Egypt court reverses Kamal Abbas' sentence

LabourStart

The same court which earlier this year sentenced in absentia Kamal Abbas, general coordinator of Egypt's Center for Trade Union and Worker's Services (CTUWS) to six months imprisonment for "insulting a public officer" during the 2011 International Labour Conference in Geneva, dismissed the charges and threw out the sentence on November 25.

As the IUF put it, "The absurd sentence was based on an incident at the June 2011 International Labour Conference in Geneva, which Abbas attended as a guest of the International Trade Union Confederation. Abbas interrupted Ismael Fahmy, representing the state-controlled Egyptian Trade Union Federation, when he claimed in his speech that the ETUF represented Egyptian workers."

The CTUWS has thanked all those who supported the international defense campaign and has reaffirmed its commitment to the struggle for independent trade unions in Egypt.

The LabourStart campaign demanding that the charges be dropped ended in June with nearly 7,500 messages sent to the Egyptian authorities.

Online campaigns work - click here to make sure you're supporting ALL our active campaigns:

http://www.labourstartcampaigns.net/actnowen.cgi?l=en

And spread the word!

Eric Lee

ACOSS welcomes COAG’s energy price plan

ACOSS has welcomed today’s COAG agreement on tackling rising energy prices, including better resourcing of the Australian Energy Regulator, and a stronger consumer voice to challenge decisions in the energy market.

“We now call on Governments to take swift action to turn this in-principle agreement into real action to address electricity prices,” said ACOSS CEO Dr Goldie,

“Consumers have been hurt by rapid price rises over recent years, and it’s pretty clear that our current system isn’t working. Action is now needed to bring consumer interests front and centre in all energy market processes.

COAG has agreed to the formation of two new consumer bodies – a Consumer Challenge Panel, located in the Australian Energy Regulator, and a separate national advocacy body for energy consumers.

“ACOSS welcomes this recognition that consumers need a stronger voice in how decisions are made in our energy market. However, while we’re pleased to see a consumer challenge panel entrenched within the Australian Energy Regulator, we regard it as crucial that COAG move quickly to establish a stable, independent consumer body to ensure that consumer interests are represented across all areas of the energy market, not just on decisions made by the Regulator.

“The reality is that energy businesses already have a powerful voice in the system – a national consumer advocacy body can balance that voice and contribute to more responsible, effective, sustainable and fair energy markets, and ensure that consumers aren’t being short-changed, for example by  unnecessary spending on poles and wires.

“ACOSS also strongly supports increasing the Australian Energy Regulator’s funding and stronger rules to reduce ‘gold plating’ of electricity networks. The Regulator is the key controller of network prices, and it is important that it have the strongest rules and sufficient staffing to prevent the explosion in network expenditure seen in recent years.

"While we agree that time-of-use pricing strategies can lead to cost savings for many consumers, not all consumers are going to be winners. Therefore, it's important to ensure that low income households are sufficiently protected and are also given every opportunity to participate.

"The introduction of cost-reflective pricing is a massive change for consumers in terms of how they manage their energy use.  A change of this magnitude must be accompanied by a comprehensive consumer information and education campaign, funded by governments. Such a campaign will need to target vulnerable consumers.  A national consumer advocacy body can monitor the impacts of these changes, and make sure that Governments are adequately protecting and informing consumers.’

“The telecommunications industry has its own, independent consumer advocacy centre – it is about time that energy consumers received representation as well.

“We’re looking forward to working with all Governments on this important reform process,” Dr Goldie said.

Social Security and "Entitlements"

According to Joe Hockey the 'day of entitlements is over'. Unemployment benefit is an entitlement so there will be no chance of raising this paltry payment if the Liberals are returned to power next year.

Of course Hockey and Abbott, Bishop & Co couldn't live for a day on what they expect an unemployed person to live on for a week - thats why they voted for a MP's pay increase that gives them as much of an increase as the unemployed get for a year.

Oh! Thats an entitlement that is no doubt excempt from Hockey's reasoning. He was only referring to those without jobs, who are sick or disabled or aged. You can bet your next unemployment bank deposit that the Liberals will not have Hockey's slogan in the forefront of the next election campaign!

Social security entitlements here are a national disgrace in relation to the cost of living and average weekly earnings yet sadly both Labor and the Liberals are singing from the same song sheet on this. Read the Henry report and see just where Australia is likely to be heading - right down the Joe Hockey path if Treasury has its way.

ACTU: Pay Cuts Law Opposed

The ACTU will today urge Parliament to reject a bill that would strip penalty rates from up to 500,000 workers in businesses with less than 20 employees.

ACTU president Ged Kearney said new Australian Bureau of Statistics data showing a continuing fall in wages share in the food and accommodation and retail sectors, showed why business’s attempts to cut penalty rates should be rejected.

The ACTU will today give evidence to a Senate Inquiry in Melbourne into the Bill, introduced by independent Senator Nick Xenophon.

