About chriswhite

Chris White now lives in Darwin, Northern Territory. He is secretary of APHEDA NT. He is a Honorary Senior Research Fellow at The Northern Institute Charles Darwin University +61889467169 chris.white2@cdu.edu.au He lived in Canberra from 2005 researching labour law and industrial relations and worked for the union ASMOF and then the NTEU ACT. He tutored in Politics for two years at the ANU Politics and International Relations. He has been criticising WorkChoices, specifically the labour law supressing the right to strike, the repression of building and construction workers, and reporting on the new China labour laws . He writes on social justice challenges. He links into international solidarity for workers and the disadvantaged. He worked for the SA unions for 27 years. First as an Industrial Officer for the Australian Workers Union SA branch. Then he was for 10 years Research Officer/Industrial Advocate for the LHMU, then the Miscellaneous Workers Union SA branch. In 1985 he was elected Assistant Secretary of the United Trades and Labor Council of SA and then in 1998 elected Secretary until 2001. He was on the ACTU executive for 15 years. He represented unions on SA Industrial Relations and Occupational Health and Safety and Workers' Compensation and Rehabilitation Commisions and social justice and employment committees. From 1998 to 2002 he was a Director and Trustee of SA Statewide Superannuation Trust and United Superannuation Pty Ltd. He was active in Socially Responsible Investment decisions. For 10 years he was on the board of the SA Working Womens Centre. For 15 years he was Chair of the Junction Theatre Company. For 6 years he was Ministerial Arts Board member on the State Theatre Company. He was awarded a Centenary Medal Commonwealth Honour for contributions to unions and the community. From 2003-2005 he was a Board member SA Housing Trust Board In 2002 he was on the Offenders Aid and Rehabilitation Services (OARS): prison rehabilitation and restorative justice. For 30 years he was active in the SA East Timor Association and now Patron. Since 1974 he has been a member of the ALP and with SA unions organising in state and federal election campaigns. He has been active in the ACTU Your Rights at Work Worth Fighting For campaign. He was a Post Graduate Research PhD scholar 2003-2006 School of Law, Flinders University researching 'The right to strike', but for personal reasons did not complete his thesis. He was a radical student activist, editor of ON DIT and Secretary of the Student's Union. He completed a Law degree LLB and Arts (Honours Politics) in 1972. He then worked for a year as a law tutor at the University of Adelaide Law School before his career with the unions. He is an advocate and consultant on workforce and social justice issues. contact chrisdwhite@bigpond.com
Author Archive | chriswhite

2012: China strikes

Strikes and protests continue into the New Year The recent upsurge in worker activism in China is continuing into the New Year with five more strikes and protests in five different provinces getting media attention last week. About 10,000 workers at a Chengdu steel plant staged a massive protest over low pay on 4 January. [...]

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Sit down strikes

Anniversary of the 1937 US sit-down strike wave: Remembering another Occupy movement Sit-in strikers at General Motors’ Fisher No. 1 plant. By Don Fitz [See also With Babies & Banners, the classic 1977 documentary about the 1936-37 Flint sit-down strike, and the role of women in it.] January 3, 2012 – Links International Journal of [...]

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Wealthy schools win

Govt. Funding Increases Have Favoured the Wealthiest Schools New figures show that Australia’s wealthiest school sector received the biggest increases in government funding over much of the past decade. Government funding of Independent schools has increased by nearly double the rate of increase for government schools since 2001-02. It has left Independent schools much better [...]

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Union arrests in Greece

On Thursday 24 November 2011, the Greek police arrested Nikos Photopoulos, President of the power workers’ union GENOP/DEI, along with more than a dozen of his fellow trade unionists. They will appear in court on Tuesday 10 January 2012 to face charges that could see them jailed for up to five years. They were protesting [...]

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Union arrests in Timor Leste

You may know of these developments. Please notify support networks… THREE UNION MEMBERS DISMISSED FROM MANDIRI BANK FOR DEFENDING WORKERS’ RIGHTS Mandiri Bank in Timor-Leste recently dismissed three of its employees for defending workers’ rights. The individuals concerned are Brother Joaquim Gonzaga, Brother Helder do Rego Barreto and Brother Leonardo Bele Bau Amaral. The dismissals [...]

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The protester

“The protester 2011 in photos courtesy of the Murdoch press…worth a look.And in 2012 may the protests continue… http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/photo-gallery/gallery-e6frf94x-1226222780166?page=1″

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Obama: detention

President Obama Signs Indefinite Detention Bill Into Law American Civil Liberties Union December 31, 2011 WASHINGTON – President Obama signed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) into law today. The statute contains a sweeping worldwide indefinite detention provision. While President Obama issued a signing statement saying he had “serious reservations” about the provisions, the statement [...]

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Occupy…

Labor Notes on Occupy. http://labornotes.org/2011/12/occupy-wake-call-caps-remarkable-year

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Porcelain Unicorn

British film director Sir Ridley Scott launched a global film making contest for aspiring directors. http://www.porcelainunicorn.com/ It’s titled “Tell It Your Way”. There were over 600 entries. The film could be no longer than three minutes, contain only 6 lines of narrative & be a compelling story. The winner was “Porcelain Unicorn” from American director [...]

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