The Exclusive Brethren is a secretive Christian organisation that attracts a great deal of controversy over its involvement in politics. Although its members are forbidden from voting, the group spends enormous amounts of money running advertisements smearing left-wing political parties — and the families of left-wing politicians. Their support for conservative politicians has paid off, [...]
Labor’s collective bargaining policy, which will be slightly different to the one proposed by the ACTU, will enshrine the right to a collective agreement if a majority of workers votes for one. It will give the staff in a workplace the choice between a collective agreement, or individual agreements, by a fair vote overseen by [...]
The ACTU delegation’s A Fair Go at Work report, launched on Wednesday, is a very important document. It represents a turning point in the union movement’s campaign against WorkChoices — as well as highlighting the bad effects of the current legislation, unions need to explain how their alternative system is an improvement. During this new [...]
The Maritime Union of Australia has launched a campaign to honour the men and women who worked Sydney’s wharves and ships. They want to rename a foreshore redevelopment in Darling Harbour “The Hungry Mile”, as the area has been known to workers since the Depression: It first became known as the Hungry Mile during the [...]
If further confirmation of The Australian‘s anti-worker bias was needed, it is amply provided by Thursday’s editorial. After presenting recent jobs figures as the product of WorkChoices — experts disagree — it goes on to deny that workers have a right to take industrial action: The industrial dispute involving Melbourne company Heinemann Electric represents the [...]
The ACTU has released a “detailed vision for a new system of workplace relations for Australia” which will “form the basis for union policy in response to the Federal Government’s new IR laws and the next stage of the union campaign for workers’ rights.” A Fair Go at Work: Collective Bargaining for Australian Workers Report [...]
As $120 million man David Mulligan drove around Sydney’s Northern Beaches in a Mercedes sports car yesterday, the 200 workers sacked from his company were being told there was not enough money to pay them. Mr Mulligan, whose private company is in the BRW top 500, will let the taxpayer foot the bill for the [...]
I have been thinking some more about the situation at Heinemann Electrics. In my last post I explained how the legislation had been changed (contrary to the Government’s ongoing lies) to beef up the prohibition on mild industrial tactics like overtime bans. My point was confirmed last night by two IR lawyers: HEATHER EWART: The [...]
At Heinemann Electrics, a factory that produces circuit breakers and switchboards, ETU members are negotiating a new enterprise agreement. They decided to take mild industrial action in the form of overtime bans. Workers would still turn up for their ordinary-time hours, and they would still perform all their duties as directed, but they wouldn’t work [...]
With every ABS release of new unemployment figures, Kevin Andrews claims WorkChoices is generating jobs. Is it really? In this morning’s Financial Review (p69; unavailable online), two labour market economists had a go at answering that question. They agree that if WorkChoices is going to be a job-creator, it would be because of the removal [...]
Comments