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New unionism network

By on March 30, 2009 in Collective Bargaining, Workers Rights

This New Unionism Network is worth following. http://www.newunionism.net” promotes the principles of organizing, workplace democracy, internationalism and creative thinking in the union movement. It includes: State of the unions A ‘one stop shop’ for quick information on national union membership numbers, union density, membership trends and labor rights. Among other things, the data confirms our [...]

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Wild cat strikes should not be unlawful

By on March 30, 2009 in Collective Bargaining, Right to Strike, Workers Rights

In today’s press are reports of a so-called ‘wild-cat strike’ at Australian airports after hundreds of baggage handlers and other staff walked off the job yesterday morning in response to concerns about outsourcing and security issues. The term ‘wildcat’ is used derogatively against the workforce. Yet from the workers view they are not ‘wild-cats’ . [...]

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The Free Market and the Social Divide in Education

By on March 30, 2009 in Capitalist Financial Crisis, Public Policy, Social justice

The Free Market and the Social Divide in Education by Trevor Cobbold, at the National Public Education Forum Old Parliament House Canberra, 27-28 March 2009 As Geoffrey Robertson has just said, education is a human right. Education for all without discrimination is an essential feature of a democracy. It is also a guarantee of democracy. [...]

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DPM fails to support minimum wage

By on March 29, 2009 in Social justice, Workers Rights

On the ABC’s Insiders this morning, the prattle about our Defence Minister should not have occured after DPM Gillard put it all to rest! The journalists can’t seem to analyse and ask questions about the capitalist crisis and debate the coming G20 conference, where those against corporate globalisation and financial disaster can oly protest in [...]

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Protest on environment

By on March 29, 2009 in Environmental crisis

Leading climate scientist: ‘democratic process isn’t working’ Protest and direct action could be the only way to tackle soaring carbon emissions, James Hansen, NASA’s Chief Climate Scientist has said. He says that corporate lobbying has undermined democratic attempts to curb carbon pollution. “The democratic process doesn’t quite seem to be working.” Speaking on the eve [...]

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International union claims

By on March 26, 2009 in Capitalist Financial Crisis

Brussels, 23 March 2009 (ITUC President Sharan Burrow: In a worldwide push for action by G20 governments to pull the global economy out of recession and chart a new course for job creation, financial regulation and global governance, trade unions across the world are today delivering a common set of demands to their national governments. [...]

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Crunch Time Conference

By on March 26, 2009 in Public Policy, Social justice

Crunch Time A Sydney conference with speakers from Australia’s leading progressive think tanks. At the halfway mark of the Rudd Government’s first term, and a year on from the 2020 Summit, this conference considers the principles and values that should guide progressive policy making into the 21 st century. For the past three decades governments [...]

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Abolish ABCC says ILO

By on March 25, 2009 in ABCC Australian Building and Construction Commission

A damaging report has just landed on Kevin Rudd’s desk from the International Labor Organisation (ILO) slamming the Rudd Government for allowing the ABCC to continue to operate. This is the sixth time the international community has come out against the ABCC. But the PM is ignoring the report. http://www.rightsonsite.org.au/file.php?file=/news/IIIYFXAPNP/index.html Building and construction workers need [...]

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‘Fair’ Work Act

By on March 20, 2009 in Labour Law, WorkChoices, Workers Rights

I was going to go and watch in Parliament as I do the ‘Fair’ Work Act debates but could not bear seeing MPs watering down further the protections for workers. Nor to live in the new by-partisan spin world that ‘WorkChoices is dead! ‘ (in name only). We will see later what good/bad news for [...]

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