeking fresh loans to replenish its banks' capital. Much of the expected reduction of its debt would, therefore, be immediately voided. A cruel blow would also fall on Greek social security funds and small bondholders, with losses probably passing on to pensions and savings.

Meanwhile, hedge funds have been buying Greek debt at low prices in the hope of being paid at, or near, full value. Since Greece has to make debt repayments of almost €15bn in March, huge amounts of European taxpayers' money could potentially be transferred to these vulture funds. The speculators could possibly be coerced into the deal by applying Greek law, but if the reduction were not voluntary, there could be a chain reaction across financial markets.

The worst aspect of the deal is that it is unlikely to benefit Greece long term. The original plan was to bring debt down to 120% of GDP by 2020, but the "rescue" programmes of the past two years have forced the country into a real depression. The IMF now thinks that Greek debt will be on a much higher level by 2020 – clearly unsustainable. It is seeking deeper reductions, but the price would be even harsher cuts in wages, pensions, and public spending. The social repercussions on an already weakened country would be horrendous, quite apart from the political difficulties of introducing further severe austerity.

It is clear that Greece has little to expect from a debt-reduction process led by the troika. It should take charge of its own predicament, abandoning the charade of voluntary haircuts. For that, it needs to default in a sovereign and democratic way by immediately declaring a cessation of payments.

Stop Pokie Scam

2012-01-20T16:58:00.001+11:00

QLD: Police target fracking protesters

2012-01-20T08:22:00.003+11:00

Lock the Gate Alliance 19 Dec 2012

Members of the anti-Coal Seam Gas group Keep the Scenic Rim Scenic have been subjected to much more aggressive tactics from police at blockades this morning.

The blockade at Kerry continued into its eighth day this morning and protesters opened up a new front at an Arrow Energy drill site at Silverdale on the Cunningham Highway.

A local woman, Linda Weston was arrested at 9.30 this morning at the Silverdale site for refusing to obey a police direction. Nearly five hours later she is still in custody in the Ipswwich watchhouse and she has been charged under the controversial section 805 of the petroleum and Gas Act which carries a potential $50,000 fine.

President of the lock the Gate Alliance, Drew Hutton, who was at the Silverdale blockade, said this was a blatant attempt at intimidation by the Queensland Police and the Bligh government.

Ms Weston was standing on public land no more than 5 metres from the highway and offered no resistance when arrested by the police," Mr Hutton said.

The police also used other intimidating tactics.

At the Kerry site a Police vehicle entered the blockaders' camp which was on property owned by a farmer sympathetic to the group and police continually threatened blockaders with arrest if they put one foot on the road.

"We generally have very good relations with the police and have no problem with them carrying out their jobs in a professional way, even if it means that, on occasion, they might arrest some of us," Mr Hutton said.

"However, I call on the police leadership to ensure their officers do not go beyond the limits of thier professional roles."

USA: Obama rejects Keystone XL pipeline

2012-01-19T09:08:00.000+11:00

President Obama has rejected the permit for construction of the Keystone XL pipeline. The controversial project, which would have run for 1,700 miles from Alberta, Canada to the Gulf of Mexico, would have devastated efforts to slow climate change and endangered people, animals, land, and water.

This decision is the result of months of advocacy by people in the United States and Canada, including many people of faith, and came despite intense lobbying by the powerful oil and gas industry.

But we can’t give up -- our nation needs to invest in cleaner, renewable energy sources if we want to move away from Keystone-type projects in the future. Plus, TransCanada, the company trying to build the pipeline, is expected to reapply for a permit with a different geographic route within the year.

In short, this is a victory but not the end of the fight.

President Obama changed the rules of the game: he stood up to Big Oil’s bullying and rejected the massively destructive Keystone XL tar sands pipeline. The pipeline was rejected for all the right reasons. President Obama put the health and safety of our people, our air, lands and water – our national interest—above the interests of Big Oil. This a victory shared by many today – by farmers in Nebraska and all along the pipeline route and by those who have already suffered the harm of climate change in droughts, fires, floods and violent storms.

Rather than bringing America energy security, the tar sands pipeline would have bypassed the Midwest so that tar sands could be exported with tax benefits for the oil companies. Rather than provide a national jobs plan based on clean energy, the pipeline would have put our land, water and climate at risk for a single construction project. And rather than lowering oil prices, the pipeline would have lowered oil supply in the Midwest causing prices there to rise.

Republicans in the House brought this decision to a head. The President was going to take another year for a new route through Nebraska that would not cross the fragile Sandhills to be determined and assessed. But with a provision in the payroll tax holiday extension bill to force a decision by February 21, the Administration had no choice but to reject the permit application. How could a pipeline be approved when the whole route is not even known?

The President stood up to Big Oil – despite threats of “huge consequences.” He listened to millions of Americans who said that we are done with oil schemes that pollute our homes and water and wreak havoc with our climate all so that oil companies can make out like bandits. He showed the kind of leadership that Americans look for and that people around the world respect. By rejecting the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline, the President stood up for our health, our safety, our farms, our homes in protecting us against tar sands oil spills and climate change. That is the kind of leadership that takes us into a clean energy future.

USA: Walker faces monster petition

2012-01-19T08:36:00.001+11:00

The people of Wisconsin have delivered a mountain of petitions signed by over a million people to recall Republican Governor Scott Walker - 460,000 more than the 540,208 needed to trigger a recall election.

This kicks off yet another phase of the massive fight by workers and their allies in the US state to restore union rights that were crushed by Republican legislators last year.

The governor and his party rammed through a law that abolished the rights of public employees to collectively bargain and maintain a decent standard of living, unions and their allies say.

Recent reports have said that Mr Walker's policies are killing 18,000 jobs a year in Wisconsin.

The 1,000,208 recall signatures submitted on Tuesday are nearly equal to the 1,128,159 votes that Mr Walker received when he was elected in 2010.

"There is no question about it. Wisconsinites want to recall Walker in order to put an end to his disastrous agenda and stop his attacks on working families," said Wisconsin state AFL-CIO president Phil Neuenfeldt. He accused Mr Walker of "putting corporate allies above the people of Wisconsin."

AFL-CIO secretary-treasurer Stephanie Bloomingdale said: "This is a governor who crippled the rights of workers, raised taxes on the poor, compromised our children's education and made it harder for Wisconsinites to vote.

"For 60 days union and community members have organised at union halls, grocery stores and bowling allies around the state" to recall Mr Walker and those who "walk in lock-step" with him, she said.

Unions NSW: Insecure Work inquiry

2012-01-19T08:31:00.001+11:00

18 January, 2012

Unions NSW is reminding people to finalise their submissions to the Insecure Work inquiry as all submissions are due by Friday, 20th January.

About 40% of Australian workers are employed in insecure employment as casuals, on fixed or short term contracts, in labour hire, or as "independent" contractors. Even permanent workers are affected.

Unions NSW has developed an information sheet detailing how you can tell your story to the insecure work inquiry - take a look at it here.

The campaign will stand up for the many workers who have had to put up with insecure work for too long. Everyone should have a job they can rely on.

Ballarat: Mars workers act

2012-01-19T08:23:00.001+11:00

Mars Chocolate Australia’s Ballarat site was affected by stoppages in a bid by unions to force progress in negotiations with the company over an enterprise bargaining agreement.

Australian Manufacturing Workers Union spokesman Colin Muir said he would request further meetings with Mars before another 24-hour strike, scheduled to start at 10pm on Wednesday next week.

Mr Muir said he wanted Mr Ryan to be present in upcoming discussions.

“We want him involved in the meetings and we are also going to be speaking to Fair Work Australia to see if they’ll be involved. (Discussions) have got to happen, not in six weeks time,” Mr Muir said.

Mr Muir said further low-level action was planned during the rest of this week, and if no resolution had been made by 4pm next Wednesday, paperwork would be filed to escalate more industrial action for the following week.

ANZ: 5.3 billion reasons not to cut jobs

2012-01-19T08:15:00.001+11:00

FSU Wednesday, 18 January 2012

ANZ began announcing to staff within Australian Operations and Commercial Banking that they will be restructuring the business with the loss of up to 133 jobs.

ANZ have also advised that this is the first of a series of announcements regarding job losses that will occur in the first half of this year which will result in hundreds of jobs disappearing from its Australian workforce.

Whilst the FSU acknowledges that the market is slowing and the business environment is unpredictable, we do not agree with the banks decision to cut jobs as a way of reducing costs. In the tough environment of 2011, ANZ recorded a record profit of $5.3 billion and it seems ANZ will slash jobs to protect another record profit in 2012.

FSU calls on ANZ to find other ways to trim their budget and minimise the impact on their dedicated staff.

Contact Details
1300 366 378
Ph: Member Rights Centre
fsuinfo@fsunion.org.au

Japan: Mothers lead anti-nuke protests

2012-01-19T08:03:00.002+11:00

"Mothers are at the forefront of various grassroots movements that are working together to stop the operation of all nuclear plants in Japan from 2012," Aileen Miyoko Smith, head of Green Action, a non- governmental organisation (NGO) that promotes renewable energy told IPS.

More than 100 anti-nuclear demonstrators, most of them women, met with officials of the Nuclear Safety Commission this week and handed over a statement calling for a transparent investigation into the accident and a permanent shutdown of all nuclear power plants.

Currently six of Japan’s 56 nuclear plants are closed, some for stress tests after the Fukushima accident exposed serious breaches of safety precautions in the nuclear power industry.

More than 150,000 people remain unable to return home because of high levels of radiation in the Fukushima vicinity. There is now evidence that contamination has spread to rice and vegetables grown in nearby farming areas, and found its way into baby food products on supermarket shelves.

Japanese authorities announced last week that the devastated Fukushima Daiichi complex has been brought down to a state of cold shutdown.

"The first stage of controlling the terrible accident has been achieved. The government will follow a road map which in 30–40 years will make Fukushima safe again," said Goshi Hosono, minister of state for nuclear power policy and administration.

Speaking to the press, he explained that there is now no nuclear activity in the Fukushima nuclear reactors emitting radiation.

Power companies and government officials have also pledged to enforce safety regulations strictly and to ensure transparency.

Smith views the latest announcements as a warning. "We are stepping up our activism to ensure that the government and power industries, now eager to create a notion of security, will not restart nuclear plants," she said.

Indeed, groups of women, braving a cold winter, have been setting up tents since last week preparing for a new sit-in campaign in front of the ministry of economic affairs.

The women have pledged to continue their demonstration for 10 months and 10 days, traditionally reckoned in Japan as a full term that covers a pregnancy.

"Our protests are aimed at achieving a rebirth in Japanese society," said Chieko Shina, a participant, and a grandmother from Fukushima. "There is a need to change the way the authorities have run the country by putting economic growth ahead of protecting the lives of people."

WA: Oakajee agreement questioned

2012-01-18T11:26:00.000+11:00

According to the Oakajee agreement, Chinese companies are to be involved in the provision of fabricated steel rail cars, engineering and construction services and debt financing.

The unique wording of the clause in the development agreement between OPR and the West Australian government is contained in an internal email from the Department of State Development that was tabled in parliament last year. Premier Colin Barnett has refused to release the entire agreement.

Mr Barnett has been pushing for Chinese companies to become equity investors in the Oakajee project, which has been hit by major delays and cost blowouts.

OPR is owned by Japanese corporate giant Mitsubishi and troubled Perth miner Murchison Metals, which is planning to sell its half-share to Mitsubishi. The port and rail infrastructure is being planned to service several iron ore mines in WA's emerging mid-west region to open it up for exports, mainly to China.

Chinese interests own major stakes in the region's mines, but missed out on building the infrastructure when OPR won the government tender in 2009.

The Australian Manufacturing Workers Union state president, Steve McCartney, said yesterday Mr Barnett should disclose the extent of China's involvement in providing goods and services to Oakajee.

"Colin Barnett became the first premier in WA's history to sign a state development agreement which gave preference to Chinese fabricators over local fabricators to supply to the Oakajee project," Mr McCartney said.

"What we want to know is that when the Premier went to China recently to seek financing for the Oakajee project, what else has he offered them in exchange? This has a real impact on the local community."

Figures released by the ABS last month revealed the number of manufacturing jobs in and around Kwinana fell from 14,000 to 12,000 over the past year and youth unemployment in the area has gone past 25 per cent. The peak body representing steelmakers, the Australian Steel Institute, has complained that the clause in the Oakajee agreement stipulating Chinese involvement was unfair because the local steel industry was not consulted.

Mr Barnett, who was unavailable for comment yesterday, has maintained that the vast majority of the Oakajee project will be Australian-built.

An OPR spokesman said the company aimed to provide opportunities for Australian and international suppliers and businesses to be involved in the project.

“OPR will balance its obligations under the State Development Agreement and ensuring that our procurement and contracting approach encourages local industry involvement in the project,” the spokesman said.

The controversy over Oakajee comes as unions also complain that a Chinese-owned mine project in WA has imported huge amounts of Chinese steel and equipment, including concrete footpaths at accommodation.

The Australian Workers Union says the $US6 billion Citic Pacific-owned Sino Iron project in the Pilbara has used 100,000 tonnes of imported steel, as well as Chinese pipes, plumbing, power generation and refrigeration infrastructure. A spokesman for Citic Pacific Mining said yesterday the level of local content investment to date was more than 70 per cent.

ASI has also expressed concerns to the government about the amount of Chinese steel to be sourced at the Daunia Coal mine project in Queensland.

Close Guantanamo Bay!

2012-01-13T08:48:00.002+11:00

Avaaz.org 13 Jan 2011

10 years ago, Nabil Hadjarab was sent to Guantanamo Bay hooded, shackled and innocent. Although the US has cleared him of all charges of terrorism or any other crime, they still won’t release him. But, an international solution could close this illegal torture camp and end Nabil’s horrific ordeal.

There are 89 others just like Nabil, and 170 men in total trapped in this black hole of injustice. This is the US’s disaster, but the US refuses to find a solution to shut down Guantanamo. Now, with the help of two countries we could end this shame. Qatar has already offered to take innocent prisoners, like Nabil. And the UK, a close and trusted ally of the US, could give the remaining prisoners a fair and public trial in civilian courts. All that’s missing is the political will and public mandate to do it -- and that’s exactly what we, together, can create.

Today, let’s mark Guantanamo’s shameful 10th birthday with a massive global call to US, UK and Qatari leaders to do an international Close Guantanamo Deal and finally slam the door on this horror story for good. Sign the urgent petition and send this to everyone:

Sign Close Guantanamo Petition

After 10 years of injustice and broken promises, the US has failed to close Guantanamo. Both the Obama and Bush administrations and the US Congress and military have obstructed all meaningful moves to release the innocent, try detainees in fair and public trials, move detainees to civilian prisons and shut the prison down. With so many pledges and failures, a creative solution is urgently needed, one that involves taking the prisoners to another country. If we don’t act now to force a global solution, the US may operate Guantanamo indefinitely.

AFL-CIO: Romney - job killer

2012-01-12T09:26:00.000+11:00

Richard L. Trumka, President AFL-CIO

Presidential hopeful Mitt Romney—who killed thousands of jobs as a corporate raider—recently said he “likes being able to fire people.”

Romney’s record as a corporate raider backs up his words: He supports laws that attack workers’ rights and make it easier to fire people. Laws like the so-called “right to work” bill being considered in Indiana that targets collective bargaining, robbing workers of union protection.

If Indiana’s so-called “right to work” bill passes, the state’s unions no longer will stand between corporate raiders like Mitt Romney and many of the workers they like to fire to boost short-term profits. And it will become much harder for everyday workers to improve their wages, benefits and retirement security.

In 2011, we saw the beginnings of a new democratic movement for economic justice. We had the most solidarity I’ve seen at any time during my career in the labor movement. We shifted the debate. And we’ll keep doing it.

But to translate this movement into lasting change, politics matter. Not just who we elect for president, but our choices at the state and local levels, too.

America wants to work—and it is politics as usual, not economic obstacles, standing in the way of putting people back to work. That’s why we’re promoting a job-creating agenda in statehouses around the country this year, focusing on priorities like:

Making sure state tax dollars are used to keep jobs in that state and in America.
Buying state-made and American-made goods—so we create jobs in our communities and in America.
Stopping corporate tax loopholes and tax breaks for millionaires—so our states no longer are starved of the revenue they need for critical services.

Even though ruthless, corporate-backed attacks on workers continue, make no mistake: Our message—the message of the 99%—is taking root. Many politicians haven’t caught up yet. But they will. They’ll have to. Because people all across the country are saying our economy and our democracy are out of balance. They’re saying it’s time to create jobs for every person who wants to work—jobs that can support our families and that can support our dreams.

ACTU: Fiji Draconian Decree

2012-01-12T09:00:00.000+11:00

ACTU 11 Jan 2011

The Australian Government must consider economic sanctions against Fiji’s military regime in the wake of new laws that place even greater restrictions on human rights in the island nation, say unions.

ACTU President Ged Kearney said a new decree quietly introduced by the Fiji Government was even more draconian than past laws, with anyone who campaigned for workplace rights able to be considered a terrorist and placed in jail indefinitely.

