Tuesday, June 07, 2011
Monday, June 06, 2011
NSW: Union Rights Protest Builds
Unions, including those representing 70,000 teachers, 36,000 nurses and 45,000 public sector workers, will meet today to plan a strategy against the wages policy, which Parliament is expected to pass next week.
The president of the Public Service Association, Sue Walsh, said she would propose staging a rally in opposition to the policy, which will require public sector workers to make savings before any salary increases above 2.5 per cent are awarded.
"There is no doubt in my mind we will step things up and there will be a huge protest against the O'Farrell government,'' Ms Walsh said.
The associaton, which has 45,000 members, has a wage case before the Industrial Relations Commission. Ms Walsh said she expected this would have resulted in an increase of 3.5 to 4 per cent.
The NSW Nurses Association, which has 35,000 members in public hospitals and 1200 in disability services, is also negotiating an increase in penalty rates for night staff. Nurses who work in disability services and aged care will also negotiate a new award this month.
They had expected to achieve the 3.9 per cent already awarded to public hospital nurses this financial year as part of a three-year agreement. The agreement will deliver 3 per cent from July and 2.5 per cent the following financial year.
The general secretary of the Nurses Association, Brett Holmes, said disability nurses faced getting a 2.5 per cent increase ''while their colleagues across the road in hospitals get 3 per cent at the end of this month''.
"We have this bizarre situation where police were able to lobby the Shooters and Christian Democrats, but we didn't get in to see them, so we are not going to have the same rights, it appears,'' Mr Homes said.
Police are the only public sector workers who have been exempted from the 2.5 per cent cap.
Australians demand action on Climate Change
In Sydney, demonstrators carried banners reading "Say yes to cutting carbon pollution" and "Price carbon -- our kids are worth it" while similar rallies attracted crowds in Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth, Brisbane, Hobart and Canberra.
"This should send a clear message to the government to set an ambitious price on carbon that will kick-start investment in clean energy," said rally organiser Simon Sheikh, national director of the activist group GetUp.
"We think momentum is building, people-power is building, because Australians want action on climate change," Australian Conservation Foundation chief executive Don Henry said in Melbourne, where an estimated 10,000 rallied.
"So it's the right time for all Australians, from all walks of life, to say, 'Hey, come on parliamentarians, no matter what your political colour, we pay your salary, we vote you in, we want action on climate change now and that means a price on pollution'."
The rallies are the second stage of a campaign run by GetUp, Greenpeace Australia Pacific and World Wildlife Fund Australia among other organisations, which last week saw Oscar-winning actress Cate Blanchett fronting a television campaign advocating action on climate change.
One of the organising groups, independent think-tank the Climate Institute, said the rallies were more a call for action on climate change than a direct endorsement of the government's policy.
"We're trying to send a loud signal," said chief executive John Connor.
"This is not about the exact details but this is very strongly the community saying, 'We want action on pollution on climate change. That we want to make polluters take responsibility. We want investment in clean energy."
"This should send a clear message to the government to set an ambitious price on carbon that will kick-start investment in clean energy," said rally organiser Simon Sheikh, national director of the activist group GetUp.
"We think momentum is building, people-power is building, because Australians want action on climate change," Australian Conservation Foundation chief executive Don Henry said in Melbourne, where an estimated 10,000 rallied.
"So it's the right time for all Australians, from all walks of life, to say, 'Hey, come on parliamentarians, no matter what your political colour, we pay your salary, we vote you in, we want action on climate change now and that means a price on pollution'."
The rallies are the second stage of a campaign run by GetUp, Greenpeace Australia Pacific and World Wildlife Fund Australia among other organisations, which last week saw Oscar-winning actress Cate Blanchett fronting a television campaign advocating action on climate change.One of the organising groups, independent think-tank the Climate Institute, said the rallies were more a call for action on climate change than a direct endorsement of the government's policy.
"We're trying to send a loud signal," said chief executive John Connor.
"This is not about the exact details but this is very strongly the community saying, 'We want action on pollution on climate change. That we want to make polluters take responsibility. We want investment in clean energy."
Saturday, June 04, 2011
Noam Chomsky: Sydney Peace Prize 2011
The Sydney Peace Foundation is heartened by the your overwhelming and positive response to the announcement of Professor Noam Chomsky as the 2011 Recipient of the Sydney Peace Prize.
We thank you for your words of praise and encouragement.
Professor Noam Chomsky will deliver the annual City of Sydney Peace Prize Lecture on Wednesday November 2, 2011 at The Sydney Town Hall.
Tickets for Professor Chomsky's lecture will go on sale September 1 2011. More details on how to purchase tickets will be available from July 1, here on the Sydney Peace Foundation website and at What's On Sydney
The Sydney Peace Foundation is only able to continue awarding the annual Sydney Peace Prize through the generosity of our supporters. We kindly encourage you to donate The Sydney Peace Foundation. For more information, please visit Make a Donation
Once again, we thank you for your support for the work of the Sydney Peace Foundation and the promotion of peace with justice.
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