Ms Kearney said the Bill  was just one of several attempts underway to cut penalty rates and should be resisted by the Parliament.

 “The business community justifies its push to get rid of penalty rates by saying they are making it unaffordable to hire workers,” Ms Kearney said.

 ‘The truth is that the share of business’s income going to wages in several key sectors has been falling in recent years.”

Total wages share in food and accommodation has dropped from 68.3% in 2010-11 to 67.6% in 2011-12, down from the high of 78.6 per cent in 1996-97.

In retail, the wages share fell from 69% in 2010-11 to 66.9% in 2011-12, the lowest since 2006-07.

“If passed Senator Xenophon’s bill would be an immediate pay cut for up to 500,000 workers – half of whom are on the minimum award wage,” Ms Kearney said.

“The financial pressures on working Australians are as great today as they have ever been. Penalty rates have existed for decades to compensate award-reliant workers for the effects that working unsociable hours have on health, family and social life.

“They are a fair recognition of what workers are required to sacrifice to keep businesses running on week-ends and public holidays.”

“For low-paid workers, penalty rates can be the extra money that allows them to pay rent and bills.”

Ms Kearney said that Senator Xenophon’s bill was just one part of the attack on penalty rates and that employer groups had lodged more than 20 submissions to the Fair Work Act review arguing they should be reduced or scrapped in fast food, retail, hospitality, restaurant and tourism industries.

These include calls from the National Retail Association for week-end penalty rates to be removed in the fast food industry, and the Restaurant and Catering Association arguing that penalties should only apply in restaurants after an employee has worked six consecutive days.

“There is clearly a concerted push to reduce penalty rates, despite the fact there is no evidence this will create new jobs, and plenty of evidence it will hurt low-paid workers,” Ms Kearney said.

Unions form new partnership to tackle disadvantage

04 December, 2012 | ACTU Media Release

Today the Australian Council of Social Service (ACOSS), the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) and the Business Council of Australia (BCA) released a joint statement outlining how the three organisations will cooperate to tackle entrenched disadvantage through collaborative action.

The statement is the first of its kind in Australia and outlines a shared commitment by the three peak bodies to work collaboratively towards:

• providing employment opportunities for Australians who are disadvantaged in the labour market; and
• giving employers access to workers who meet their skills needs.

“Our organisations share a belief that well-managed economic growth shared amongst all Australians is the key to enduring prosperity and is the best way to tackle entrenched disadvantage,” said Australian Council of Social Service Chief Executive Cassandra Goldie, speaking on behalf of the collaboration.

Our vision for shared prosperity is based on the following key principles:

• a strong economy with competitive businesses and enterprises
• robust public institutions that engender confidence
• healthy, safe, productive and fair workplaces
• greater access to employment for those currently missing out
• access to lifelong education and training opportunities
• a social safety net that provides adequate income support without impeding transition to work
• effective and efficient support services targeted to those in most need.

“Everyone wins if we can bring people currently excluded from the labour market into regular decent work that is productive and delivers a fair income in conditions of freedom, equity and security in line with human dignity. This is one of the best ways to ensure that prosperity is shared by people who are currently missing out,” Ms Goldie said.

“The joint statement represents a commitment from our three organisations to contribute to enduring prosperity for all Australians by focusing on the areas of common ground between us rather than those areas we disagree on.

“By working together collaboratively it has become clear that we actually share many common aspirations and agree on many important principles. To that end this alliance will:

• convene an expert roundtable to discuss best practice polices that support ‘demand-led’ employment assistance for disadvantaged jobseekers;
• investigate options for better linking of pre-employment training initiatives with demand-led approaches; and
• host a forum to explore the importance of reducing inequality and entrenched disadvantage for Australia’s future economic growth and prosperity.

“All three organisations believe that by working together we will be able to achieve better social outcomes for Australia. We can reduce poverty and reliance on social security, and at the same time, grow the economy,” Ms Goldie said.

“Cooperation is fundamental to achieving lasting reform, which is essential to building enduring prosperity,” Business Council President Tony Shepherd said.

“Business wants to see all Australians in a position to contribute to and benefit from economic growth. Growth is fundamental to prosperity but we know that it must be well managed, it must be fair and there must be equality of opportunity.”

Ged Kearney, President of the ACTU, said: “There are groups of people in Australia – long-term unemployed, people with fewer skills, women caring for a child alone, people with disabilities, many Indigenous Australians, as well as people new to Australia – who remain excluded from society.

“We must ensure that everyone, irrespective of background or position in society, has the opportunity to participate in, contribute to, and benefit from our shared prosperity.

“If we can bring people currently excluded from the labour market into regular decent work, we can reduce poverty, enhance human dignity, and improve the economy,” Ms Kearney said.

“This alliance shares the vision that pursuing social and economic objectives at the same time is in our nation’s long-term interest,” Ms Kearney said.