I wrote this in July 2006. One would have thought that protection for workers withdrawing their labour to attend ACTU community assemblies protesting against WorkChoices was a basic democratic freedom. But under a Rudd government, like Howard’s WorkChoices, it may remain unlawful. On Wednesday 28th June 2006, hundreds of thousands of people attended protest rallies, [...]
Workers’ Rights?
Repeal the Building Industry Act and WorkChoices Sydney August 16 2008 I support the campaign of the ACTU and the Construction Forest Mining and Energy Union and Noel Washington. I deal with: Right to strike for industry bargaining and right to strike to save the environment. Australian workers’ legal rights remain amongst the worst in [...]
Right to strike for industry bargaining attacked by Gillard (January 5th 2008)
It is important that workers have the right to strike for industry bargaining. January 2008. One week’s new year holiday on the NSW south coast beach, listening to the tests with PM Kevin Rudd commentating and reading Mungo’s election campaign book. As a campaigner for Your Rights at Work Worth Fighting For and ALP member, [...]
No right to strike in individual bargaining?
Under the 1996 Workplace Relations Act there was a right to strike for an AWA, but with WorkChoices these protected individual bargaining rights were removed. They have not been restored by DPM Gillard in her politically successful phasing out of AWAs. And powerful corporate interests are rolling these individual contracts into non-union collective bargaining. I [...]
AT LAST A HOME! The Need For Public Housing:2004
PM Rudd and Minister for Housing Tanya Plibersek have at last placed tackling homelessness on the political agenda and much is being done. But with a greater housing crisis than thought possible with economic uncertainty and a looming recession, urgent emergency funding to the States for public housing over the next two years is necessary. [...]
Concerns for the right to strike: Kevin Rudd ‘Facing the Future’ 17/4/2007
I responded to Kevin Rudd’s statements against the right to srike he raised during the election. I have attacked PM Howard for removing the right to strike, almost to the point of suppression. I was surprised to hear Kevin Rudd 17/4/2007 targeting strikes as a problem. And on an individual’s basic human right to withdraw [...]
Howard’s anti-union agenda: Prohibited Content
The following 2006 comment focuses on one of the new details of WorkChoices, that of ‘prohibited content’. Content for enterprise agreements that are legally prohibited are ‘union-friendly claims’. They were formerly lawful content in collective bargaining agreements. This assumes some knowledge of WorkChoices and how it is unfair for workers and their unions and gives [...]
Our rights at work need fighting for under Rudd’s corporate industrial relations policy
OUR RIGHTS AT WORK NEED FIGHTING FOR Two papers by Rob Durbridge AEU National Office Paper one. It is common ground on all sides of politics that the union campaign against Work Choices played a big part in the defeat of the Howard Government. But the Rudd Government has no intention of returning the favour [...]
First the Verdict: The true story of the Cole Commission into building and construction workers
Book review First published: Australian Options, No. 35, Summer 2004 www.australian-options.org.au. First the Verdict is a first rate expose of the Howard Government’s $60 million Cole Building Industry Royal Commission as a witch hunt against the building unions. Published on the day former Minister for Workplace Relations Tony Abbott released the Cole recommendations, First the [...]
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