“Just two weeks ago Fiji’s Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama spruiked the removal of the draconian Public Emergency Regulations (PER), which banned public meetings and freedom of the press, as part of his desire to encourage free debate in the lead up to democratic elections in 2014.

“But Mr Bainimarama seemingly forgot to add that he had concurrently introduced another set of laws that give his illegal Government sweeping powers of arrest and detention without a warrant and for 16 days. Under the new laws, ‘terrorism’ is redefined to cover any act that is seen to be campaigning to influence the government towards change.

“This essentially means that a Fiji worker or union leader that asked the ACTU or Australian Government to pressure the Fiji Government to change its draconian ways would be guilty of an act of terrorism. That person may be imprisoned for life.

“This new decree is even more draconian and places even more restrictions on the rights of Fijians than past laws. The Australian Government cannot turn a blind eye. We renew our call to the Australian Government to reconsider its recent decision to renew a textile, clothing and footwear scheme with the Fijian Government under a regional trade agreement.

“The agreement which gives unfettered access to the Australian market – the largest market for Fijian textile products –merely legitimises an oppressive regime that has persistently flouted human rights in the face of international and local opposition.”

Calombaris spray on conditions

2012-01-11T09:42:00.000+11:00

Millionaire chef George Calombaris thinks he pays his staff too much on weekends and public holidays - but a junior waiter would have to work for two days to be able to afford a degustation menu at his flagship restaurant.

Not only does Calombaris charge $230 for a five-course degustation menu at his top Melbourne restaurant Press Club, his yet-to-open pasta diner Mama Baba will charge $27 for pasta, $33 for fish or meat of the day and $14 to $18 for salads.

Hospitality workers get 25 per cent loading on Saturdays and 75 per cent on Sundays.

Workplace Relations Minister Bill Shorten disagreed with Calombaris, stating that weekends and holidays are about spending time with the family and penalties provide compensation.

"While I love his excellent cooking and his entrepreneurial business sense - we need innovative small businesses like his in Australia - I just can't agree that cutting wages of low-paid workers is a boost for the industry or a fair thing to do."

Unions NSW: Government Boards

2012-01-10T09:10:00.000+11:00

4 January, 2012

Unions NSW is seeking clarification on the future of employee representation on state government boards after recent comments made by the Finance Minister Greg Pearce.

"Unions NSW is concerned to hear of any move to remove employee representation from government boards.

"It’s long been recognised that organisations both require and benefit from having a mix of skills on their board and that includes members that understand the needs of employees." said Mr Lennon.

This fact was recognised by the Greiner government who established the practice of placing employee representatives on government boards in 1989."If it’s good enough in 1989 it’s good enough in 2012.

"The government again appears to be playing politics. If it is serious about governing for all then it should show its bona fides by keeping employee representatives on its boards." said Mr Lennon.

ABCC's sham contracting sham

2012-01-08T09:49:00.003+11:00

The ABCC’s long awaited report into its investigation of sham contracting in the construction industry has turned into another great sham: the ABCC has come up with no useful conclusions, no real solution, and appears to be in denial about the extent of sham contracting in the construction industry.

Its list of 10 recommendations reads like a job application for a future role for itself in the industry, rather than a real plan of action.

Bizarrely, the ABCC claims there is not enough evidence to prove extensive sham contracting in the construction—even though they have successfully prosecuted two companies, have four cases before the courts and another 32 investigations ongoing into allegations of sham contracting arrangements[i].

This also ignores the work of the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the Australian Tax Office, the Ralph and Henry reviews into the tax system and the CFMEU’s own “Race to the Bottom” report – which agree sham contracting represents a major rorting of the tax system.

The ABCC criticised “Race to the Bottom” – based on a few employer objections to it – but failed to produce its own independent figures, despite having had 12 months to do it.

All the ABCC could come up with was a plan for more research and ‘education’ for employers and employees on the appropriate use of ABNs and sham contracting.

CFMEU members have had that kind of information now for almost a year, in multiple languages. CFMEU National Office has produced a variety of information materials on Sham Contracting in Construction. Do more taxpayers’ dollars need to be spent reinventing the wheel?

MUA: Melbourne port agreement close

2012-01-08T09:42:00.002+11:00

AUSTRALIAN FINANCIAL REVIEW 7 JAN 2012

A strike that threatened to cripple Australia's busiest port, Melbourne, from Sunday has been averted, after the warring parties reached an in-principle agreement over improved wages and conditions.

After more than seven hours of tense negotiations, the Maritime Union of Australia and stevedore firm DP World agreed late on Friday night to a deal that could halt the planned 24-hour strike, as well as a threatened retaliatory one-day lockout by the company.

MUA national secretary Paddy Crumlin told the Weekend Financial Review that the parties had agreed to a complex deal that was "in the ballpark" of union demands for a 15 per cent pay rise over three years, plus improved conditions including superannuation.

"The talks have been constructive and we have reached an in-principle agreement which will need to be put to our members for approval," he said.

Mr Crumlin said MUA officials would recommend on Saturday that its Melbourne workers halt the strike, but conceded that the complexity of the yet-to-be-completed deal might prove a sticking point.

A DP World Australia spokesman said the in-principle agreements "open the way for settlement of the enterprise agreement".

"Subject to confirmation the union actions are withdrawn, the company will withdraw the lockout notice to its Melbourne employees and other notices of intent," he said.

US: Indefinite detention codified into law

2012-01-07T17:56:00.000+11:00

ACLU press release 31 Dec 2011

President Obama signed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) today, allowing indefinite detention to be codified into law. As you know, the White House had threatened to veto an earlier version of the NDAA but reversed course shortly before Congress voted on the final bill. While President Obama issued a signing statement saying he had “serious reservations” about the provisions, the statement only applies to how his administration would use it and would not affect how the law is interpreted by subsequent administrations.

The statute is particularly dangerous because it has no temporal or geographic limitations, and can be used by this and future presidents to militarily detain people captured far from any battlefield.

Under the Bush administration, similar claims of worldwide detention authority were used to hold even a U.S. citizen detained on U.S. soil in military custody, and many in Congress now assert that the NDAA should be used in the same way again. The ACLU believes that any military detention of American citizens or others within the United States is unconstitutional and illegal, including under the NDAA. In addition, the breadth of the NDAA’s detention authority violates international law because it is not limited to people captured in the context of an actual armed conflict as required by the laws of war.

We are extremely disappointed that President Obama signed this bill even though his administration is already claiming overly-broad detention authority in court. Any hope that the Obama administration would roll back those claims dimmed today. Thankfully we have three branches of government, and the final word on the scope of detention authority belongs to the Supreme Court, which has yet to rule on the scope of detention authority. But Congress and the president also have a role to play in cleaning up the mess they have created because no American citizen or anyone else should live in fear of this or any future president misusing the NDAA’s detention authority.

The ACLU will fight worldwide detention authority wherever we can, be it in court, in Congress, or internationally.

ACTU: Health and Safety campaign

2012-01-02T22:27:00.000+11:00

01 Jan 2012 ACTU

A new national awareness campaign begins today to inform workers of their rights and employers of their obligations under harmonised health and safety laws.

Australian unions have launched the Speak Up campaign so that workers have a say in making sure their workplaces are safe and healthy.

ACTU Assistant Secretary Michael Borowick said it was important that workers understood they would have enhanced rights to elect their own health and safety representatives under the harmonised occupational health and safety (OHS) system that begins in most states and territories today.

“Workers need to know that when they are confronted by a health or safety issue in their workplace, they don’t have to deal with it alone,” Mr Borowick said.

“They have an iron-clad right, under law, to elect their own health and safety representatives. These reps act as watchdogs within the workplace, making employers comply with the law well before regulators have to become involved.

“They have rights to stop work and demand improvements when there are health or safety concerns.

“Employers who interfere with the work of health and safety reps, or refuse to allow them to properly represent their workmates, are breaking the law.

“Importantly, unions can offer a wealth of expertise, know-how and training to back up those reps, and make sure they can perform the roles they have been elected to, and to provide workers with assistance to make their own workplaces safer.

“Health and safety is a fundamental industrial issue and a major priority for unions, who have a long and proud history of delivering healthier and safer workplaces for Australians, frequently in the face of employer and business resistance. Over the last 160 years unions have campaigned tirelessly to reduce injury and illness within the workplace, and many of the current rights and conditions have been fought for and won by unions.

“It is no coincidence that workplaces with a union presence are far more likely to be safer than those without unions. Collectively, with the support of a union, workers are far more able to speak up about health and safety than they can individually.”

Alongside the distribution of Speak Up campaign materials in workplaces around Australia, a new website www.safeatwork.org.au has also been launched.

The website will be a hub of information for workers and OHS reps about common health and safety issues, rights and obligations, tips for safer workplaces, legislation, and news. Workers will also be able to post questions about health and safety and get advice from union experts.

UnionsNSW: Public ownership of energy assets

2011-12-24T20:19:00.004+11:00

Unions NSW has reiterated its support for public ownership of energy assets, in light of the Federal Government's recent white paper.

The White Paper outlined a preference for private ownership of energy assets.

Unions NSW Secretary, Mark Lennon said the domestic and international experience of privatisation showed it was not in the community interest.

"Since energy assets were privatised in Victoria, there hasn't been a single dollar invested in base load generation," Mr Lennon said.

"Privatising a natural monopoly like energy makes no sense, it's simply a license to gouge the community.

"South Australia privatised it's energy industry in 1994 and by 2002, energy prices had increased a whopping forty per cent.

"On the key issues of prices, safety and reliability public ownership is the only option."

"Public sentiment and community expectation is settled on this issue and both State and Federal governments needs to keep that in mind."

"Minister Ferguson has taken the wrong road on this issue."

AFL-CIO: Victory for unemployed

2011-12-24T07:19:00.001+11:00

John Boehner and his caucus of Tea Party obstructionists in the House of Representatives finally accepted political reality. Yesterday, they announced they'd join with 89 out of 100 senators from both political parties who’d already voted to renew unemployment aid for two months—with no cuts and no strings attached.

This is an enormous victory. Thanks to you, 2.8 million jobless Americans will have a brighter holiday season—and a helping hand over the next two months. Not an easy time. Not a handout or a free ride. But a lifeline and a chance that you made possible.

In the fight to extend aid for the jobless, the 99% went on the offense against the 1% politicians. And we won. And if working people keep it up, we’ll score more victories and build a better future. Not every time—two steps forward, one step back. But look around. People all across the country are saying our economy and our democracy are out of balance. And they’re winning the public debate.

I hope you’ll take some well-deserved time this holiday season to rest, reflect and recharge. Because in 2012, huge challenges will keep on coming. And we’ll need you ready to start early, act often and work harder than ever.

I wish all the best for you and your family, for our unions and for our nation this holiday season and in the year ahead.

In Solidarity,

Richard L. Trumka
President, AFL-CIO

GetUp: 2011

2011-12-19T10:49:00.001+11:00

NSW: Teachers vote for further industrial action

2011-12-15T15:47:00.000+11:00

December 15, 2011 14:05:45

State school teachers in New South Wales have voted to take further industrial action during stop-work meetings that disrupted the second-last day of the 2011 school year.
Teachers met for two hours from 9:00am (AEDT) to discuss last week's wages decision by the state's Industrial Relations Commission (IRC).

The NSW Teachers Federation says the IRC's determination of a 2.5 per cent a year is unacceptable and would amount to a salary cut in real terms.
Federation president Bob Lipscombe says members voted overwhelmingly in favour of taking further action in 2012 if the Government does not return to the negotiating table.

"We're hoping and we'll persist with that, but what we're saying is and what teachers across NSW said overwhelmingly today is if that doesn't work, if the Government isn't prepared to do that then they're prepared to take further action in this campaign," Mr Lipscombe said.
"I guess the message that the Government needs to take or understand from today's action is that teachers are absolutely determined."

Education Minister Adrian Piccoli condemned the action even before it began, saying it was illegal and unjustified.
"Next week there are two pupil free days where the union could have taken this action, but instead they deliberately chose to inconvenience parents and disadvantage students and I think it is going to make parents very angry," Mr Piccoli said.
The Minister says the union is openly defying an order from the IRC last week not to take more industrial action.

But Mr Lipscombe said before the strike that the Government has stripped the IRC of its powers, leaving teachers with little choice. The Government passed legislation earlier this year capping public sector wage increases at 2.5 per cent a year, unless cost savings were delivered first.
"The IRC's hands are very much tied by the State Government's legislation passed earlier this year," Mr Lipscombe said.
"If we're to gain any increases above and beyond that 2.5 per cent without adversely affecting our students learning conditions then this Government has to sit down and negotiate with us. To date they're shown no real interest in doing that."

Opposition spokeswoman Carmel Tebbutt says today's action is the third round of industrial action in state schools since Barry O'Farrell became Premier.

"I think the time has well and truly come for the minister to take control of this dispute," Ms Tebbutt said.
"Offer the teachers a decent salary and make sure that our schools can get back to what they should be about and that is teaching and learning."

Hindsight: William Cuffay

2011-12-14T09:29:00.001+11:00

ABC Hindsight Tuesday 20 December 2011 2:00PM

William Cuffay in Newgate Gaol 1848

In 1848 William Cuffay, the son of a freed slave, was arrested and transported to Van Diemen's Land by a government fearful of revolution that was sweeping through Europe. Aged 60 Cuffay, a tailor and leader of the London Chartists, was campaigning for the right to vote as part of the first mass working class movement in the world. His transportation to Australia didn't end his political activity. He continued to organise and agitate for democratic rights in Tasmania for another 20 years until his death in 1870, at the age of 82.

Cuffay's Chartist legacy is today enshrined in parliaments in Britain and Australia. His lifelong political activism remains an inspiration to those who believe in workers rights, human rights and democracy. Although Cuffay died a pauper, newspapers in three states -- Tasmania, NSW and Victoria -- published obituaries. One observed that his grave had been 'marked', should a memorial to him be built at some future time. The memorial never transpired, and Cuffay was forgotten in Australia and Britain. But now there's a move to build one -- or perhaps even a statue!

see also
'Cuffay, William (1778–1870)', Obituaries Australia, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, 2011

MUA Picket Line At Port Kembla

2011-12-14T09:11:00.001+11:00

MUA MEDIA RELEASE 13 DEC 2011

Management at POAGS Stevedores are taking reckless safety risks on the waterfront through the use of union-busting scab labour at Port Kembla.

Overnight, the company took the dramatic step of helicoptering in scab workers - including companyaccounts and industrial relations managers - into Port Kembla in a cynical attempt to undercut industrial action by locking out 130 MUA stevedores.

MUA picket Port Kembla

The non-union employees were given a scant 20 minute induction before beginning a 12 hourshift on the wharves, endangering both themselves and those around them.

MUA Assistant Secretary, Warren Smith said POAGS' latest gamble with safety reinforced the company's poor record.

"Last year two POAGS employees died at work but rather than address the MUA's concernsabout safety, the company is resorting to 20 minute inductions for scab stevedores," Mr Smith said.

"The MUAwill not back down from its campaign to ensure our members work in safe conditions where their lives and livelihoods are not threatened.

MUA Southern NSW Branch Secretary Garry Keane said safety would not be compromised.

"Rather than bargaining in good faith, POAGS is declaring war on its workforce and in the process, recklessly endangering safety on the waterfront," Mr Keane said.

Mr Keane said the Port Kembla POAGS stevedores are the lowest paid in the country, despite one third of the company's profits coming out of the Illawarra port.

••••••

POAGS has prevented wharfies from entering its sites at Fremantle and Bunbury, claiming it is unsafe to continue operating while the work bans are in place.

POAGS and the Maritime Union of Australia are negotiating a new enterprise agreement. Employees are seeking an 18 per cent pay rise over three years, but the company has offered a 12 per cent increase.

POAGS was formerly known as P&O Ports.

The company is chaired by Chris Corrigan, who was in charge of Patrick Corporation during the 1998 waterfront dispute.

Wikileaks: Walkley Award 2011

2011-12-08T14:57:00.001+11:00

Wikileaks was awarded the Walkley Award for Outstanding Contribution to Journalism for showing a courageous and controversial commitment to the finest traditions of journalism: justice through transparency.

The Walkley trustees said: “WikiLeaks applied new technology to penetrate the inner workings of government to reveal an avalanche of inconvenient truths in a global publishing coup. Its revelations, from the way the war on terror was being waged, to diplomatic bastardry, high-level horse-trading and the interference in the domestic affairs of nations, have had an undeniable impact.”

Iran: Ebrahim Madadi re-arrested

2011-12-08T08:48:00.001+11:00

7 December 2011

The ITUC was dismayed and incensed to hear today that Ebrahim Madadi, a courageous trade unionist and Comrade from Vahed Syndicate in Tehran, was re-arrested today after being freed only last Thursday. A move welcomed by the international trade union movement

ITUC General Secretary, Sharan Burrow, said :”this can only be interpreted as yet another crass and cynical move by the authorities to distract attention from the serious violations of trade union rights in Iran immediately prior to the ILO Regional Asia Pacific Conference which just concluded in Kyoto”.

It is absolutely shameful on the part of the regime to ‘play’ in this fashion with the lives of people and their families, for no other reason than the exercise of their fundamental human and trade union right to represent the legitimate aspirations of other workers.

