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 [...]
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Labor keeps WorkChoices restrictions on the right to strike
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 [...]
Ewing advice on labour law
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 [...]
1984 remains: DPM firm
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 [...]
Canberra protest ABCC rally 26 November
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 [...]
The Capitalist Workday, the Socialist Workday
This speech was delivered by Michael A. Lebowitz at the “Roundtable Discussion on the Reduction of the Workday” (Centro International Miranda, Caracas, Venezuela, 24 April 2008). As May Day approaches, there are four things that are worth remembering: 1 For workers, May Day does not celebrate a state holiday or gifts from the state but [...]
Greens: Forward to where?
There are increasing concerns that the Government’s Forward with Fairness legislation will not be delivering sustainable fair workplace laws but rather will be serving up Work Choices-lite. The Greens have already argued the award modernisation process will result in a deterioration of minimum conditions of work, particularly affecting workers who are not able to access [...]
Avoid UK labour law pitfalls
King’s College professor of law Keith Ewing drew parallels between Australia and the UK experience following the introduction of new union recognition laws by the Blair Government in his speech to the seminar. He said that while the new laws had been intended to facilitate collective bargaining, the proportion of UK workers now covered by [...]
US unions mobilized
US unions sucessfully mobilized unionists and workers to vote for Obama and for reforms: on the economy, for green jobs and alternative energy, higher minimum wages, health care, rights to join a union, withdrawing troops from Iraq and ending the Reagan-Bush right wing political era. Follow the US union movement’s commentaries. The AFL-CIO blog http://blog.aflcio.org/ [...]
News from LabourStart
- Australia: BHP's aim is to break the power of unions
- Turkey: Support for Arrested KESK Women
- Ireland: IMPACT calls on Government to deliver reforms on collective bargaining and employees' rights
- Australia: Unions wrap up ACTU Congress with renewed vigour to campaign for rights at work and fairer Australia
- Colombia: Urgent Action: Colombian union leaders in danger
- Europe: IndustriALL-European Trade Union Born Today with Merger of Three Federations
- Bangladesh: Workers suffering from low wages end days of strikes and riots sparked by disappearance of trade union leader
- Switzerland: Unions hold protest at International Olympic Committee to support Canadian Rio Tinto workers
- Global: Full coverage of IUF congress in Geneva
- Turkey: Turkish Government ’s anti-democratic attack on the right to strike
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