Indian Ocean Tsunamis Appeal

Boxing Day 2005 will be one of those dates forever engraved in Australians' minds as the shocking news gradually emerged about the tsunamis in the Indian Ocean .

Many Australians in the past will have holidayed, backpacked and surfed in the places so tragically swept away on that day.

People in those countries affected have been generous in sharing their countries' beaches and culture with us. If we can be of assistance in their time of need, it will be a small repayment for that generosity which many of us have experienced.

The ETU (Victoria Branch) Trust has donated $5,000.00 to appeal funds to assist those affected by the tragedy in the Indian Ocean and Asian countries. As people return to work after the summer break, we will be encouraging members to generously give to the various appeals.

We know money is always short after Christmas, but it's worse in other places!

Many members have contacted the Union asking if they can be of assistance to the humanitarian commitment required.

Typical of these is from Michael.

Hi. I have been watching with horror the results of the tragedy in Asia on TV and am wondering if the ETU has any plans to assist in the relief or recovery process?

I am an ETU member in Gippsland and whilst I do not have a lot of money to offer, I would be willing to give up around 2 months or more of my long service leave time to go and assist for free.

I am qualified and have extensive experience in the installation and maintenance of radio communications equipment, power generation, electrical wiring, fault finding, instrumentation, team leadership skills and have licences for type B gas and mobile plant such as fork lift and boom lift, etc., as well as 4*4 driving and remote living experience.

The Union will endeavour to assist in putting members in touch with organisations that can use this expertise. In the meantime, cash donations would be appreciated by aid organizations, including the ACTU's APHEDA.

Check the ETU website to find out more and get a collection going on your job ASAP.

http://www.etu.asn.au/members/2005/tsunami.html

2. Common Awards Rule, OK!

ETU members would be aware that when Jeff Kennett came to power in Victoria he dismantled the state IR system, and that unions responded where possible by moving members into federal award coverage.

However, this left tens of thousands of employees without coverage by an award. The Bracks Government has legislated for federal awards to automatically apply to all workers in the electrical industry rather than the previously narrow and selective application.

Although workers are better off and can only really survive if they join the Union , this legislative change offers a safety net that previously didn't exist. All employers in the contracting industry must abide by that award.

Included in the award is a 38-hour week, RDOs, overtime penalty rates, annual leave loading and fares and travel allowance. If you are not receiving these benefits - whether you work in domestic or commercial - you should speak to you union .

Cartoon courtesy of Nicholson :

http://www.nicholsoncartoons.com.au

3. Edition 5 of the ETU Occupational Health and Safety Manual

ETU Southern States Occupational Health and Safety Officer, Allan Mulvena, advises that Edition 5 of the ETU Occupational Health and Safety manual is now available.

Allan says that the manual "has been updated with the assistance of the ETU OH&S representatives' committee and includes new sections such as workplace bullying policies, sexual harassment principles, OCEI incident report and ETU notification of concern or incident forms"

The manual is also available from the ETU website in PDF format at http://www.etu.asn.au/pdfs/ohs_manual.pdf

The ETU Southern States Branch has a range of manuals and booklets available free to members, including the ETU Occupational Health and Safety Manual, the National Electrical, Electronic and Communications Contracting Award, the Metal Engineering and Associated Industries Award, the National Metal & Engineering On-site Construction Industry Award 2002 and the Union Enterprise Agreement.

4. The Challenge of Cystic Fibrosis

Paul Rathjen was almost speechless when organiser Gerry Glover presented his family with a cheque for $1,000 on behalf of the ETU. On 13 August 2003 , Paul's partner Kristine gave birth to a beautiful boy, whom they named Jordan .

However, Jordan was eventually diagnosed with cystic fibrosis and Paul and Kristine have spent countless weeks with their gorgeous son in the Royal Children's Hospital. The ETU trusts that its little gift will alleviate some of the pressure the Rathjens are experiencing. Jordan spent Christmas in hospital, but Paul says he had a great time opening his presents.