ITF general secretary David Cockroft added: “We don’t yet know if this arrest is a bureacratic error or an attempt to punish Ebrahim – but either way it’s an unacceptable infringement on his rights and liberty. Like the continuing imprisonment of the increasingly ill Reza Shahabi it is an injustice that is crying out to be righted."

The ITUC will continue to denounce the callous shenanigans of such dishonourable and discredited thugs.

Source: http://www.ituc-csi.org/ebrahim-madadi-re-arrested-today.html

Japan: Whaling funding attacked

2011-12-07T13:12:00.001+11:00

Conservation groups have criticised the Japanese government for funding this year's whaling mission in the Southern Ocean with money from the country's earthquake and tsunami recovery fund.

In all, $US28 million has been set aside to help protect the fleet.

The Japanese Fisheries Agency says it is a legitimate use of the money as whaling towns affected by the earthquake and tsunami will benefit.

But Junichi Sato, from Greenpeace Japan, says it is a tenuous link.

"It's not related to the recovery at all. It is simply used to cover the debts of the whaling program, because the whaling program itself has been suffering from a big financial problems."

The Australian Environment Minister, Tony Burke, said it was not appropriate to spend any money on Japanese whaling.

He said: "I don't think it's appopriate for any money to be spent on Japanese whaling.

"Regardless of where money's coming from our position is really simple. There's no shades of grey here.

"We believe the Southern Ocean is a whaling sanctuary and all whaling that occurs there is wrong."

Australia Network remains public

2011-12-07T12:55:00.001+11:00

The government yesterday announced the ABC would permanently hold the $223 million contract for the Australia Network, ensuring that it remains in public hands.

Julia Gillard today said the government believed initially it was appropriate to take the 10-year contract to tender.

With the tender process terminated, it was appropriate the public broadcaster be given the contract, Ms Gillard said.

"This is an important arm of soft diplomacy for Australia," she told reporters in Canberra.
"Many other nations around the world that have comparable services have them associated with the public broadcaster."

Australia Network Chief Executive - Bruce Dover said:

"An assured future for Australia Network with the ABC means we will now be able to develop an integrated, cross-platform content offer for overseas markets. In a fiercely competitive and crowded global market for broadcasting, this will make it easier for audiences to find and use our services in a format that best suits their particular needs at any given time.

We will continue to provide the very best of high quality Australian content - children's programming, education, lifestyle, culture and world class documentaries as well as calling on our extensive international news resources to report from the region, to the region - across all platforms."

NSW: Public staff cuts deemed unfair

2011-12-07T12:19:00.001+11:00

PSA 07 December 2011

A group of public servants have won back their right to redeployment after the Industrial Relations Commission declared their forced retrenchments ''unfair''.

The decision means 29 public servants who were retrenched under the O'Farrell government's new policies have 12 months to find other positions within the public service. Otherwise, they will be given three months' written notice and improved severance pay - a payment of three weeks per year of service to a maximum of 39 weeks.

In a judgment delivered this week, the commission said the state government's policy for managing ''excess employees'' was unfair under the Industrial Relations Act 1996.

The NSW Government has been dealt a significant blow after the NSW Industrial Relations Commission this week declared unfair its policy that allows public servants to be forcibly retrenched, the Public Service Association said today.

The decision means that the 29 public servants who were about to lose their job without any real opportunity to be redeployed within the public sector now have 12 months to find a suitable position, as per the 2008 policy.

It also puts under a cloud the treatment of public sector workers declared excess in the future.

"Since the O'Farrell Government was elected eight months ago, we have seen a vicious attack on the rights of workers in this state, and this week's decision highlights that the Government's actions are unfair and unacceptable to its workforce," John Cahill, General Secretary of the PSA said today.

"Fair workplace arrangements are necessary in this state, and the O'Farrell Government has with its changes taken away workers' rights.

"The court has said that the unfair 2011 policy that deals with excess employees is actually in breach of NSW public sector employment laws as it makes little, if any, attempt to redeploy excess staff into other jobs.

"As such, the policy has been declared unfair and will not apply to the workers who were being represented in the action.

"Instead, the 2008 Excess Employee Policy will apply to these people until the end of July 2014.

"With these orders, the court is sending a clear message that you cannot forcibly retrench people when there is other suitable work available within the public sector."

VIC: Nurses workplace community rallies

2011-12-07T12:14:00.001+11:00

Nurses, midwives, their families, patients and supporters are invited to attend the following Community rallies to save and improve nurse/midwife ratios

Royal Women’s Hospital/Royal Melbourne Hospital - Sunday 4 December, 12 pm – 2 pm
Eastern – Maroondah Hospital - Monday 5 December, 12 pm – 2 pm
Southern – Clayton Monash Medical Centre - Monday 5 December, 12 pm – 2 pm
Sale Hospital - Tuesday 6 December, 3 pm – 4 pm
Barwon – Geelong Hospital - Tuesday 6 December, 11 am – 1.30 pm
Colac Hospital - Tuesday 6 December, 3 pm – 4 pm
Latrobe Regional Health - Tuesday 6 December, 11 am – 1.30 pm
The Alfred Hospital - Wednesday 7 December, 12 pm – 2 pm
Peninsula – Frankston Hospital – Wednesday 7 December, 12 pm – 2 pm
Western General Hospital – Footscray - Thursday 8 December, 12 pm – 2 pm
Sunshine Hospital - Thursday 8 December, 12 pm – 2 pm
Ballarat Base Hospital - Friday 9 December, 12 pm – 2 pm
Wodonga Base Hospital – Friday 9 December, 12 pm – 2 pm
Mildura Base Hospital - Friday 9 December, 12 pm – 2 pm
Royal Children’s Hospital - Saturday 10 December, 12 pm – 2 pm
Wangaratta Hospital - Saturday 10 December, 12 pm – 2 pm
Northern Hospital – Epping / Broadmeadows - Monday 12 December, 11 am – 1.30 pm
Seymour Base Hospital – Monday 12 December, 3 pm – 4 pm
Warnambool Base Hospital / Lyndoch – Monday 12 December, 12 pm – 2 pm
Austin Health /Mercy Heidelberg – Tueday 13 December, 12 pm – 2 pm
Orbost Regional Hospital - Wednesday 14 December, 12 pm – 2 pm
Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre - Wednesday 14 December, 12 pm – 2 pm
St Vincents Hospital - Wednesday 14 December, 12 pm – 2 pm
Eastern – Box Hill Hospital - Friday 16 December, 12 pm – 2 pm
Southern Health – Dandenong / Casey Hospitals - Friday 16 December, 12 pm – 2 pm
Werribee Mercy - Saturday 17 December, 12 pm – 2 pm
Goulburn Valley Health - Saturday 17 December, 12 pm – 2 pm
Tweddle Child and Family Health Service - Monday 19 December, 12 pm – 2 pm

ACTU: Apprentice pay increase

2011-12-07T12:09:00.001+11:00

06 December, 2011 | Media Release

Federal Government support for a pay increase for apprentices is a good first step towards improving the appalling apprentice completion rate.

ACTU President Ged Kearney said unions were pleased the Government had recognised that low pay was a major contributor the apprentice drop-out rate of 50%.

Unions also welcome the commitment to lift training standards, through more funding for mentoring and support services and action to harmonise standards across the country.

“This is a good first step to address the currently poor completion rate for apprentices,” Ms Kearney said.

“Unions look forward to a review of apprentice wages by Fair Work Australia next year to address the appallingly low wages trainees currently receive,” Ms Kearney said.

“We also welcome the review announced today to investigate targeting employer incentive payments to ensure bosses are using them for genuine training, and not simply to subsidise wages.

“The current completion rates for Australian apprenticeships are unacceptably low at an average of 48% and the only way to boost the number of skilled workers in our community is through better wages and training.

“Apprentices have told us that the poor remuneration is a key reason they don’t complete their apprenticeships.”

Ms Kearney said training and skill development should be a shared responsibility between Government, industry and unions, individual employers and apprentices and trainees themselves,” she said.

“Unions have previously called on the Government to consider the panel recommendation for an employer contribution scheme to support the funding of a steamlined training system and are disappointed this has not been taken further. Employers must take their share of responsibility in ensuring as a nation we can meet our future skill needs through apprenticeships and traineeships.

“The resources sector in particular needs to improve its support for apprentices, with a major Government report last year calling for the sector to significantly increase the number of apprentices it employs in order to match its share of trade employment and reduce its reliance on temporary migration.”

Ms Kearney said unions also welcomed the announcement of the new Australian Apprenticeships Ambassadors, which aim to boost the status and profile of apprenticeships.

CELAC established

2011-12-05T18:47:00.001+11:00

Leaders from 33 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean on Saturday approved 22 documents, officially signing into effect the formation of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) as the new leading regional bloc.

The leaders also elected Chile's President Sebastian Pinera as temporary president of CELAC until the group's next summit, which is scheduled to be held in Chile next year.

Concluding two days of summit talks, the upbeat group of Latin American leaders praised the formal constitution of CELAC as a historic milestone in regional development and pledged to remain united in order to gain maximum power and influence as a block in world affairs.

"Unity is the road ahead. A lot of people think that you can be faster when you move alone, but the truth is that together we will come much further," said Pinera in closing remarks."This 21st Century will be the century of Latin America and the Caribbean," said Pienera, adding he would take on leadership of the forum with "a lot of responsibility and a lot of hope" and called on the region's leaders to look toward the future with vision.

Hugo Chavez, Venezuela's president and summit host, hailed the formal establishment of CELAC as a forum where Latin American and Caribbean nations would be able to hold meetings independently from other world forums and maintain their regional sovereignty in front of pressure by world powers such as the United States.

"No more interference, enough is enough. We have to take shape as a center of the world power and demand respect for all of us as community and for each one of our countries," said Chavez.

With the creation of CELAC, which includes all countries in the Americas except the United States and Canada, Latin American leaders want to establish a forum similar to that of the Organization of American States, but without the political influence of U.S. foreign policy.

Pinera called on member countries to join forces and make quality education possible for CELAC countries' 600 million people, fight against poverty and multiply investments in science and technology.

Among the 22 documents signed is the key document named "The Declaration of Caracas," which calls for a joint action plan to be established for CELAC along with the relevant working programs and the procedures for the operative work of the group.

ALP: full marriage equality vote

2011-12-03T17:35:00.001+11:00

A 10,000-strong crowd converged on the Labor Party National Conference to demand marriage equality.

It was an incredible moment.

As the crowd rolled in, ALP delegates to the Conference voted in favour of a platform change proposed by Rainbow Labor. Now, for the first time, Labor party policy supports full marriage equality. The crowd went wild – thanking both grassroots campaigners like you and those brave individuals who have fought for this change from within.

Today’s change sends a message to all gay and lesbian Australians that finally our nation’s governing party considers their love and relationships equal.

But while today shows Australians have removed discrimination from their hearts, we cannot rest until we also remove it from our laws.

That’s why our focus now turns to the each and every MP in Parliament. Within months they will be debating whether or not to end marriage discrimination and when the legislation is introduced, the ALP will be allowed to vote with their conscience. We look to Tony Abbott’s Coalition to do the same. Many Liberal MPs believe that it’s not for the Government to limit the freedom of Australian adults to marry the one they love and our challenge is to make this a majority view.

Respected gay rights campaigner Rodney Croome told today’s crowd how, in his home state of Tasmania, his love was illegal until a few short years ago when homosexuality was decriminalised. He told the crowd that the impossible happened when these discriminatory laws were overturned, and Tasmania became the first state of Australia to support marriage equality.

Qantas Families’ Day

2011-12-03T13:44:00.000+11:00

An Australia-wide action day will bring together Qantas airline workers and their supporters in a show of strength against plans to outsource jobs overseas.

The Qantas Families’ Day, which is taking place on 3 December, will see more than 600 volunteers and six national trade unions – including ITF affiliates the Maritime Union of Australia (MUA), the Rail Tram and Bus Union and the Transport Workers’ Union of Australia (TWU) – distribute over 200,000 leaflets. Activists will also be spending the weekend lobbying the Australian government to protect skills and jobs in the country’s aviation industry.

In Australia, ITF president and MUA general secretary Paddy Crumlin, stated: “Today is about putting people first: workers and their families. Not profits, or cost cuts, or offshored profit centres. Instead the Qantas workers and the Australian unions, backed by our friends around the world, are laying out an alternative model, of the kind that keeps Qantas as an example of all that’s good about safe flying.”

Tony Sheldon, TWU general secretary, said: “The Qantas Families’ Day brings together Qantas workers and their Australian neighbours and friends to defend jobs and reject the ruthless cost cutting and offshoring that could leave them without work and the rest of us without a national airline.”

For more about Qantas Families Day see www.qantasfamilies.com/day.

Click here to visit the ITF’s campaign page.

ACTU: Improve worker rights

2011-12-03T12:46:00.001+11:00

02 December, 2011 | Media Release
Workers will have enhanced rights to bargain for better pay and conditions and secure jobs under changes to the Labor Party's national platform adopted at the National Conference.

The Labor Party has committed to a more effective bargaining system and a more activist role for Fair Work Australia in the promotion of good faith collective bargaining, says the ACTU.

“The recent actions of Qantas management demonstrated the need for more balance in the workplace system to protect workers’ rights,” said ACTU Secretary Jeff Lawrence.

“The reckless and provocative action by Qantas to ground its fleet and threaten to lock-out its entire workforce has highlighted the need for a more activist and even-handed industrial umpire and better access for workers to arbitration when employers refuse to bargain in genuine good faith.

“Qantas put the spotlight on a pattern of behaviour in which employers only pay lip service to the notion of collective bargaining and never have any real intention of reaching agreement.

“This can go on for years, with no circuit-breaker apart from the type of provocative action we saw by Alan Joyce, which has been endorsed by big business.

“Workers should be able to seek secure jobs and better pay and conditions without threats of lock-outs, big fines or punitive legal action, the use of strike-breakers or thugs to physically disrupt peaceful picket lines, or other extreme actions.”

ACTU President Ged Kearney said the platform endorsed by the National Conference today would build on the improvements to workplace rights delivered by the Fair Work Act.

“The Fair Work Act was established on the principles of good faith bargaining and unions have urged the Labor Party, whose core values centre on the rights of working Australians, to focus on this through its future platform.

“Labor must not only hold strong against a new wave of employer militancy that is threatening the livelihoods of working Australians, but dedicate itself to building on the gains from the Fair Work Act.

“We are calling on Labor to commit to improve rights and entitlements for all Australian workers, including the 40% who are employed as casuals, on fixed or short-term contracts, in labour hire and other non-standard forms of employment and do not have secure jobs.

“Harmonious and productive industrial relations are achieved through genuine negotiation and engagement with workers and their unions, not by making them the enemy.”

UK: Strike of a generation

2011-12-02T16:23:00.001+11:00

Seumas Milne guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 30 November 2011

It was the wrong time to call a strike. Industrial action would inflict "huge damage" on the economy. It would make no difference. Public sector workers wouldn't turn out and public opinion would be against them. Downing Street was said to be "privately delighted" the unions had "fallen into their trap".

The campaign against today's day of action has been ramped up for weeks, and in recent days has verged on the hysterical. The Mail claimed the street cleaners and care workers striking to defend their pensions were holding the country to "ransom", led by "monsters", while Rupert Murdoch's Sun called them "reckless" and "selfish".

Michael Gove and David Cameron reached for the spirit of the 1980s, the education secretary damning strike leaders as "hardliners itching for a fight", and the prime minister condemning the walkouts as the "height of irresponsibility", while also insisting on the day they had been a "damp squib".

But up to two million public employees, from teachers and nurses to dinner ladies, ignored them and staged Britain's biggest strike for more than 30 years. The absurd government rhetoric about gold-plated public pensions – 50% get £5,600 or less – clearly backfired.

It's not just the scale of the strike, though, but its breadth, from headteachers to school cleaners in every part of the country, that has set it apart. Most of those taking action were women, and the majority had never been on strike before. This has been the "big society" in action, but not as Cameron meant it.

And despite the best efforts of ministers and media, it has attracted strong public sympathy. The balance of opinion has varied depending on the question, but a BBC ComRes poll last week found 61% agreeing that public service workers were "justified in going on strike over changes to their pensions".

Of course that might well change if the dispute and service disruption drags on. But the day's mass walkouts should help bury the toxic political legacy of the winter of discontent – that large-scale public sector strikes can never win public support and are terminal for any politician that doesn't denounce and face them down.

The Tory leadership is unmistakably locked into that Thatcher-era mindset. Not only did George Osborne's autumn statement this week respond to the failure of his austerity programme by piling on more of the same for years to come, it was also the most nakedly class budget since Nigel Lawson hacked a third off the tax rate for the rich in 1988.

Any claim that "we're all in this together" can now only be an object of ridicule after Osborne coolly slashed child tax credit for the low paid, propelling 100,000 more children into poverty, to fund new bypasses and lower fuel duty.

And by announcing a 16% cut in public sector pay and benefits by 2015 along with a loss of 710,000 jobs, the chancellor declared war on his own workforce. Add to that the threat of less employment protection to sweeten privatisation deals and an end to national pay scales, and Osborne couldn't have made a stronger case for industrial action.

