1. Eureka Stirs the Passion

News that the ETU is organising a camping expedition - Thursday 2 Dec onwards - in Ballarat has excited a few ETU members. An ETU member from the Prospectors & Miners Association of Victoria has told the ETU Online he's far from happy with legislation that has restricted gold mining in Victoria. Says the member, who'll be in Ballarat for the celebrations, 'just like our Heroes fighting for miners rights, our dream is to strike it rich, so I can be free from paid employment and slavery. I have heard a rumour that Bracks will be there. We are insulted by this. No troopers please. All miners load your stone buckets please.

In a further flurry the aforesaid member advises the ETU Online that 'the latest campaign, led by another loser, Paul Keating, is a ban on four wheel drives. Bull bars, Hunting & Fishing are next on the agenda.' We've haven't been able to track down the elusive Paul Keating, but I just can't imagine him creasing that Italian suit jumping in an out of a four wheel drive. For the record, ETU Southern States Secretary Dean Mighell is a four wheel drive man and loves nothing better than shooting the odd feral beast in the wilds.

Furthermore the ETU is supporting the Eureka celebrations because, as Dean has written in the April Edition of the ETU NEWS, the rebellion at Eureka was 'a symbol of independence' and a struggle 'for a fair go.' What politicians do - no matter what their party - is of little relevance to the ETU.

2. Want to Camp Under the Southern Cross?

The next meeting of the Eureka Committee will be held in the Comrades Bar at 4 pm on Tuesday 6 April. Look forward to seeing you there and in Ballarat on Thursday 2 December. For more details see the April Edition of the ETU NEWS

3. Lights on - No One Home

There's no doubt about these trans-national power companies. As you know the ETU is currently negotiating a new EBA with TXU, PowerCor and the mob and has, among other things instituted bans 'on all live overhead construction and maintenance work with the exception of LV metering and servicing and public lighting faults.'

At a meeting with the government Minister Theo Theophanous outlined a five point plan that said ''where work with live wires is necessary ....this work will be carried out, however where arrangements can be put in place so that lines can be switched off and power diverted this work will be done on a non live wire basis.' The ETU could have shut the state down but decided to accept the Minister's position.

So how do we explain the action of the companies in standing down workers who refuse to work on live wires as per the agreement? So keen is the management of the big Texan (TXU) to stand workers down they are deliberately asking them to work on non-essential, even unnecessary, live work. Then when the workers refuse, as they did at Leongatha last week, they are stood down.

All might be fair in love and war, but its worth noting that the ETU was prepared to review its bans on commercial construction to assist in the completion of a new factory in Wangaratta. This decision was taken after receiving a pleading letter from the owner in Japan .

Ask people in the bush about TXU and you won't find many with a kind word. When a cockie looking to power his irrigation pumps and another who saw sparks flying near a tobacco kiln rang the TXU hotline a recorded message said 'expect delays due to industrial action.' Fancy standing workers down then claiming the delays are due to industrial action. Fancy not telling the farmers the truth, which is, that they were classified as low priorities by Texas Utilities (TXU).

These are just some of the tales that filled Trades Hall at the stewards meeting on 31 March. Justice Mansfield was taking final submissions at the IRC as the ETU Online went to press on Monday 5 April. We'll keep you posted.

4. Watch Your Step

If you're about to put your foot on a ladder that bears the brand Bailey Platform Step Ladder don't. Baileys reckons these ladders are fine, but Allan Mulvena the ETU's OH+S officer begs to differ. 'We found several ladders with cracks down at the Eureka site and in one particular case the weld had torn away from the brace. A person would be seriously injured should the ladder collapse.' Over to you Baileys! Who owns Baileys, you ask? The mob that makes your clothes line, of course. That's a worry.

Talking about falls, the ETU is holding an in-service for all organisers on Friday 16 April at 7.30 am regarding the WorkSafe Code of Practice for Prevention of Falls in General Construction. 

And 28 April is another important day in regards to safety issues:

International Workers' Memorial Day - April 28

This is the day workers around the world mourn the hundreds and thousands of workers who have died as a result of workplace hazards. Things to do include:  Organise a minute's silence at your workplace

•  Get everyone at work to sign a petition (coming)
•  Come to the event at the Memorial Rock
•  Attend the VTHC forum to find out and give your views about the proposed changes to the OHS Act.

While on Safety issues what about Westco Jeans forcing staff to wear provocative clothing and telling female employees to wear low-cut white lycra T-shirt with the slogan 'STOP PRETENDING YOU DON'T WANT ME' splashed across the chest, while male employees were given black 'muscle tank tops' with the same slogan in red?

Is it any wonder many bosses are being accused of failing to protect workers from sexual harassment.   That bloke at Westco who sent the memo to staff telling them to either wear the T-shirt or go home needs a good talking to.

5. Who'll Win and by How Much?

IAs you've probably discovered in the April Edition of the ETU NEWS the ETU's AFL Tipping Competition kicks off in round three which starts on Easter Thursday. Remember we need your tips and margins by 4 pm this Thursday. Former Collingwood player Carl Steinfort has pencilled in the following:

Collingwood by 9 points against Brisbane (Thursday night)
Kangaroos by 15 points against Carlton
Essendon 27 points against West Coast
Sydney 31 points against Geelong
Port 28 points against Hawthorn
Melbourne by 11 points against the Western Bulldogs
Freo by 21 points against Adelaide
Richmond by 8 points against St Kilda

6. Next edition eTU online

Thanks for reading this issue of eTU online. You'll receive your next issue in May 2004.