The following is a brief account of cystic fibrosis taken from the Cystic Fibrosis Australia website http://www.cysticfibrosisaustralia.org.au/whytherose.shtml

CYSTIC FIBROSIS FACTS

Q: What is Cystic Fibrosis?

A: It is the most common serious genetic condition in Australian children today, affecting one in every 2,500 babies.

Q: What happens?

A: In CF, the mucus glands cause normal mucus to change to a thick sticky substance. This mucus clogs the tiny passages in the lungs and traps bacteria. Repeated infections and blockages can cause irreversible lung damage and death. The pancreas is also impaired preventing the release of enzymes which are needed for the digestion of food. This means that people who have CF can have problems with nutrition.

Q: Who gets CF?

A: CF is an inherited condition. For a child to be born with CF both parents must carry the CF gene. Carriers of the gene do not have any symptoms of the condition.

Q: How common is CF?

A: One in twenty five people carry the CF gene. If two people carry the gene with every pregnancy there is a one in four chance that the child will have CF. There is a two in four chance that the child will not have CF but will carry the gene and a one in four chance that the child will not have CF and not be a carrier.

Q: What are the symptoms of CF?:

A: A persistent cough, particularly with physical effort; some difficulty with breathing or wheezing with effort; tiredness and lethargy; frequent visits to the toilet; poor appetite. Salt loss in hot weather may produce weakness.

Q Is there a cure for CF?

A: CF is not curable at this time but with today's improved treatment most people with CF are able to lead reasonably normal and productive lives. A great amount of time and energy is being directed to raising money to find new and improved ways of treating CF and of finally gaining control of the condition.

The ETU will bring an extensive story about cystic fibrosis and Paul and Kristine's experiences in the April edition of the ETU News.

5. " Black's the new orange for rebel unionist"

If the following story from the Age newspaper in December http://theage.com.au/articles/2004/12/08/1102182357746.html is any indication, we can only hope the bosses down at BlueScope don't let their kids rent Lord of the Rings from the local video store.

workplace fashion dispute is brewing at BlueScope Steel in Hastings over the company's preferred colour for safety helmets. Management has told Electrical Trades Union delegate Mark Farrell his choice of black is "intimidating" for staff and that he should adopt the company's orange model or face disciplinary action. Mr Farrell said yesterday the issue began years ago when the company introduced "melon" or pink safety helmets. "I said I'm not going to wear a pink helmet. I'll wear a white helmet. And when that expired I chose to wear a black one. They said that would have a visibility problem at night so I put reflective tape on it. Now they say staff members are intimidated by my helmet because it is black."

BlueScope manager Sandi Harwood said the issue was about safety not fashion: " Orange is a strong, high visibility colour and that is why we provide orange helmets as part of our personal protective equipment. Black is an unsafe colour for a helmet in a manufacturing setting. Mark will be welcome back on site wearing his highly visible orange helmet."

Everyone in the industry knows how Bluescope had been going hammer and tongs at trying to weaken the role of the Union at its plants. The Big Australian, as it was once called, needs a reality check. Trying to pull rank over the colour of a helmet is nothing more than intimidation by the bosses. We're obviously going to see a lot more of this under the fanatically anti-union Howard government.

Instead of boring us with shadow boxing about black helmets, Bluescope should be addressing the real issue of working conditions. All the surveys and every bit of anecdotal evidence that come the way of the ETU News suggest workers want security and family-friendly hours. They don't want bosses trying to rule the roost.

http://www.etu.asn.au/members/black_helmet.html

6. Meanwhile at The Age Newspaper

Members at the AGE newspaper in Spencer Street were awarded a $20,000.00 payment in a private arbitration as result of a dispute regarding their enterprise agreement.

The agreement had a clause guaranteeing employment over a particular period and the AGE ignored this and forcibly made members of the AMWU and ETU redundant.

Bosses are Bosses.

http://www.etu.asn.au/members/age_dispute.html

7. Next edition eTU Online

Thanks for reading this issue of eTU online. You'll receive your next issue in February 5, 2005.