Public service workers are right to strike because that's the only way they can defend their pensions from Osborne's 3.2% raid and the only reason the government has made any concessions at all. They are also protecting public services from a race to the bottom in pay and conditions which can only erode their quality.

And far from damaging the economy, which is being dragged down by lack of demand and investment, the more successful they are in resisting cuts and protecting their living standards the more they will contribute to keeping it afloat.

But today's strike and whatever action follows it isn't just about pensions. It's also about resisting a drive to make public service workers pay for a crisis they have no responsibility for – while the bloated incomes of those in the financial and corporate sector who actually caused the havoc scandalously continue to swell.

When real incomes are being forced down for the majority, as directors' pay has risen 49% and bank bonuses have topped £14bn, that's an aim most people have no problem identifying with. Across the entire workforce there's little disagreement about who's been "reckless" and "greedy" – and it isn't public service workers.

As one Leeds gardener on £15,000 a year told the Guardian, striking was the only way to get the desperation of the low-paid on to the agenda of the wealthy: "they just don't have any idea of what it's like to live on pay like ours".

Cameron and Osborne's strategy from the start has been to divide the public sector workforce from the rest, hammer them to win extra market credibility – and convince private sector workers they'd be better off if education and health service pensions could be driven down to the often miserable or nonexistent level of most of the private sector.

The Conservative policy minister, Oliver Letwin, gave a taste of what else they have in mind when he told a consultancy firm that public services could only be reformed with "some real discipline and some fear".

But it looks as though ministers may have miscalculated. The message of striking public service workers chimes with the public mood. Private sector Unilever workers have just voted to take industrial action to defend their own pensions.

A crucial factor in the dire state of private sector pensions – and the wider wealth grab and mushrooming of inequality over the past generation – has been the decline in trade union strength. The fall in union membership since the 1970s is an almost exact mirror image of the runaway increase in the share of national income taken by the top 1% over the same period.

That is the common experience across the world wherever neoliberal capitalism has held sway, as are the attacks on living standards and public services, strikes, occupations and riots that Britain has had a taste of in the last 18 months. Which is why today's walkouts have attracted support from Nicaragua to Bangladesh.

One strike isn't, of course, going to force the government to turn tail. After Osborne's pay and jobs battering, the likelihood must be of more industrial action, with no guarantee of success. But today was a powerful demonstration of democratic workplace strength – which offers a chance to begin to turn the tide of a generation.

Vic: Health Executive pay scandal

2011-12-02T15:28:00.000+11:00

Victoria's top health executives were given a 46 per cent pay rise last financial year, worth more than $57,000 each.

The increase has infuriated nurses, who are locked in a wage row with the state government, which is offering a basic 2.5 per cent pay rise, plus any negotiated productivity savings.

The Victorian Department of Health's annual report shows its 47 executives were paid an average of almost $180,975 each last financial year, compared with $123,614 the year before.

It was by far the biggest increase in the state bureaucracy, with executives typically given 15 per cent more pay across 11 government departments, excluding bonuses.

Australian Nursing Federation state secretary Lisa Fitzpatrick said it was disgusting, with the average pay rise for each executive enough to employ a nurse with eight years experience.

''The thought that comes to mind is pigs around a trough,'' she said.

The shadow minister for industrial relations, Tim Pallas, said it was incumbent on Premier Ted Baillieu to explain why government executives deserved pay rises far in excess of that being offered nurses, teachers and other public servants.

''While the Department of Health is looking to lock out nurses, its department executives have each happily pocketed a 46 per cent increase in total remuneration,'' he said.

''Mr Baillieu wants to keep down wages of hard-working nurses and cut nurse numbers, yet he is happy for departmental executives to receive significant salary increases well above the government's 2.5 per cent pay offer for public sector workers.''

ACTU Fringe event 2 December

2011-12-02T09:16:00.000+11:00

UK: 2 million strike for pensions

2011-12-01T14:34:00.001+11:00

Services across England, Scotland and Wales ground to a halt in the strongest show of union strength in a generation.

Schools, courts, museums and job centres were paralysed in the 24-hour strike which also brought extensive disruption to transport, hospitals and government departments.

In Scotland over 300,000 workers took to the streets while in Wales an estimated 170,000 walked out in opposition to the brutal cuts.

Rallies up and down England drew tens of thousands - and received the overwhelming support of the public.

Speaking at a rally in Birmingham TUC general secretary Brendan Barber said: "On this unprecedented day when 30 unions have members taking action together we are sending a crystal-clear message to the government.

"That we are strong, that we are united, and that our campaign will go on until we secure justice and fairness for every public servant."

PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka said: "The government is carrying out a massive raid on pensions which is a reflection of its unrelenting mismanagement of the economy.

"Suffering and misery are a price the government wants us to pay - this is an all-out attack on public services."

ACTU: Foxtel shirking responsibilities

2011-11-28T21:21:00.001+11:00

24 November, 2011 | Media Release

The workers who install home services for pay TV operator Foxtel should have secure jobs and fair pay and conditions in line with Australian workplace standards.

The ACTU is backing a new campaign for secure jobs for pay TV installers, which is launched by the Communications Electrical and Plumbing Union today.

ACTU President Ged Kearney said Foxtel was exploiting its pay TV installers, employing them as individual contractors through a labour hire company, which had recently begun cutting their pay and enforcing fines for taking sick days.

“These workers are victims of the epidemic of insecure employment practices across Australia, which is now affecting 40% of the workforce” Ms Kearney said.

“They are employed as individual sub-contractors, which should allow them the benefits of operating their own small business. But Foxtel does not allow them to work for anyone else and the workers have to be available seven days a week, whether it is busy or not.

“Even worse, the installers invest tens of thousands in equipment to be able to work for Foxtel, but they receive no job security. Many tell us they have not taken a holiday in years, as they can’t afford the time off or fear they won’t be given more work.

“They don’t know if they’ll be working the next day until late afternoon, or how many jobs they will get. This approach is an unfair shift of risk from business to workers and leads to enormous financial insecurity for families.

“Insecure work suits employers because it allows them to shift costs onto workers, and it is spreading into sectors that were once seen as havens for permanent and secure jobs.

“Ten per cent of the Australian workforce – more than a million people – are now contractors, and many of them are vulnerable to exactly the same exploitation. They are treated like employees, but have none of the protections or entitlements that genuine employees receive.

“Foxtel is a respected Australian brand, which should take responsibility for installers’ work conditions rather than hiding behind the cover of downstream contractors, hired through contracting firms Downer and BSA.”

Britain: Unions prepare to protect community

2011-11-28T21:16:00.001+11:00

Len McCluskey General Secretary Unite

Unite meets in Brighton this week in most troubling times for our country.

Faith in the institutions forming the pillars of national life - from the political class to the press - has collapsed.

Fear stalks the global markets, and yet our political leaders seem incapable of steering a course out of the despair.

At home, our government offers no hope to the millions on the dole. Calls from the sensible majority to rein in economic sadism and instead grow the economy go unheeded, while inhuman ideas like slashing benefits and access to employment tribunals take hold.

Our members understandably look to their union to provide a harbour in this storm.

Growing this union is at the core of how we will provide the vibrant opposition to this government working people need. Organising and the 100 per cent drive - priorities for each and every officer - will build Unite into the most formidable force for working people.

Extending the reach of this union informs another Unite initiative - the launch of our community membership.

By getting back into our communities we can remind them our values are theirs too. And if we don't reach out, then who will?

Unite will remain first and above all an organisation representing people at work. But if working people know what Unite is and what we can offer even before they enter or re-enter the workplace, then we become a natural and integral part of the fabric of their lives, from cradle to grave.

We are in the midst of an economic crisis of epic proportions. In the 1970s such crises were blamed wrongly on over-powerful trade unions. Today no-one can deny that it is unregulated, untamed capitalism to blame.

Giving free rein to the greed and drive for profit has brought us to the brink of a second recession.

Unemployment is at its highest for a generation - one million young people out of work and facing a future of despair while child poverty soars once again.

Save Tarkine

2011-11-28T19:38:00.001+11:00

MUA: Aussie Resources, Local Jobs

2011-11-28T11:00:00.001+11:00

Make sure the resource boom benefits Australian workers - not corporate giants!

Say no to Chevron using foreign labour instead of Australians!

Rally with the MUA:
Tues 29th November, 12noon, The Esplanade - Perth Foreshore

Vic: Unions on the march

2011-11-28T10:47:00.001+11:00

As the Victorian Government celebrates a year in office, the state's 23,000-plus public sector workers have issued a bitter birthday demand - cough up with big pay rises or face industrial strife.

Buoyed by the site of thousands of Victorian nurses last week clogging city streets to rally for better pay, a string of other unions today accused the Government of broken promises and massive cuts across the sector.

Unions represented included teachers, ambulance paramedics, child protection workers, disability workers, tertiary education workers and psychiatric workers.

And the state's nurses, seeking an 18.5 per cent pay rise over three years and eight months, were busy preparing for court action in their dispute, according to Victorian Trades Hall Council secretary Brian Boyd.

The Government's public sector wages policy is for 2.5 per cent a year plus productivity improvements.

Australian Education Union Victorian president Mary Bluett said the state police and nurses had led the way in the battle for more pay, and the police win of a 19 per cent overall increase had set the "benchmark" for other unions.

"Right across the public sector and teachers in particular have looked at the outcome for police and certainly we see that as the new benchmark and the very tough stance the nurses have taken and their support they've attracted from the Victorian community, we hope and expect that support will be forthcoming in the event teachers are forced to take industrial action," she said.

Before he was elected to office, now Victorian Premier Ted Baillieu promised the state's teachers would be the highest paid in Australia.

But his first 12 months in government have been marked by big cuts to education and pay rise offers well below the eight per cent Ms Bluett said was being offered to West Australian teachers.

Mr Boyd said the Baillieu government had cut deep right across the public sector, not just teachers.

"In one year, he has already made $2.2 billion worth of cuts to education, health care, emergency services and employment assistance for young people..." he said.

"Victorian unions will not stand by and allow the Baillieu government to tear apart our state services."

Abbott throws away Slipper

2011-11-27T07:23:00.001+11:00

Opposition Leader Tony Abbott has no one to blame but himself for the circumstances that led to the defection of Liberal MP Peter Slipper to the crossbenches, the federal government says.

Government Leader of the House Anthony Albanese said even losing a vote on the floor of the House of Representatives was pretty careless but Mr Abbott had just lost an MP.

Mr Albanese zeroed in on the opposition's hardball approach to the pairing of MPs in the current parliament, under which Mr Abbott has declined to countenance absence of any Labor MP from any vote in the finely balanced parliament, other than in exceptional circumstances.

Under the Australian constitution, the Speaker doesn't get a vote, although the convention has been for the Speaker to be paired with an opposition MP to ensure fairness.

The opposition stance left the government a vote down when Labor's Harry Jenkins was the Speaker.

But with Mr Jenkins's return to the back bench and Mr Slipper's ascension to the speakership, the government has effectively picked up two votes.

Mr Albanese said the government this year had sought an arrangement with the opposition whereby whoever was in the chair wouldn't change the vote on the floor of the House of Representatives.

'Tony Abbott walked away from it,' Mr Albanese told reporters.

'It is Tony Abbott's responsibility completely that he finds himself in this position.'

Pairing is a longstanding practice whereby one side of politics agrees to absent one of its MPs from a vote in parliament when an MP from the other side is also absent.

Mr Abbott has already been blamed for failing to rein in the Queensland Liberal National Party (LNP), which was considering preselecting former Howard government minister Mal Brough in place of Mr Slipper, leaving the longtime Liberal MP with nothing to lose.

Mr Albanese also rejected suggestions that Mr Jenkins had been offered an inducement such as a diplomatic posting to stand aside.

'Harry Jenkins is a person of integrity. He has chosen the path that he's now on to participate as the Labor member for Scullin (in Melbourne),' he said.

'There is no deal with Harry Jenkins. It is what it is.'

Walk Amongst the Union Banners

2011-11-26T16:37:00.001+11:00

Eight Hour Procession 4 October 1909 passing Sydney Town Hall

WA: Heritage under attack

2011-11-23T14:17:00.001+11:00

On 28 October, at Fortesque Metals Group’s (FMG) Solomon Project in the Pilbara, the Yindjibarndi Aboriginal Corporation (YAC) discovered that FMG had desecrated an ochre quarry and destroyed part of a creek where sacred Gandi are found (stones used in initiation rituals). The WA Department of Indigenous Affairs (DIA) and the Aboriginal Cultural Materials Committee (ACMC) were informed of these sites, but no action to halt or mitigate this damage has been taken.

That such damage can occur when YAC has previously provided the DIA with information regarding these sites, is proof positive of the DIA's inability to effectively monitor or enforce the State's heritage protection regime, or stop FMG from desecrating and destroying highly significant heritage and religious sites.

The Yindjibarndi People have appealed to the Hon. Tony Burke (Minister for Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities) to use his power under the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Heritage Protection Act to make an emergency declaration to stop FMG doing more irretrievable damage. “The tragedy is that every moment spent waiting for Mr Burke to act, means more destruction, more knowledge lost,” said Yindjibarndi Aboriginal Corporation CEO, Michael Woodley.

Fresh FMG legal threats against the WA Registrar of Aboriginal Sites, Kathryn Przywolnik, and a deepening crisis surrounding protection of Yindjibarndi heritage from FMG operations, makes Federal intervention more urgent than ever.

Registrar Przywolnik recently informed FMG that its latest section 18 Notice seeking ministerial consent to impact on Yindjibarndi heritage sites is “inadequate”, legally unsafe and should be withdrawn. The Registrar’s decision expresses no confidence in the heritage reporting of FMG in the strongest of terms, and confirms the grave doubts and objections consistently expressed by the YAC.

Poultry workers win equal pay concession

2011-11-23T12:22:00.001+11:00

Chicken workers have won significant restrictions on the use of contract and cash-in-hand labour, with Baiada Poultry agreeing to pay temporary workers the same rates as permanent staff.

The National Union of Workers has said cash-in-hand workers were paid as little as $8 an hour at Baiada in Laverton North, and a mass meeting of workers yesterday welcomed the news of a two-year collective deal with cries of ''no more $10 [an hour]''.

Union organiser Godfrey Moase told workers they would get a 4 per cent annual pay rise, redundancy entitlements would be more than doubled, and all casual and contract labour would be paid at least the minimum site rates.

The agreement is a significant shift from Baiada and the NUW has said nearly half the 430 workforce at Laverton North were contractors, cash-in-hand or temporary labour. Most of the workforce are migrants and yesterday's meeting was translated into Vietnamese.

NUW organiser Tim Gunstone told the meeting that the court action, along with a $1.7 million damages claim against the union, had been dropped as part of the settlement.

Read more:

ACTU: Reckless employers

2011-11-23T12:19:00.000+11:00

22 November, 2011 | ACTU Media Release

Unions have today resolved to vigorously defend workers’ rights against a new wave of employer militancy that is threatening the livelihoods of working Australians.

A meeting of unions in Melbourne today has condemned the antagonistic and counter-productive behaviour of Australian employers emboldened by the Qantas dispute, and pledged to strengthen protections for workers’ rights against being railroaded by aggressive tactics by business.

ACTU President Ged Kearney said the peak body’s Executive had today resolved to seek improvements to the Fair Work Act, including allowing workers better rights to bargain for job security and strengthening access to arbitration in an even-handed manner.

“A new pattern of industrial militancy by employers has emerged following the reckless and disproportionate action of Qantas management to ground its entire fleet and threaten to lock out its workforce last month,” Ms Kearney said.

“This deliberate escalation needlessly disrupted the plans of tens of thousands of passengers and caused enormous damage to the national economy and to Qantas’ reputation. It is of serious concern that Alan Joyce and Qantas management claim to have had other major employers endorse this action.

“It is clear employers have been emboldened by Qantas’ action, in particular Liberal State Governments, including the Baillieu Government in Victoria, which prepared a secret strategy to provoke an escalation of the dispute with the state’s nurses. None of this is in the spirit of bargaining in good faith, as envisaged by the Fair Work Act.

“Productive and co-operative industrial relations are not achieved by declaring war on a company’s workforce and customers. Workers should be able to seek secure jobs and better pay and conditions without threats of lock-outs, big fines or punitive legal action, the use of strike-breakers or thugs to physically disrupt peaceful picket lines, or by other similar tactics.

“Harmonious and productive industrial relations are achieved through genuine negotiation and engagement with workers and their unions, not by making them the enemy. Responsible business and political leaders should disown such tactics as counterproductive in the workplace and contrary to the national interest.”

The ACTU Executive today resolved to pursue explicit reforms in the ALP platform at next month’s national conference to improve the ability of workers to negotiate for secure jobs, and to strengthen the rights of workers to have access to arbitration to settle disputes.

“Secure jobs matter to all workers. With 40% of the workforce in casual, contract or labour hire employment, unions are determined to campaign in workplaces and communities for a better future for these workers.

“We will take this campaign to next week’s ALP Conference and beyond,” Ms Kearney said.

Hacking comes home to roost

2011-11-23T12:04:00.001+11:00

Federal police are investigating allegations that News Ltd offered a then-serving federal senator a ''special relationship'' involving favourable coverage if he crossed the floor on a vote of financial interest to the company.

