Chris is a labour law researcher, specialising in China and the right to strike. He spent 27 years in the SA union movement. Chris now lives in Canberra. More →
The Financial Crisis and Democratic Public Finance by Leo Panitch. First let’s be clear about capitalism — and with it the character of the state under capitalism. There is a conventional assumption, a leftover of the cold war perhaps, that somehow capitalism is essentially about the market and socialism is essentially about the state. In [...]
The “Fair” Work Bill: Devils in the details Being dismissed through redundancy. A minimalist reform, already practiced by reasonable employers, is a requirement to notify redundancies to Centrelink section 530 and the union. Employers dismissing workers ‘for reasons of an economic, technological, structural or similar nature’ have to consult with the union to avert or [...]
LABOR’S EDUCATION COUNTER-REVOLUTION by Rob Durbridge, AEU Federal Industrial Officer State and Territory Labor governments are “pattern bargaining” against the AEU and its associated state unions to remove education quality guarantees from industrial agreements. Howard’s Workchoices proscribed staffing guarantees as unlawful; Minister Gillard recently announced that the new IR laws will proscribe matters which don’t [...]
Construction workers rallying in Canberra at 12.30pm outside Parliament House in orange ‘rights on site’ ‘one law for all’ T-shirts with Kim Sattler from Unions ACT. We cheered when Dave Nunan CFMEU Construction Secretary announced that Noel Washington received a letter saying charges have been dropped. He now no longer faces jail for refusing to [...]
WorkChoices unfair restrictions on the right to strike is retained in the ‘Fair’ Work Bill. The analysis I presented posted under the heading of ‘right to strike’ applies, see feature ‘Government to deny the right to strike’. This is at a time politically when strikes are at their lowest historically and not an issue. The [...]
Professor Keith Ewing, UK and international labour law expert, compares and contrasts labour law reforms bewteen UK in the Blair years and Australia’s proposed Fair Work Australia. Catalyst and AIER had Professor Ewing addressing meetings in Australia ‘Restoring Rights at Work: Lessons from the UK’. A summary paper from Professor Keith Ewing has been uploaded [...]
It is frustrating to see Julia Gillard DPM on Insiders this morning repeat Howard’s mantra about ‘tough cop on the beat’ against building unionists and Reith’s and Abbott’s and Andrews’ and Hockey’s…and the Master Builders. 1. The DPM provides no evidence based analysis of why continuing the most repressive penal system against unionists for legitimately [...]
Making the World’s Poor Pay:The Economic Crisis and the Global South by Adam Hanieh The current global economic crisis has all the earmarks of an epoch-defining event. Mainstream economists — not usually known for their exaggerated language — now openly employ phrases like ‘systemic meltdown’ and ‘peering into the abyss.’ On October 29, for example, [...]
From Kim Sattler Secretary Unions ACT There is a rally on Wednesday 26 November outside Parliament House at 12noon to protest against the unfair ABCC legislation which affects all construction workers. A petition will be handed over to the Parliament asking for the abolition of the Australian Building & Construction Commission. See my posts in [...]
