Qana massacre: Now Rice says time for ceasefire

An Israeli air strike killed at least 40 Lebanese civilians, including 23 children, on Sunday, prompting Lebanon to tell U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice she was unwelcome in Beirut before a ceasefire.

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, speaking after the Israeli bombing of the Lebanese village of Qana, said it was time for a ceasefire in the war between Israel and Hizbollah guerrillas.

Will the Australian poodles Downer and Howard follow their leader?

Employers split over IR laws

The federal government has gone over the top with its workplace revamp, according to Australia's largest employer organisation.

AiG chief Heather Ridout said her organisation never supported the junking of unfair dismissal rights and Australians had ended up with harsher laws than employers wanted.

"The parliamentary system failed us and we got tougher laws than we might have," Ridout told a Women, Management and Employment Relations Conference in Sydney.

Ridout's comments broke ranks with other peak business groups, including the Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the rich man's, Business Council of Australia, made up of chief executives from 200 leading companies.

more

Urgent appeal from Lebanese unions

The Education International, representing teachers' unions around the
world, has issued an urgent action appeal in support of requests for
humanitarian assistance from two Lebanese teachers' unions. LabourStart
is assisting by providing a secure online way to donate in your own
currency using your credit or debit card. Please give generously today:

http://www.labourstart.org/docs/en/000351.html

Bishop urges fair go for cleaners

Tasmania’s Anglican Bishop has told the Fair Pay Commission how a national contract cleaning company- Biniris – is using individual contracts to undercut Award wages.

Biniris has been a target of rowdy rallies in Tasmania by cleaner activists and supporters of the Clean Start: Fair Deal for Cleaners campaign.

Anglican Bishop John Harrower has urged Australia's Fair Pay Commission to live up to its name, in his submission to the new wages umpire.

more

Fatal Fantasy: Free Trade Agreements hurt Manufacturing

Bluescope Steel boss, Kirby Adams, has labelled the federal government’s free trade infatuation a “naïve fantasy”.

Adams broke ranks with big business colleagues to lash John Howard’s move for a free trade agreement with low-wage colossus, China.

Adams said Australia was caught up in a “fantasy” that it could lead the world to a free trade “nirvana” by unilaterally dropping tariffs “while the rest of the world laughed at it”.

“There are massive costs for Australia’s manufacturers and for the millions of men and women employed by them,” he told a meeting of the American Chamber of Commerce.

more