The investigation was sparked by a statement given to them by the former Nationals senator, Bill O'Chee, who alleges a News Ltd executive said he would be ''taken care of'' if he crossed the floor.

The inquiry has been secret until today due to sensitivities around those involved.Mr O'Chee, a Queensland senator between 1990 and 1999, has had a long and difficult relationship with the Murdoch press, which spent years reporting on his large parliamentary superannuation payout and an acrimonious split with his first wife.

The incident came to light during a recent conversation at an Australian airport between Mr O'Chee and a sitting MP, involving the News of the World phone hacking scandal.

The MP said they doubted anything similar would be unearthed in Australia's independent media inquiry. Mr O'Chee then relayed the incident.

The conversation was brought to the attention of the federal police last month. The matter is being investigated by the special references unit which deals with sensitive political inquiries.

The allegations centre on proposed legislation regarding the creation of digital television in Australia, a bill called the Television Broadcasting Services (Digital Conversion) Act.

Read more:

Stop Canadian Exports of Asbestos

2011-11-22T16:47:00.001+11:00

Friday 25 November 2011

3 pm

Canadian Consulate

111 Harrington St, Sydney

(Behind the Four Seasons Hotel) near Circular Quay Railway Station

Canadian Exports of Asbestos

The ILO has stated that asbestos is the world’s biggest ever industrial killer, with one person dying every five minutes from this fatal fibre. Yet the Canadian asbestos industry continues to be one of the world’s top asbestos exporters, with more than 95% of Canadian produced asbestos being exported; largely to the developing world.

Bans on asbestos imports were planned for introduction in South East Asian at the beginning of 2004. Shamefully these were postponed, following intense lobbying by the asbestos industry, led by Canadian exporters. While asbestos sheeting has been banned in western countries, it is being sold to the impoverished peoples of India and South East Asia as a cheap way to provide housing for their families

Canada can proudly claim to be at the forefront in many areas of social and economic responsibility. It is certainly a very dark stain on that country’s reputation that the Canadian asbestos industry, supported by the Government, has been aggressively targeting the world’s most vulnerable people for its poisonous products.

Friday 25 November is the day of International Mourning for people who have lost their lives as a result of exposure to asbestos.

We ask that all affiliates join with victims of asbestos diseases and their families in a small protest delegation to meet with the Canadian Consul General in opposition to Canadian asbestos exports.
Organised by Australian Manufacturing Workers Union

Gingrich: "Put poor kids to work"

2011-11-22T10:33:00.001+11:00

The comment came in response to an undergrad’s question about income equality during his talk at Harvard’s Kennedy School.

“This is something that no liberal wants to deal with,” Gingrich said. “Core policies of protecting unionization and bureaucratization against children in the poorest neighborhoods, crippling them by putting them in schools that fail has done more to create income inequality in the United States than any other single policy. It is tragic what we do in the poorest neighborhoods, entrapping children in, first of all, child laws, which are truly stupid.

“You say to somebody, you shouldn’t go to work before you’re what, 14, 16 years of age, fine. You’re totally poor. You’re in a school that is failing with a teacher that is failing. I’ve tried for years to have a very simple model,” he said. “Most of these schools ought to get rid of the unionized janitors, have one master janitor and pay local students to take care of the school. The kids would actually do work, they would have cash, they would have pride in the schools, they’d begin the process of rising.”

By combining union bashing with child labor law bashing, Gingrich hits the rightwing daily double.

Remember when children were not “entrapped” by those “stupid” laws?

Himalayan states agree climate pact

2011-11-22T10:07:00.001+11:00

Monday 21 November 2011

Four Himalayan states have agreed to collaborate on ways to combat climate change following a two-day summit in Bhutan.

India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Bhutan were part of the Climate Summit for a Living Himalayas held in Thimphu.

They agreed to work together to increase access to "affordable and reliable" clean energy resources and technology.

The deal also covers ways to adapt and improve food production and help vulnerable communities get better access to nutritious food.

The UN World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) warned today that heat-trapping carbon dioxide concentrations in the air have reached 389 parts per million - the highest concentration since the start of the industrial era in 1750.

Between 1990 and 2010, according to the report, there was a 29% increase in radiative forcing - the warming effect on our climate system - from greenhouse gases. Carbon dioxide accounted for 80% of this increase.

“The atmospheric burden of greenhouse gases due to human activities has yet again reached record levels since pre-industrial time,” said WMO Secretary-General Michel Jarraud. “Even if we managed to halt our greenhouse gas emissions today – and this is far from the case – they would continue to linger in the atmosphere for decades to come and so continue to affect the delicate balance of our living planet and our climate.”

“Now more than ever before, we need to understand the complex, and sometimes unexpected, interactions between greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, Earth’s biosphere and oceans. WMO will continue to collect data to further our scientific knowledge through its Global Atmosphere Watch network spanning more than 50 countries, including stations high in the Andes and Himalayas, in the remote expanses of Alaska and in the far South Pacific,” he said.

Greenhouse gases trap radiation within the Earth’s atmosphere causing it to warm. Human activities, such as fossil fuel burning and agriculture, are major emitters of greenhouse gases which are drivers of climate change. After water vapour, the three most prevalent long-lived greenhouse gases are carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide.

More

VIC: Nurses and midwives vote to continue fight

2011-11-21T23:11:00.001+11:00

ANF: 21 November 2011

Victorian nurses and midwives fighting to save and improve nurse/midwife patient ratios voted this afternoon to continue to fight and take unprotected industrial action across Victoria's public hospitals.

Victorian nurses and midwives fighting to save and improve nurse/midwife patient ratios voted this afternoon to continue to fight and take unprotected industrial action across Victoria's public hospitals.

This afternoon's meeting at Festival Hall in West Melbourne also voted to march to Parliament House on Thursday to call on Premier Baillieu to step in and fix this dispute.

Australian Nursing Federation (Victorian Branch) Lisa Fitzpatrick said: "Minister Davis has forced nurses into this position because he rejected our 4 November olive branch of gentler bans, when nurses and midwives voted to implement paperwork bans and wear T-shirts. This was designed to enable constructive talks and could have avoided bed closures and surgery cancellations from 12 November.

"Minister Davis also rejected His Honour Justice Boulton's proposal for consent arbitration which would have enabled the matters in dispute such as nurse patient ratios, the requirement to have registered and enrolled nurses and shift lengths to be included in that arbitration," Ms Fitzpatrick said.

"The ANF was agreeable to lift the bans and agree to consent arbitration, but Minister Davis rejected the Boulton solution and declared he would only be satisfied with restricted mandatory full arbitration as outlined in the secret plot he signed on 5 May," she said.

"The dispute isn't about wages, if it was we'd achieve a substantial increase, certainly above 2.5 per cent, in forced arbitration. Minister Davis's secret plot acknowledges forced arbitration could deliver significant wage increases to Victorian nurses and midwives. Despite this, Minister Davis is still pushing for forced arbitration demonstrating that more dollars are to be made by abolishing ratios than paying higher wages," she said.

"Nurses and midwives will not trade patient safety for a wage rise. Mandated minimum nurse patient ratios protect patient care," she said.

"Minister Davis has left nurses with no choice. Either they do nothing, retreat and get a 3.5 per cent wage increase and lose nurse patient ratios or they choose to protect their patients by fighting to maintain and improve their nurse patient ratios," Ms Fitzpatrick said.

Conciliation talks between the parties, with the assistance of Commissioner Gooley, resume in Fair Work Australia tomorrow morning.

Important exemptions to the bans are: emergency, neo-natal and paediatric patients, haemodialysis patients, haematology patients, maternity patients, oncology patients, palliative care patients, terminations of pregnancy, intensive care unit, coronary care units, high dependency patients (including medically indicated telemetry) and the Royal Children's Hospital and the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre.

Occupy Wall Street (We're Gonna Stay Right Here) - David Rovics

2011-11-21T20:47:00.001+11:00

Because this is where they buy the politicians

Because this is where power has its seat

Because ninety-nine percent of us are suffering

At the mercy of the madmen on this street

Because all of us are victims of class warfare

Being waged on us by the one percent

Because these greedy banksters rob the country

Leaving us without the means to pay the rent

Because the last time that we had a decent government

Was about 1932

Because we the people are supposed to run the country

But instead it's all run by and for the few

Because now we know the rich do not pay taxes

But when they need a hand it's us who bail them out

Because we suspected we lived in a plutocracy

But suddenly of late there is no doubt

And so we're gonna stay right here (2x)

Because both my parents lost their savings

Because I have never opened an account

Because the interest on my credit card just doubled

And now I can't pay the minimum amount

Because these budget cuts are just immoral

With our schools as overcrowded as they are

Because there are no buses where I live

But I can't afford to drive a car

Because so many of us don't have health insurance

The rest of us have it but it sucks

Because the rich are riding in their private jets

While the rest of us are slogging through the muck

Because capitalism isn't working

This system has just failed to produce

Because the one percent is prospering

While the rest of us just suffer their abuse

Because it has been demonstrated amply

That the winners are the ones who stick around

Because this world should belong to everyone

Not just the banksters who would smash it to the ground

Because we've noticed voting doesn't change things

When the politicians are mostly millionaires

Because we're learning how to stand up like Tunisians

Like they did in Tahrir Square

Where a young man named Mohamed Bouazizi

Struck a match that lit up all the Earth

And all around the world the spell was broken

And a movement for the future was in birth

Because there's only so much sh** the rich can feed us

Before we figure out which side we're on

Because we've learned if we want our liberation

It will come only if we stay here til the rising of the dawn

Because corporations are not people

And we can't just let them choose

Because if we leave our fate to them

Then all of us will surely lose

Because the climate clock is ticking

And we can't just leave our world behind

Because corporate rule isn't working

And it's time for humans' hearts and minds

Because you can't take it with you

Because the rich just do not care

Because it doesn't matter how much you make

But how much you can share

Because these moments don't come often

Because we want truly to be free

Because we know what really matters

Something called society

VIC: NUW Baiada picket

2011-11-21T12:14:00.001+11:00

More than 200 images and video clips taken inside the Baiada Poultry plant in Laverton North show uncovered raw chickens sitting atop plastic bags full of chickens as well as cockroaches inside empty storage containers.

Baiada is one of Australia's biggest chicken producers and a main supplier to Coles in Victoria. It owns brands Steggles and Lilydale and also supplies KFC, Aldi and Woolworths.

A worker, Sarel Singh, was decapitated at the Laverton North plant last year and other safety issues are captured in the images including boxes and crates packed precariously and safety exits blocked by bins.

A picket and blockade at the site today enters its 12th day with the company pushing for stronger police intervention to end it after it won Supreme Court orders against the National Union of Workers and the union's staff. The NUW says nearly half the workforce at Laverton North are engaged as contractors, cash-in-hand workers or from labour hire firms with some paid below minimum wage.

Baiada have rejected the claims, but signed statements by former and current workers allege cash in hand workers are paid as little as $8 an hour. One said he was paid every Friday in cash, received no superannuation and worked with about 50 people engaged in the same way.

Worker Phuoc Dang, who has worked at Baiada for 11 years, yesterday said there had been a large increase in temporary workers, particularly after about 50 staff were made redundant in the middle of the year.

A WorkSafe Victoria spokesman said it was still investigating the 2010 death of Sarel Singh.

Read more

California: Police attack peaceful protest

2011-11-20T19:43:00.001+11:00

As some faculty members called for her ouster, the chancellor of University of California Davis launched an inquiry Saturday into the pepper-spraying of apparently peaceful Occupy Davis protesters by campus police.

A video of the Friday incident that went viral on the Web showed a police officer dousing the protesters with a canister of pepper spray as they sat huddled on the ground. The police had been attempting to clear the university's Quad of tents and campers.

Faculty and students reacted with outrage. Nathan Brown, an assistant professor of English, said in an interview that the episode was the latest example of "the systematic use by UC chancellors of police brutality" to suppress protests.

In an open letter, he wrote: "Without any provocation whatsoever, other than the bodies of these students sitting where they were on the ground, with their arms linked, police pepper-sprayed students. Students remained on the ground, now writhing in pain, with their arms linked."

Chancellor Linda P.B. Katehi initially did not criticize the police, but she said Saturday that she had since watched the video and reviewed more accounts from the scene.

"It left me with a very bad feeling of what went on," Katehi said in a telephone interview. "There was enough information to show that we need to take a serious look at what happened."

She said she authorized police to remove the tents, but not to use the pepper spray in the manner shown on the video. "Absolutely not," she said.

Wage gap increasing

2011-11-18T07:27:00.001+11:00

Peter Martin The Age 18 Nov 2011

Australian men earn on average $13,213 more than women, according to a report, marking the largest gender wage gap in 28 years.

The CommSec report released yesterday also shows that the female wage is just 82.1 per cent of the male wage - the smallest proportion in 25 years. Report author Savanth Sebastian, an economist at CommSec, called the gap ''surprising and alarming''.

''We've known for some time that males have been earning a higher wage than females but the gap seems to be widening at a faster pace,'' he said.

Mr Sebastian said the disparity was partially a factor of the rising demand for labour in male-dominated sectors such as mining and construction. According to the report, Western Australia has the highest average annual wage at just under $80,000.

Dr Jo Lindsay, of the Centre for Women's Studies and Gender Research at Monash University, said she was disappointed to hear the wage gap had reached such a historic point. With increased childcare costs and ''patchy'' support for working mothers, Dr Lindsay said some mothers could not go for the same positions as men.

''Women with children are unable to compete with jobs that are requiring people to spend very long hours in work,'' she said.

''They are also much more likely to go part-time and reduce hours to look after their children while they're young.''

Occupy Wall St - Angela Davis speaks

2011-11-17T15:21:00.001+11:00

In the past, most movements have appealed to specific communities – workers, students, black people, Latinas/Latinos, women, LGBT communities, indigenous people – or they have crystallised around specific issues like war, the environment, food, water, Palestine, the prison industrial complex. In order to bring together people associated with those communities and movements, we have had to engage in difficult coalition-building processes, negotiating the recognition for which communities and issues inevitably strive.

In a strikingly different configuration, this new Occupy Movement imagines itself from the beginning as the broadest possible community of resistance – the 99%, as against the 1%. It is a movement arrayed from the outset against the most affluent sectors of society – big banks and financial institutions, corporate executives, whose pay is obscenely disproportionate to the earnings of the 99%. It seems to me that an issue such as the prison industrial complex is already implicitly embraced by this congregation of the 99%.

Indeed, it can be persuasively argued that the 99% should move to ameliorate the conditions of those who constitute the bottom tiers of this potential community of resistance – which would mean working on behalf of those who have suffered most from the tyranny of the 1%. There is a direct connection between the pauperising effect of global capitalism and the soaring rates of incarceration in the US. Decarceration and the eventual abolition of imprisonment as the primary mode of punishment can help us begin to revitalise our communities and to support education, healthcare, housing, hope, justice, creativity and freedom.

more

NZ Union Busting: Meat workers locked out

2011-11-17T06:40:00.001+11:00

IUF 15 November 2011

Members of the New Zealand Meat Workers Union at CMP ANZCO have been targeted by a particularly vicious form of union busting which is being practiced more and more in IUF sectors across the globe. It works like this: an employer proposes radical changes to terms and conditions in CBA negotiations, then goes through the motions of bargaining with the union while actually just biding time, then locks out the workers in an attempt to force a signature on an essentially non-negotiated agreement.

The NZMWU have been in CBA renegotiations with CMP at its lamb processing plant in the town of Marton in the southwestern part of New Zealand's North Island since April 2011. The company, claiming financial difficulties, has proposed such outrageous cuts in pay, bonuses and allowances and an increase in working time without overtime pay that no agreement could be reached. The proposals amount to cuts of more than 20% in overall pay for workers!

On 3 October, the company issued a lockout notice due to take effect on 19 October unless the union agreed to all their demands for cuts in wages and working conditions and shift pattern changes.

The week before the lockout notice, the company put the workforce on annual leave and used this time to contact workers at home and induce them to sign individual agreements containing the new terms and conditions. In the absence of their union representatives, some 100 workers gave in to this intimidation and signed. These workers were also forced to leave the union before signing the individual agreements.

On 19 October, the remaining 111 workers were locked out.

Sth Korea: Save Jeju Island

2011-11-16T07:49:00.001+11:00

Jeju was recently selected among the New Seven Wonders of Nature, which with its UNESCO triple-crowned status makes the island among the world’s most precious cultural and national treasures. In addition, the marine ecosystem that lines Gureombi is an absolute preservation area designated by the South Korean government because of the many endangered species that inhabit Gureombi, including the red-clawed crab and soft coral. The spring water that bubbles up from Gureombi provides up to 80% of the drinking water for residents of Seogwipo City, the southern half of Jeju Island. The destruction of Gureombi threatens the surrounding marine life and the clean water that farmers and villagers depend upon for their survival.

TCFUA Protest outside The Smith Family

2011-11-15T15:16:00.001+11:00

The Smith Family has been treating a group of its employees particularly poorly. The Textile Clothing and Footwear Union gathered outside The Smith Family's office in Sydney.

ACTU: Sham contracting

2011-11-15T15:14:00.001+11:00

11 November, 2011 | ACTU Media Release

Workplace protections must be strengthened to ensure secure jobs in the wake of a Fair Work Ombudsman’s report that sham contracting is rife across a range of industries.

ACTU President Ged Kearney said the Fair Work Ombudsman’s report confirmed longstanding concerns that employers are avoiding their obligations, including pay and entitlements, by disguising a straightforward employment relationship as a contracting arrangement.

The office of the Fair Work Ombudsman Nicholas Wilson has today released a report based on an investigations of employers in the cleaning, hair and beauty and call centre industries, which found one-in-five engage in sham contracting, a third of them knowingly.

The Ombudsman has already prosecuted a number of employers and is considering further legal action in other cases.

The report found the issue is not limited to these industries, confirming union reports that it is also rife in construction, transport and other sectors.

“Sham contracting is one of the dirty secrets of the modern Australian workplace," Ms Kearney said. “By hiring someone as a contractor, employers manage to avoid their legal responsibilities including pay rates and other entitlements.

“Hiring an employee as a contractor shifts the risk onto the worker and makes it impossible for them to plan for their future because they have little or no job security, slim chance of securing a mortgage and no holiday or sick pay.

"We have cleaners, call centre workers, hairdressers and other workers forced to register an Australian Business Number and be treated as a contractor so their regular employer can avoid giving them decent pay and conditions, and entitlements like superannuation.

“We know that 40% of workers in Australia are engaged as casual, on short-term contracts, in labour hire, or as contractors in work that is unpredictable, uncertain, and that undermines what ordinary Australians need to feel secure in their lives and their communities.

“Insecure work makes it tough on working families, who have less certain incomes, rising fixed household costs, and the shouldering of more and more household debt, and are trying to plan for their future.

Secure jobs are getting harder and harder to find and this is not about improving efficiency or productivity - it is about shifting risks and costs onto workers, to increase profits.

Ms Kearney said unions were aware the problem had become so widespread that there were cases where people had to register for an ABN to get work dropping leaflets in a letterbox.

“Stronger enforcement of existing laws and tougher legislation and penalties are necessary to prevent employers setting up sham contract arrangements, either knowingly or unknowingly.

“The definition of sham contracting needs to be tightened too, to make sure it captures cases where the employer claims it did not deliberately break the law," Ms Kearney said.

Suncorp xmas blow: offshoring jobs

2011-11-15T15:06:00.001+11:00

Suncorp employees in Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria face a bleak Christmas, learning yesterday that their jobs will head offshore in December, said the Finance Sector Union today.

“This is just the beginning of large scale offshoring by Suncorp. I fear we will see an exodus of insurance jobs from Australia unless Suncorp’s plans are halted,” said Acting FSU National Secretary Chris Gambian.

The FSU has received confirmation that jobs and processes within Recovery and Settlements and 50 staff in the Claims Centre Payments team will be the first targeted by Suncorp’s offshoring program.

“We are in the midst of an offshoring epidemic. There is something seriously wrong when some of Australia's biggest, most profitable companies insist they can't afford to keep employing Australians, said Chris Gambian.

“This week one of our biggest banks, Westpac, put offshoring jobs back on the agenda on the same day they announced their biggest ever profit. Suncorp also posted a healthy profit this year but are still determined to cut costs, starting with local jobs. It just doesn’t add up.”

“It comes down to the sort of country we want to live in: do we want to be able to leave the next generation an Australia with good, well-paying jobs, and opportunities to make the best of themselves, or do we want an Australia where the boss' bottom line is the only thing that matters?” said Chris Gambian.
“What is really at stake is the kind of Australia we want for ourselves and our families.”

The FSU will work with Suncorp and any members affected to maximise redeployment opportunities, and the union will continue its public campaign to keep Suncorp jobs in Australia.

Equal Pay: Historic win

2011-11-11T08:45:00.000+11:00

10 November, 2011 | ACTU Media Release

Decades of undervaluation of the work of women will be overcome following the Labor Government’s historic commitment to fund pay rises for 150,000 social and community sector workers.

ACTU President Ged Kearney said today’s announcement by Prime Minister Julia Gillard was a landmark day for the thousands of social and community sector (SACS) workers, who do important but traditionally undervalued work for the community’s benefit.

“Today’s commitment from the government to fund its share of pay rises averaging 20% and up to 33% in some cases for social and community sector workers is an historic milestone on the road towards true equal pay,” Ms Kearney said.

“It is a win for those workers and their unions who have been determined to gain wage justice in the SACS industry.

“We are talking about workers who are mostly women and who look after the homeless, the disabled, refugees, domestic violence victims, children at risk and other vulnerable people in our society.

“This is difficult and demanding work, yet this female-dominated industry is one of the lowest paid in Australia because it has been historically viewed as ‘women’s work’.

“This has been a major reason why the gender pay gap remains at 18%, despite the right to equal pay for equal work being enshrined in law several decades ago.

“The skills and professional judgement of these 200,000 workers deserve to be recognised and properly valued.

“This shows the equal remuneration provisions work in really delivering on the promise of equal pay. Equal pay is a workplace right and a human right, so unions welcome the Government’s commitment to redress the inequity that has occurred for too long for these women.

“And now that the Federal Government has committed to funding equal pay it is time for those state and territory governments who have not already done so to follow.

“The $2 billion commitment from the Government is carefully structured over a six year period, after negotiations with the Australian Services Union and other unions.

“It is not okay to pay one group of workers less than another doing work of comparable value simply because one group of workers is women.

“It is time all governments acknowledged that and commit to funding their share.”

UnionsNSW: Govt slashes and trashes Police conditions

2011-11-11T07:49:00.001+11:00

The State Government's changes to the Police Death and Disability Scheme both slashes conditions for injured officers and trashes their right to appeal to an independent umpire.

The Government yesterday moved an urgency motion to rush the laws through parliament in the current session, despite the Police Association's request for negotiation and consultation.
Unions NSW Secretary, Mark Lennon said the move was an attempt to silence debate and rush through laws that undermine the rights and conditions of injured front line officers.

"The workplace umpire, the NSW Industrial Relations Commission, will be completely sidelined, giving injured police officers no avenue to have their compensation determined by an independent umpire," Mr Lennon said.

"These laws rip away at the basic rights of front line officers who are injured in the line of duty.

"Once again, the State Government has confused its role of employer and regulator. As an employer it has to understand basic principles of justice, and acknowledge the right of employees to have their workplace conditions decided by an independent umpire."

"The NSW Industrial Relations Commission is not the personal plaything of the NSW Government."
Mr Lennon called on MPs to support the withdrawal of the legislation.

"Police officers do demanding work every day. As a community, the least we can do is allow their perspectives to be heard before the parliament undermines their death and disability scheme."

AFL-CIO: Workers make history in Ohio

2011-11-10T08:19:00.000+11:00

I’m in Ohio right now, where working families just won an incredible victory.

Ohioans overwhelmingly voted to repeal Senate Bill 5—Gov. John Kasich’s attack on middle-class jobs that was designed to destroy collective bargaining rights in Ohio.

We pieced together a short, powerful video summing up the amazing energy that went into this. I hope you’ll take a moment to watch:

Tonight’s victory represents a turning point in our collective work to protect good jobs, working families and workplace rights. But it’s more than that. It’s a long-overdue return to common sense.

From the very beginning of our jobs crisis, anti-worker politicians like Ohio’s Gov. Kasich have used our poor economy to push a cynical political agenda that favors the richest 1 percent at the expense of the 99 percent. Today, Ohio voters rejected that agenda.

During this campaign, firefighters, nurses, teachers and other public employees were joined by construction workers, bakery workers and all kinds of private-sector workers. They came together to ensure the survival of the middle class. And together, we’ll keep doing it. Politicians who side with the richest 1 percent will find their radical efforts stopped by working people who want America to work for everyone.

This is our moment, and we won with solidarity. We won because the working people of Ohio—public and private sector, union and nonunion—stood together.

But the solidarity went even further than that: Volunteers traveled not just from neighboring Wisconsin—but from states as far away as California and New York—to help get out the vote. And activists from dozens of states as far away as Alaska gave up their nights and weekends to call Ohio voters from home.

Solidarity means that when workers anywhere are under attack, we will all do whatever we can to help. It means we’re in it together.

I hope you’ll celebrate this moment in your own way. But the most important thing is to find a way to keep your own energy going and growing—so you can be a part of sustaining and growing our movement for all working people—the 99 percent.

This fight we’ve taken on and won—and the threats we face going forward—are about more than Democrats or Republicans, or 2012 battleground states. They are about good jobs and our right to a voice on the job.

Together, we're building a new kind of politics. A politics that works for the 99 percent, not just the 1 percent.

We’ve got to start getting ready now to win tomorrow’s victories. Over time—together—we’ll build a future that works for working America.

Thank you for being a part of this movement, and for all you do for America’s workers.

In Solidarity,

Richard L. Trumka
President, AFL-CIO

P.S. America is waking up. Here’s one big reason we won in Ohio—people can see that the firefighters, teachers, nurses and snowplow drivers hurt by SB 5 didn’t cause our economic problems. Wall Street did. Ohio voters saw through Senate Bill 5—they understood it was a plan to make the 99 percent bear the burden of Wall Street’s recklessness—and that it would do nothing to create jobs.

Al Gore: "A Historic Moment"

2011-11-09T17:03:00.001+11:00

"This is a historic moment. Australia's Parliament has put the nation's first carbon price into law. With this vote, the world has turned a pivotal corner in the collective effort to solve the climate crisis. This success is the result of the tireless work of an unprecedented coalition that came together to support the legislation, the leadership of Prime Minister Gillard, and the courage of legislators to take a vote that helps to safeguard the future of all Australians.

I have spent enough time in Australia to know that their spirit of independence as a people cannot be underestimated. As the world’s leading coal exporter, there’s no doubt that opposition to this legislation was fierce. But through determination and commitment, the voice of the people of Australia has rung out loud and clear.

Today, we celebrate. Tomorrow, we do everything we can to ensure that this legislation is successful."

- Al Gore, November 2011

Vic: Govt plans hospitals lock out

2011-11-09T08:53:00.000+11:00

The Age 09 November

Victorian public hospitals have received detailed advice on how to conduct a Qantas-style lockout of nurses, and to consider using a strike-breaking workforce in the event of industrial unrest.

The advice to hospitals, from a group representing them in industrial negotiations, also told managers they should photograph protesting nurses and record the number plates of any potential organisers of unlawful industrial action.

The lengthy ''private and confidential'' advice was sent by the Victorian Hospitals Industrial Association last week and includes a range of form letters that employers would give to workers if they locked them out.

There are also prepared ''scripts'' on how to tell nurses they have been stood down or will not be paid if they engage in partial work bans.

Australian Nursing Federation state secretary Lisa Fitzpatrick said the planning for a lockout was an ''amazing'' over-reaction to any industrial action nurses might take, and could result in hospitals being closed by employer industrial action.

''It's a total lack of appreciation and understanding of who nurses are and what we do,'' Ms Fitzpatrick said. ''Nurses stayed at work while their pay was being docked when taking industrial action during the 2007 campaign.''

Ms Fitzpatrick said the approach seemed to be to ''put the fear of god into nurses'' and to encourage a ''rogue employer'' to do a lockout.

Robin Hood Tax at G20

2011-11-08T15:11:00.000+11:00

At the G20 last week, a growing group of G20 countries including South Africa, Argentina and Brazil joined with France, Germany and Spain to back the Robin Hood Tax. The link between the Robin Hood Tax and fighting poverty and climate change became clearer than ever.

Momentum is building and leaves leaders who opposed the tax looking increasingly isolated and protecting the interests of a privileged few in the financial sector. Australia continues to oppose global collaboration on financial transaction taxes. Julia Gillard and Wayne Swan missed this opportunity to join international efforts to tackle market instability and ensure that essential international and domestic social services are appropriately funded.

As expected, Bill Gates presented an excellent report calling for a ‘Robin Hood Tax’ on financial transactions to raise much-needed money for poor countries struggling to cope with the economic crisis and climate change. Bill Gates’ report is a game changer – it shows that a tax is both feasible and desirable but crucially that countries can no longer hide behind the excuse that financial transaction taxes needs to be global to work.

We are now part of a movement of millions. From church services in St. Paul’s to nurses on Wall Street, people everywhere are saying enough is enough. A Robin Hood Tax remains the best option on the table to start making the financial sector work for people, not just for profit.

The extraordinary actions of people around the world mean this fight can be won. Nurses had travelled all the way to Cannes from South Korea, Spain, Ireland and America with one simple message: enough is enough, and to ask governments to do what they do everyday – put people, not profit first with a Robin Hood Tax. A glimpse of their determination came in a story told away from the media spotlight. One nurse visited her progressive Congressman to ask him to support the tax, and got the response ‘you nurses, you should lower your ambition.’ She replied: ‘Would you like me to do that when you come in for heart surgery?’

Tim Noonan of the International Trade Union Congress presented at the G20 and went straight to the heart of the argument, saying “Governments should have a contract with their people, not with the banks. When you strip away the technical arguments about derivatives, high frequency trading and credit default swaps, it really is simple: a tiny tax on some of the richest people in the world that could raise billions to help the poorest.”

More Murdoch hacks

2011-11-08T13:27:00.000+11:00

The Guardian UK

The News of the World hired a specialist private investigator to run covert surveillance on two of the lawyers representing phone-hacking victims as part of an operation to put pressure on them to stop their work.

The investigator secretly videoed Mark Lewis and Charlotte Harris as well as family members and associates. Evidence suggests it was part of an attempt to gather evidence for false smears about their private lives.

The News of the World also took specialist advice in an attempt to injunct Lewis to prevent him representing the victims of hacking and tried to persuade one of his former clients to sue him.

The surveillance of Lewis and Harris occurred during the past 18 months, when Rupert Murdoch's son James was executive chairman of the paper's parent company, News International. He is due to give a second round of evidence to a House of Commons select committee on Thursday, and is likely to face intense questioning about the quality of his leadership.

Neither lawyer would comment but friends say they are furious at what they see as an attempt at "blackmail" and are considering suing the News of the World for breach of privacy. They have previously had to reassure clients that their private lives would not be exposed if they dared to sue the paper.

A News International spokesperson said : "News International's enquiries have led the company to believe that Mark Lewis and Charlotte Harris were subject to surveillance. While surveillance is not illegal, it was clearly deeply inappropriate in these circumstances. This action was not condoned by any current executive at the company."

Fiji: Fascist laws

2011-11-08T13:17:00.002+11:00

The rights of Fijian workers have deteriorated further following the start of a draconian decree that effectively bans collective bargaining.

ACTU President Ged Kearney said the Essential Industries Employment Decree, which came into full effect yesterday, denied workers of many fundamental rights, including to freely organise or collectively bargain.

“This is yet another example of the continued attack on workers’ rights by the Fiji military Government,” Ms Kearney said.

“Australian unions are increasingly concerned at what appears to be a systematic campaign of persecution by the Fijian Government of workers and their representatives.”

The decree’s implementation comes immediately after Fijian Trades Union Congress President Daniel Urai was charged with sedition and accused of political violence, and follows the arrest of FTUC Secretary Felix Anthony.

“Unions are among the few Fijian institutions still able to campaign for democracy and human rights, which appears to be why they are being targeted by Fiji military leaders.

“The detention of union officials in recent weeks is evidence of the Government’s repression and Australian unions are concerned that other Fijian union activists have been forced to go into hiding with their families.”

The restrictions on worker rights under the Essential National Industries Employment Decree include:

Banning unions from representing workers in negotiating collective bargaining outcomes;
Making void all current collective agreements;
Banning overtime payments, including for weekend work, work on days off, and work on public holidays;
Removing minimum wages, terms and conditions of work in designated industries;
Banning all strikes, slowdowns, or any action that may negatively impact the employer;
Requiring that all members, office bearers, officers and executives of the union shall be employees of the designated company.

Ms Kearney called on Australian companies operating in Fiji, including ANZ and Westpac banks, to publicly denounce the Government’s decree and commit to workplace rights consistent with International Labour Organisation obligations.

“Australian companies cannot wash their hands of the repression, while continuing to profit from the labour of Fijians,” Ms Kearney said.

Canberra: Carbon tax passes Senate

2011-11-08T13:04:00.002+11:00

Tuesday 8 November 2011

The Federal Government's carbon pricing legislation has been passed by the Senate, clearing the way for the plan to take effect from the middle of next year.

After two failed attempts, months of negotiations, and many hours of parliamentary debate, the Government and Greens used their numbers in the Senate to force a final vote.

For the first time, Australia will have a price on carbon. This will create incentives to reduce pollution and invest in clean energy.

The legislation represents important environment and economic reforms for Australia. The reforms will ensure that Australia plays its responsible part in global efforts to tackle climate change, and also ensures that Australia reduces its carbon pollution in the most economically efficient manner and includes extensive measures to support jobs and competitiveness.

Australia is one of the top 20 polluting countries in the world. Scientists advise the world is warming and that high levels of carbon pollution risk environmental and economic damage. Taking action sooner rather than later means the transition to a clean energy future can be more gradual, manageable and affordable.

Qantas: Senator Xenophon’s Speech

2011-11-08T10:44:00.001+11:00

Senator Xenophon’s Speech in Parliament - Hansard 23Aug11

I rise to speak tonight on an issue that is close to the hearts of many Australians, and that is the future of our national carrier, Qantas. At 90, Qantas is the world's oldest continuously running airline. It is an iconic Australian company. Its story is woven into the story of Australia and Australians have long taken pride in the service and safety standards provided by our national carrier. Who didn't feel a little proud when Dustin Hoffman uttered the immortal line in Rain Man, 'Qantas never crashed'?

While it is true that Qantas never crashes, the sad reality is that Qantas is being deliberately trashed by management in the pursuit of short-term profits and at the expense of its workers and passengers. For a long time, Qantas management has been pushing the line that Qantas international is losing money and that Jetstar is profitable. Tonight, it is imperative to expose those claims for the misinformation they are. The reality is that Qantas has long been used to subsidise Jetstar in order to make Jetstar look profitable and Qantas look like a burden. In a moment, I will provide detailed allegations of cost-shifting that I have sourced from within the Qantas Group, and when you know the facts you quickly see a pattern. When there is a cost to be paid, Qantas pays it, and when there is a profit to be made, Jetstar makes it.

But first we need to ask ourselves: why? Why would management want Qantas to look unprofitable? Why would they want to hide the cost of a competing brand within their group, namely Jetstar, in amongst the costs faced by Qantas?

To understand that, you need to go back to the days when Qantas was being privatised. When Qantas was privatised the Qantas Sale Act 1992 imposed a number of conditions, which in turn created a number of problems for any management group that wanted to flog off parts of the business. Basically, Qantas has to maintain its principal place of operations here in Australia, but that does not stop management selling any subsidiaries, which brings us to Jetstar.

Qantas has systematically built up the low-cost carrier at the expense of the parent company. I have been provided with a significant number of examples where costs which should have been billed back to Jetstar have in fact been paid for by Qantas. These are practices that I believe Qantas and Jetstar management need to explain. For example, when Jetstar took over the Cairns-Darwin-Singapore route, replacing Qantas flights, a deal was struck that required Qantas to provide Jetstar with $6 million a year in revenue. Why? Why would one part of the business give up a profitable route like that and then be asked to pay for the privilege? Then there are other subsidies when it comes to freight. On every sector Jetstar operates an A330, Qantas pays $6,200 to $6,400 for freight space regardless of actual uplift. When you do the calculations, this turns out to be a small fortune. Based on 82 departures a week, that is nearly half-a-million dollars a week or $25 million a year.

Then there are the arrangements within the airport gates. In Melbourne, for example, my information from inside the Qantas group is that Jetstar does not pay for any gates, but instead Qantas domestic is charged for the gates. My question for Qantas management is simple: are these arrangements replicated right around Australia and why is Qantas paying Jetstar's bills? Why does Qantas lease five check-in counters at Sydney Terminal 2, only to let Jetstar use one for free? It has been reported to me that there are other areas where Jetstar's costs magically become Qantas's costs. For example, Jetstar does not have a treasury department and has only one person in government affairs. I am told Qantas's legal department also does free work for Jetstar.

Then there is the area of disruption handling where flights are cancelled and people need to be rebooked. Here, insiders tell me, Qantas handles all rebookings and the traffic is all one way. It is extremely rare for a Qantas passenger to be rebooked on a Jetstar flight, but Jetstar passengers are regularly rebooked onto Qantas flights. I am informed that Jetstar never pays Qantas for the cost of those rebooked passengers and yet Jetstar gets to keep the revenue from the original bookings. This, I am told, is worth millions of dollars every year. So Jetstar gets the profit while Qantas bears the costs of carriage. It has also been reported to me that when Qantas provides an aircraft to Jetstar to cover an unserviceable plane, Jetstar does not pay for the use of this plane.

Yet another example relates to the Qantas Club. Jetstar passengers can and do use the Qantas Club but Jetstar does not pay for the cost of any of this. So is Qantas really losing money? Or is it profitable but simply losing money on paper because it is carrying so many costs incurred by Jetstar? We have been told by Qantas management that the changes that will effectively gut Qantas are necessary because Qantas international is losing money but, given the inside information I have just detailed, I would argue those claims need to be reassessed.

Indeed, given these extensive allegations of hidden costs, it would be foolish to take management's word that Qantas international is losing money. So why would Qantas want to make it look like Qantas international is losing money? Remember the failed 2007 private equity bid by the Allco Finance Group. It was rejected by shareholders, and thank goodness it was, for I am told that what we are seeing now is effectively a strategy of private equity sell-off by stealth.

Here is how it works. You have to keep Qantas flying to avoid breaching the Qantas Sale Act but that does not stop you from moving assets out of Qantas and putting them into an airline that you own but that is not controlled by the Qantas Sale Act. Then you work the figures to make it appear as though the international arm of Qantas is losing money. You use this to justify the slashing of jobs, maintenance standards and employment of foreign crews and, ultimately, the creation of an entirely new airlines to be based in Asia and which will not be called Qantas. The end result? Technically Qantas would still exist but it would end up a shell of its former self and the Qantas Group would end up with all these subsidiaries it can base overseas using poorly paid foreign crews with engineering and safety standards that do not match Australian standards. In time, if the Qantas Group wants to make a buck, they can flog these subsidiaries off for a tidy profit. Qantas management could pay the National Boys Choir and the Australian Girls Choir to run to the desert and sing about still calling Australia home, but people would not buy it. It is not just about feeling good about our national carrier—in times of trouble our national carrier plays a key strategic role. In an international emergency, in a time of war, a national carrier is required to freight resources and people around the country and around the world. Qantas also operates Qantas Defence Services, which conducts work for the RAAF. If Qantas is allowed to wither, who will meet these strategic needs?

I pay tribute to the 35,000 employees of the Qantas Group. At the forefront of the fight against the strategy of Qantas management have been the Qantas pilots, to whom millions of Australians have literally entrusted their lives. The Australian and International Pilots Association sees Qantas management strategy as a race to the bottom when it comes to service and safety. On 8 November last year (2010), QF032 experienced a serious malfunction with the explosion of an engine on an A380-800 aircraft. In the wrong hands, that plane could have crashed. But it did not, in large part because the Qantas flight crew had been trained to exemplary world-class standards and knew how to cope with such a terrifying reality. I am deeply concerned that what is being pursued may well cause training levels to fall and that as a result safety standards in the Qantas Group may fall as well. AIPA pilots and the licensed aircraft engineers are not fighting for themselves; they are fighting for the Australian public. That is why I am deeply concerned about any action Qantas management may be considering taking against pilots who speak out in the public interest.

A lot of claims have been made about the financial state of Qantas international but given the information I have presented tonight, which has come from within the Qantas Group, I believe these claims by management are crying out for further serious forensic investigation. Qantas should not be allowed to face death by a thousand cuts—job cuts, route cuts, quality cuts, engineering cuts, wage cuts. None of this is acceptable and it must all be resisted for the sake of the pilots, the crews, the passengers and ultimately the future of our national carrier.

Fortescue: Yindjibarndi sacred site

2011-11-08T08:37:00.000+11:00

The Yindjibarndi Aboriginal Corporation (YAC) is calling on Federal Minister, Tony Burke, to invoke emergency powers to stop the destruction by Fortescue Metals Group (FMG) of Yindjibarndi sacred sites and ‘living heritage’ areas that date back thousands of years.

YAC has received evidence showing FMG forced heritage consultants to change a heritage report about the significance of the area by threatening to withhold payments on their invoices.

On 23 October YAC representatives travelled to FMG's Firetail lease (Solomon Project) to check on the safety of their sites, but were barred by FMG security guards for “safety reasons”, because a blasting program was under way. On 28 October Michael Woodley and other senior Yindjibarndi Lawmen took time out from Birdarra ceremonies to travel into the area, avoiding FMG checkpoints. To their horror they found the landscape mutilated and sites damaged.

FMG’s conduct is a direct assault on the 40,000 year-old traditions and heritage of the Yindjibarndi people and contravenes the most fundamental international human rights covenants. These actions show FMG conduct to be unethical and in breach of the State Aboriginal Heritage Act.

Mr Woodley said, “The world threw up its arms in horror when the Taliban blew up Buddhist statues in Afghanistan. How will Australia respond to desecration of our cultural sites that date back tens of thousands of years, right here, under their noses?”

This Wednesday 9 November, Mr Woodley will be seeking leave to directly address shareholders and investors at FMG’s AGM, to present evidence of their appalling conduct and to ask that the Fortescue board and executive be held to account, and ordered to abide by basic business ethics.

(FMG AGM Venue: Hyatt Regency Perth, 99 Adelaide Terrace, East Perth 11.00AM)

Qantas bats for the 1%

2011-11-07T11:15:00.002+11:00

Nobel Laureate Joseph Stiglitz in an essay on the subject of inequality in the May 2011 issue of Vanity Fair writes:

"The top 1% have the best houses, the best educations, the best doctors, and the best lifestyles, but there is one thing that money doesn't seem to have bought: an understanding that their fate is bound up with how the other 99% live. Throughout history, this is something that the top 1% eventually do learn. Too late."

Stiglitz is concerned about the 1% of the population in the United States who take home almost 25% of the nation's income; who control 40% of the nation's wealth.

--------------------------------

Alan Joyce, the chief executive of Qantas, in the news over a shock lockout of airline employees and grounding of the fleet thought to have cost the airline millions of dollars, has trimmed the Aussie carrier of more than 1000 workers this year. His ostensible reason?

The airline is uncompetitive and losing money - $200 million a year in its international operations, he says.

In fact, across the entirety of its activities, Qantas is one of the more competitive airlines in the world and last year earned profits of $552 million. So from its perspective, the board of directors could justify rewarding Mr Joyce, even as industrial relations in the company reached a new low.

As the chief executive played hardball over staff conditions and remuneration, they awarded him a 71% salary increase - to $A5 million.

The ordinary folk whose daily grind keeps the airline in the air - from pilots to cabin crew and ground staff - were not amused. Who can blame them?

The boss destroys the livelihood of hundreds of workers and tries to materially downgrade that of thousands of others and is rewarded extravagantly by "the system" for so doing.

No wonder people are increasingly inclined to question "the system".

Otago Daily Times 2 November 2011

Overcoming Adversity: The Australian Refugee Story

2011-11-07T00:03:00.000+11:00

A Blue Mountains Refugee Support Group Forum
A project of the Family Support Service Inc.

FORUM GOAL
That the humanity of Australian refugees lives is understood and their considerable contribution to Australian society appreciated.
__________________________________________________________________________________________
MC
Adam Searle, MLC, barrister, former Blue Mountains Mayor and with a track record as a fair, firm and impartial chair

WELCOME TO COUNTRY
David King from the Gundungurra indigenous people. David will also give his view
on the refugee issue.
__________________________________________________________________________________________
WHERE AND WHEN
Date: 12 November 2011, Time: 2:00 pm to 5.00 pm. Location: Mid Mountains
Neighbourhood Centre, 9 New St Lawson, a 5 minute walk from Lawson train
station. Signs will be put up to assist people find the place. Entry: $5
__________________________________________________________________________________________
SPEAKERS
Professor Glenda Sluga:
Glenda Sluga is Professor of International History at the University of Sydney. How on earth did she end up there? Her parents were classic beneficiaries of a postwar immigration program targetted at refugees of the European war, albeit in the early 1950s when immigration had become much more blatantly about labour, and
less pedantically about Northern European and Aryan types. They came from a rural part of Slovenia, then in Yugoslavia and near the border with Italy. In her presentation she will talk about what she learnt from her early work on the history of Australian immigration, and set the current refugee debates in much needed comparative and historical context.

Professor Kevin Dunn
Kevin Dunn is Professor in Human Geography and Urban Studies, and commenced this position at UWS in May 2008. He was formerly at the University of NSW (1995-2008), and the University of Newcastle (1991-1995). His areas of research include:
immigration and settlement; Islam in Australia; the geographies of racism; and local government and multiculturalism. He teaches cultural and social geography, migration and urban studies.
Recent books include Landscapes: Ways of Imagining the World (2003) and Introducing Human Geography: Globalisation, Difference and Inequality (2000).

Dr Sanjugta Vas Dev
Sanjugta has over ten years experience in research on issues pertaining to refugees. She has a deep interest in the way that refugees interact with and impact on their hosting community and the ways that they contribute to community life at an economic and social level. She was a lead researcher to the recent report "A Significant Contribution: The Economic, Social and Civic Contributions of First and Second Generation Humanitarian
Entrants" commissioned by the Department of Immigration and Citizenship, and authored by Professor Grame Hugo. Sanjugta completed her PhD dissertation on the role of refugee advocacy organisations in Australia and
Malaysia. She currently works for the Government of South Australia.

Cyril OConner
Cyril, 39, was the immediate past manager of the House of Welcome, a project of the NSW Ecumenical Council, which provides essential services to asylum seekers and refugees who are in real need, and are often at immediate risk of homelessness and destitution. Cyril grew up during a time when Ireland had serious
economic and political problems. He said With a Catholic upbringing and a country in distress it was not surprising that I developed a social justice conscience. A humble man with a big heart who has worked like a Trojan with asylum seekers.

Eh Say Aung
Eh Say is a Karen refugee who came to Australia in 2007 via the official humanitarian program. Prior to his arrival he spent ten years in Them Hin Refugee Camp on the Thai Burma border. He is now working in Sydney. Eh Say will talk about his journey and his new life in Australia.
________________________________________________________________________________________
Entertainment : The Mudlarks, the popular Blue Mountains based all women choir, will perform contemporary, folk and traditional songs from their cappella harmonies repertoire.
_________________________________________________________________________________________
Organisers Say:
Credible polling had consistently shown negative attitudes towards asylum seekers, especially boat arrivals. Many thought they were queue jumpers, who at best should only be given temporary stays. Remarkably, a number of Greens voters expressed this type of view. Politicians paid heed and, in the hysteria that has
followed, everyone has forgotten the great contribution that refugees have and continue to make to Australia. A reminder was needed and we hope the forum will be a valuable contribution towards that.
Ilan Salbe
More info: BMRSG website www.bmrsg.org.au or contact Ilan Salbe
(isalbe@bigpond.com or 0408 258 984) or Marie Standen 4751-2120 or
mstanden@pnc.com.au

VIC: Government plan to dud nurses

2011-11-06T22:53:00.001+11:00

The Baillieu government has developed a secret plan to goad the state's nurses into industrial action so it can force them into arbitration, cut nurse numbers and replace them at hospital bedsides with low-skilled ''health assistants''.

The secret government document outlines an aggressive approach to achieving its policy - by deliberately frustrating pay negotiations - prompting claims from the nurses' union secretary Lisa Fitzpatrick of ''duplicity''.

A cabinet-in-confidence submission, signed by Health Minister David Davis in May and leaked to The Sunday Age, confirms that the government had detailed plans to cut the annual nursing budget by $104 million.

In order to make the savings, the government planned to make nurse-patient ratios - currently one nurse is rostered on for every four patients - more flexible; replace some nurses with low-paid, low-skilled ''health assistants''; reduce the ratio of university-qualified nurses on wards; and introduce shorter shifts and split shifts.

Mr Davis's submission reveals that in return for these cuts, which amount to 4 per cent of the nurses' wage budget, nurses would get a pay rise of just 3.5 per cent per year. Police recently received a 4.7 per cent pay rise.

The government appears determined to pursue its policy despite its submission acknowledging that interstate nurses ''receive significantly higher pay rates'' than Victorian nurses.

Negotiations for the new agreement began in September, and on Friday nurses voted to give themselves the ability to take legally protected industrial action from Thursday.

The government's aim, revealed in the submission, is to have the crisis continue to a point whereby the industrial tribunal, Fair Work Australia, is either called in or steps in because negotiations have broken down and the nurses' action is deemed harmful to public welfare.

This would force both parties into arbitration, where the government's push to reduce nurses' conditions is likely to be successful because the tribunal is not permitted under the constitution to tell states the ''number, identity or appointment'' of the workforce they employ.

Read more

G20 farce

2011-11-05T18:00:00.000+11:00

Leaders of the world's biggest economies wound up the G20 summit in Cannes today without having come to an agreement on steps to counteract the deepening economic crisis.

Attempts to address the deepening financial problems in the US and European Union reached a consensus that the resources of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) should be boosted - but no deal on how or when, with French President Nicolas Sarkozy saying the G20 could look at the question again in February.

European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso said that increasing IMF resources would help countries around the world - "not just the eurozone" - but the emerging economies which might provide extra funds remained sceptical.

China in particular has shown a preference in recent years for bilateral deals which bypass the Western-dominated institution.

The summit's final communique suggested that the IMF set up a separate fund for assistance to the eurozone so that countries which do not wish to contribute can avoid doing so.

The US, which is itself grappling with recession, opposed the prospect of its IMF contributions being used to bail out European governments.

Investors in the European Financial Stability Facility - the so-called "bailout fund" - were even harder to find, with German Chancellor Angela Merkel admitting that no non-eurozone countries had shown any interest in it.

China, Russia and Brazil suggested that any assistance for Europe would have to be channelled through alternative routes which allowed them a greater say in how loans were spent.

Eurozone chiefs had pinned their hopes on a Chinese buy-up of sovereign debt but Chinese leaders are wary of a plan lambasted in the country's media as "the poor rescuing the rich."

Many Chinese economists hold that China would have little chance of recovering money invested in Europe.

USA: Golden Gate picket

2011-11-05T00:27:00.001+11:00

Need for international unions

2011-11-04T13:43:00.001+11:00

SMH 04 November 2011 by Piergiorgio Moro
....

Not surprisingly, the Qantas dispute is not an isolated case. It is part of an overall push by airlines in the region to reduce costs by decreasing the wages and conditions of their workers via casualisation and outsourcing. In the past year we have seen similar issues at play at Philippines Airlines, Garuda Airlines, and Malaysia Airlines. At Philippines Airlines, about 2500 workers have now been on strike for more than a month over the issue of outsourcing their jobs.

By striving to be internationally competitive, airline companies have embarked on a global "race to the bottom" in terms of pay and conditions for their workforce.

For Qantas employees, this is becoming a new reality. Qantas is no longer just the iconic Australian brand. Qantas is an international company that may have its headquarters in Australia but resides in many countries.

For workers, there is only one way forward in order to defend their wages and conditions. Workers and unions will need to emulate companies like Qantas and go global as well. Unions will need to be able to work, organise and bargain at the international level, exactly the same as the companies that employ workers.

Unions will need to organise new standards and structures so that workers can receive the same pay for the same work, can have the same conditions and benefits regardless of the city, state or country in which they live. This will undercut the companies' relentless search for cheap labour as the labour costs will be equalised across various countries. The result will be that jobs will not be outsourced to the country that has the least organised and cheapest workforce, but will instead be located where they are most suited.

This new type of organising will not be easy to implement, but the constant pressures of globalisations will make this inevitable. The only question is whether we, as unionists, are going to make this transition ourselves, when our forces are still strong, or will we be forced, once our present structures have proved inadequate.

The maritime unions, under the auspice of the International Transport Federation (ITF), have shown the way. The ITF has established an international minimum wage for seafarers, regardless of what country they are from, or in which country their ship is registered in. The Maritime Union of Australia has successfully blocked international ships while in port until the wages of the ships' sailors were paid in full.

Creating trade unions in the 1800s was not easy, but it was done. Trade unions over the years have shown an incredible ability to adapt. The time to change is upon us again. The alternative of having no trade unions, for workers to be un-organised, is too grim to bear.

Boost to Superannuation

2011-11-02T23:10:00.003+11:00

The average Australian will be $108,000 better off when they retire, under laws introduced to parliament today that boost the superannuation guarantee to 12%, Unions NSW Secretary Mark Lennon said.

Unions have campaigned for the boost to retirement savings and have welcomed today's introduction of the legislation.

"Boosting the superannuation guarantee from nine to 12 per cent will make a massive difference to working Australians by significantly improving the quality of their retirement savings," Mr Lennon said.

"Without this increase, three quarters of Australians would rely on the Age Pension in some form to boost their retirement income. With an ageing population, that's a real concern.

"These reforms are crucial and the Government deserves to be congratulated for their introduction."

Mr Lennon said broader economic benefits would flow from increasing the superannuation guarantee.

"Let's not forget that superannuation provides an ever expanding pool of national savings for the Australian economy," Mr Lennon said.

"Those savings provided an important ballast for the Australia during the global financial crisis and will continue to improve the nation's economic foundations in the decades to come."

Qantas updates

2011-11-02T22:58:00.001+11:00

Labor senator Doug Cameron has told parliament Qantas and the coalition colluded over the controversial grounding of the airline’s fleet and planned lock out of its workers.

Senator Cameron also said it was ‘‘sickening’’ the Qantas board and shareholders gave CEO Alan Joyce a $2 million pay increase when they knew the airline would be shut down the next day.

He said he was ‘‘pretty sure’’ Opposition Leader Tony Abbott knew Qantas would ground its fleet last Saturday.

‘‘There hasn’t been any criticism of the reprehensible behaviour by Qantas because they were in collusion with Qantas on this issue,’’ Senator Cameron said of the coalition.

It fitted the coalition’s industrial relations ideology, which was about increasing employer militancy and denying employees industrial democracy.

‘‘They will continue to take a hard-line position on industrial relations,’’ Senator Cameron said.

He warned Work Choices would be reintroduced, but under a different name, if the coalition won the next election.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––

The multi millionaire chief executive of Qantas, Alan Joyce, will face his first grilling at the hands of federal politicians since his shock decision to ground the airline when he turns up in Canberra for a Senate inquiry on Friday.

The airline went into damage control yesterday as it attempted to patch up relations with the Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, and the Transport Minister, Anthony Albanese.

As Ms Gillard renewed her attacks on Qantas, its government relations boss, Olivia Wirth, made a flying visit to Canberra in an effort to repair a relationship which insiders now describe as toxic.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––

A University of Adelaide law expert, Andrew Stewart, said arbitration typically took months and this case was ''much bigger'' with three separate negotiations potentially to be decided.

The tribunal would consider the public interest, whether the parties had negotiated in good faith and how ''reasonable'' the parties were during negotiations.

Unions are pushing for restrictions on outsourcing and want greater job protection at the airline and Professor Stewart said arbitration meant the tribunal could agree to those claims.

The Slater & Gordon partner Marcus Clayton said he expected arbitration hearings, if required, would extend into next year. Unions would likely seek answers on ''live'' issues in dispute around jobs, outsourcing and sending jobs overseas, he said.

Qantas waging war on workers

2011-11-02T10:07:00.001+11:00

I saw a woman on the television news. She was one of those poor unfortunate customers hauled off a plane in Los Angeles in the Qantas ambush.

While bucketing Qantas management and Alan Joyce in particular, she uttered the immortal words: "It's our Qantas."

ACTU: Insecure jobs inquiry

2011-11-02T09:49:00.001+11:00

ACTU President Ged Kearney said insecure work made up about 40% of the workforce and many Australians were being asked to choose between insecure employment or no work at all.

The inquiry is being chaired by former Deputy Prime Minister Brian Howe, with Paul Munro, a former Senior Presidential Member of the Australian Industrial Relations Commission, as deputy chair.

“Casual employment alone has almost doubled in 25 years,” Ms Kearney said.

“More and more families are having to pay housing costs and other bills without knowing what their income will be from week to week,” Ms Kearney said.

“Workers have told us that insecure work is making it harder to manage household finances, spend time with their family and friends, and to plan for the future. More and more risk is being shifted from employers to workers.

“This Inquiry will shine a light on the situation of insecure workers in Australia, and work out what government, employers and unions should be doing to help them.”

Ms Kearney said the inquiry panel would be required to prepare a report and recommendations for the ACTU Congress in May next year.

Submissions can be lodged from today until 16 December, and the Inquiry will hold public hearings across Australian in February and March next year.

Ms Kearney said that she wanted all voices represented in the Inquiry including workers, employers and community groups.

The full terms of reference and more details about the inquiry are available at www.securejobs.org.au or by phoning 1300 362 223 (toll free).

NSW: Electricity privatisation opposed

2011-11-01T11:01:00.000+11:00

31 October 2011

Professor Bob Walker and Dr Betty Con Walker today called on NSW Premier Barry O’Farrell to maintain his pre-election stance of opposing the sale of the State’s highly profitable electricity assets.

Releasing a Briefing Note, Prof Walker and Dr Con Walker said that Mr O’Farrell’s own 2011-12 Budget reveals that the Government is expecting to receive some $6.5 billion in dividends and tax equivalents over the five years to 2014-15.

The loss of these revenues would impact the forecast Budget results directly, leading to deficits in each year of the Coalition’s first term of government if the funds are merely used to pay down debt or are invested in already subsidised rail infrastructure.

A sale would also deprive the Government from reaping the benefits from the significant capital investment made by the electricity agencies from their own resources over recent years – with some $19 billion spent over the seven years to 2010-11 – at no cost to the Budget.

Moreover, Prof Walker and Dr Con Walker noted that the negative impact of the part-privatisation of electricity assets has now been confirmed with the Budget Papers concluding that in the period to 2014-15, there will be a negative impact on the Budget result of $347 million.

Premier O’Farrell has no mandate to sell the State’s electricity assets. More importantly, the unquestionable conclusion is that any further electricity privatisations would not be in the best financial (or other) interests of the State.

Qantas: frequent liar

2011-11-01T09:42:00.001+11:00

31 October

Transport Minister Anthony Albanese has angrily contradicted claims by Qantas boss Alan Joyce that he told the Federal Government "on multiple occasions" that he might ground the airline's fleet.

Fronting a news conference in Sydney this morning, Mr Joyce said grounding the fleet "was not a surprise to anybody".

"We have been talking about it for weeks, months about the pain this was causing Qantas," Mr Joyce said.

But at a press conference this afternoon, a visibly annoyed Mr Albanese described three meetings he had convened with Mr Joyce, union boss Tony Sheldon and himself, where "at no stage" did Mr Joyce say Qantas would initiate a lockout and grounding.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard said she did not accept that Qantas's only choice on Saturday was "to take the extreme action" of grounding all planes and "leaving tens of thousands of passengers stranded".

She also denied newspaper reports that Mr Joyce had attempted to contact her before grounding aircraft.

"That is untrue and Mr Joyce has confirmed today that that is untrue," she told a press conference.

Mr Albanese went through a detailed timeline of telephone calls between himself and Qantas in which he rang Mr Joyce three times on Saturday after one of his staff had been alerted of the impending action.

He said it was only when Mr Joyce finally rang back that he got an indication the Qantas fleet would be grounded.

"That was the first occasion in which Mr Joyce or anyone else from Qantas had ever raised the issue of a lockout," Mr Albanese told reporters.

Australia Network: NO to Murdoch!

2011-10-31T12:34:00.002+11:00

Murdoch's only real interest is No.1
SMH Alan Knight 12 July 2011

Giving Sky the Australia Network contract could hurt the nation's image.

Watching the Australia Network is a bit like sitting next to an Australian diplomat at an Asian dinner party. It's mostly informed, often intelligent and entertaining, yet cautious and constrained. It can be a tad too stuffy as the party hots up.

The Australia Network was established by the Howard government in 2001 to extend Australian influence in Asia. Using satellite, local re-broadcasters and the internet, it transmits 24/7 to more than 44 countries and is currently run by the ABC. The contract to operate it has been contested this year by a commercial consortium, Sky News.

The Australia Network says it seeks "to provide a television and digital service that informs, entertains and inspires our audience with a uniquely Australian perspective". What that has meant is that it has been effectively overseen by the mandarins at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

What it really offers is a sprinkling of ABC entertainment and information programs, leavened by commercial soapies and English language learning. It is really just ABC-rather-light. In fact, if international television broadcasters were placed on a scale with those featuring high-quality news, current affairs and documentaries at one end and soft program mixes at the other, the BBC and al-Jazeera would be among the heaviest hitters and China's anodyne state television and the rather pedestrian Australia Network would be at the bottom.

By comparison, Sky News seems hard core. A study last year of international television showed Sky News programming consisted almost entirely of news bulletins. But a closer look showed these were heavily padded with sport, and its customary mix of calculated subjectivity, prurient celebrity and commercial huckstering.

Qantas ordered to end lockout

2011-10-31T07:17:00.001+11:00

In its ruling the full bench of Fair Work Australia said it was the decision by Qantas to move to lock out its staff which threatened to cause significant harm to aviation and tourism and indirectly to industry generally. The industrial action by the three unions was "unlikely" to have threatened significant harm to tourism and aviation, the tribunal ruled.

ACTU Media 31 October

Qantas must immediately resume flying its planes following Fair Work Australia’s decision early this morning to terminate the airline’s industrial action.

ACTU Secretary Jeff Lawrence said Qantas CEO Alan Joyce now had no excuse not to restart all services after his extraordinary and pre-meditated decision to ground the entire Australian fleet on Saturday afternoon.

Mr Lawrence said Qantas employees would turn up for work today ready to do whatever was necessary to get the planes back in the air. He welcomed the government intervention which had been the circuit breaker in the dispute, and said the next priority was to resume negotiations in a spirit of reconciliation.

“This decision by Fair Work Australia removes any reason for Qantas to ground its planes,” he said. “The tribunal has sheeted home to Alan Joyce full responsibility for the actions which caused massive disruption to the travel plans of thousands of Australians and the economy.

“The decision means Qantas must negotiate about the legitimate claims over job security and outsourcing unions have been pursuing for 15 months. This is a sensible decision by the bench.

“It is a pity it took government intervention to force management back to the bargaining table after such needless disruption. But it now means we can get back to negotiating in good faith, as unions have been seeking to do for weeks.

“But Australians have a right to ask: what did Alan Joyce achieve with this decision to ground the fleet? Qantas has made headlines around the world for all the wrong reasons due to this management action. The damage to the brand is immeasurable.

“Thousands of passengers around Australia have been stranded because of Mr Joyce’s action. And Qantas’ entire workforce are now fearful about their future. And Qantas has failed in its meanspirited attempt to lock out workers pursuing legitimate industrial claims. Did Mr Joyce ever consider the innocent bystanders who would be affected by his action?

“But despite their shock and dismay at what Mr Joyce has done, Qantas workers have performed magnificently in the face of enormous pressure, and we pay tribute to them.

“It needs to be repeated that workers at Qantas are simply seeking to negotiate new pay and conditions, and some guarantees from management about job security. But bargaining at Qantas had broken down because of management’s refusal to negotiate".

Corporate culture: Koch Brothers

2011-10-31T07:05:00.000+11:00

Qantas: when the blarney turns to stone

2011-10-30T18:28:00.001+11:00

SMH business editor Danny John 30 October 2011

In his efforts to win friends in the business community and influence the travelling public and the federal government with his hardline attack on the unions, Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce has swiftly become a polarising force within Australian society.

As genial and entertaining as he can be in private, Joyce has been uncompromising in public, particularly with his own workforce and especially with the union leaders who represent his employees.

There was already a fair amount of suspicion about Joyce's agenda and his motives when he took over from the long-serving Geoff Dixon, having set up the low-cost offshoot, Jetstar, which not only undercut Qantas' rivals but also the long term position of its parent airline.

Given his Irish background and Australia's deep cultural links with his home country, that may seem surprising to many but Joyce has never been one for emotion or, for that matter, dwelling on the past.To that end, his willingness to play hardball with the future of the most iconic of Australian companies has been interpreted as a sign that he doesn't fully appreciate or truly understand what Qantas means to the country: that is an institution, part of Australia's fabric, rather than just another company.

Joyce ... has argued that if Qantas is to survive and retain its affectionate place in Australian society the airline has to be dramatically changed from within. From Joyce's perspective that means saving Qantas from itself but to his opponents both inside and outside of the company the chief executive is being seen as more of a destroyer rather than a saviour.

Such polarised positions do not, therefore, bode well for the future of the Flying Kangaroo but given the increasingly ill-tempered nature of this dispute nobody should be surprised that it has come to this.

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Australian Financial Review, Laura Tingle 30 October 2011

So as things stand, we are seeing an industrial dispute where the government has been forced to intervene because employers and employees can't get an outcome. Its intervention has been forced by the company, not the unions, so it will be hard to make the public case that the government is dancing to the unions tune.

The Fair Work Act gives grounds for confidence that it can produce an outcome, even if it is a compulsory one, and the government's capacity to deal with industrial unrest can look good.

There are other potential upsides for Julia Gillard, starting with the fact that this dispute helps revitalise the political conversation, where issues from pokies to carbon and mining taxes have started to go round in such deep circles they have dug themselves into a hole.

Ken Loach interview 19 October 2011

2011-10-30T17:26:00.001+11:00

RSL and Vietnam

2011-10-30T08:25:00.002+11:00

SMH 29 Oct Mike Carlton

What a shame the RSL was heavied into abandoning plans to build bridges between Vietnamese and Australian soldiers of the Vietnam war.

The RSL president, Rear Admiral Ken Doolan, had argued that ''we owe it to the future to do all we can to bring former enemies together''. But the Vietnam Veterans' Association wouldn't have a bar of it.
Wrongly, I think. And I know a lot of vets agree.

Mike Dutton, of Kempsey, was an army sapper - a ''tunnel rat'' - based at Nui Dat in 1971. Last March, he and 40 of his digger mates, with their children and some serving sappers, made a pilgrimage to the battlefield. There they met the former foe, soldiers of the Viet Cong's D445 Battalion who had fought at the bloody battle of Long Tan in 1966, where 18 Australians died.

''We were made most welcome and respectfully honoured,'' he told me this week. ''And they won the war. We should really get over it.''

The heartbreaking moment came at the Long Tan Memorial , a simple white cross beneath the rubber trees on the site of the battle. Wreaths were laid for each of the 35 sappers killed in the war, and a piper played a lament.

Remarkably, in all Vietnam this is the only monument allowed to the foreign armies that invaded the country last century: the French, the Americans, or anyone else. The Vietnamese built it themselves, a generous gesture by the victor.

''I think they recognised we were pretty good soldiers,'' Dutton said. ''And so were they. It's time to bury the hatchet.''