Dean Talks to Australia

In the coming months the federal government will spend bundles of tax payers' money in an attempt to blacken the name of unions and unionists. Dean Mighell has this to say:

‘I would rather read books about the heroics of Australians at war - Les Carlyon is one of my favourites - than go to war with bosses. Unfortunately, union members, are being harassed everywhere. That’s why union officials like me are sometimes given to strong language. In my case, as anyone who attended the mass meeting last November that got me into trouble knows, the language was pure theatre. My language doesn’t compare with that used by politicians such as Liberal Senator Bill Heffernan. Nor does it compare with what Sydney shock-jock Alan Jones said during the Cronulla riots. Even after Jones’ comments were found to have breached broadcasting laws by inciting racial hatred and violence, Kevin Rudd continued to appear on his radio program.'

In Thursday 5 July’s edition of the Australian Newspaper I have written an open letter, to Kevin Rudd. Please click here to read the letter on the ETU website.

Working in the Deakin Marginal

There are a number of key marginal seats in Victoria. One of them is Deakin, where the ETU’s business director, Alex McCallum, is hard at work supporting former shop steward Mike Symon. Mike’s opponent is the Coalition’s Phil Barresi. In the August edition of the ETU News Alex discusses why he is working so hard in Deakin.

To do your bit to unseat Phil Barresi ring Alex on 8329 0000 or email on alex@etu.asn.au

WHAT IS ON IN DEAKIN

July 10, 7:00 pm Blackburn
Al Gore’s Global Warming Presentation
Field Naturalists Club
1 Gardenia Street, Blackburn
RSVP Linda lcargill@asupsvic.org

July 22, 5.30 pm – 7 pm
Mitcham Football Club
Phil Cleary talks footy

July 29, 10:00 am to 1:00 pm
Plant a Tree on National Tree Day
BBQ Kalang Park, Main St, Blackburn
Melways Ref. map 47 J11/12
The Senior’s committee has organised the planting and a BBQ for children and adults.

August 10 in Box Hill
Faith Forum
Contact Keith for details kharvey@asu.asn.au

Deakin Street Stalls
Join the “Post Phil a Postcard” campaign every Saturday from now through September. Email alex@etu.asn.au for details.

Sub Committee meetings
There are Seniors, Faith, Sports, Women’s and Youth Committees’ that meet on a regular basis to develop and implement activities in the electorate. If you can help in one of these areas, contact the campaign organiser.

Click here for the marginal seats information.

Look Out, Mr. McArthur

Phil Barresi isn’t the only Victorian anti-worker politician in a marginal seat. Stewart McArthur in Corangamite, which takes in some of Geelong and the coastal region beyond it, is one who should get his marching orders.

As ETU president and Geelong resident, John Doran, says in the August edition of the News ‘I can’t see how working class people in suburbs such as Grovedale, Waurn Ponds and Highton would vote for him’. John has seen the devastation wrought by McArthur’s Prime Minister.

On Thursday 5 July Sharan Burrow will speak at a special dinner.
7:00 pm Geelong Trades Hall Women’s dinner
Contact Andy Richards arichards@actu.asn.au
Mob: 0400 967 537

To get involved in the Your Rights At Work campaign in Corangamite contact Andy Richards

Click here for the marginal seats information.

And Don’t forget La Trobe

And if you happen to live near the seat of La Trobe, which runs from Bayswater in the northwest, to Gembrook in the east and Officer in the south east, please contact the local coordinator, Katie Hall on 0409 405 826 or email on khall@actu.asn.au.

Ultimately, unless seats such as these are taken from the Liberals we’ll have to face up to another four years of John Howard. That is a scary thought!

WHAT IS ON IN LA TROBE

7 July 10am-1pm:
Barbeque and street stall. Main Street, Belgrave near Commonwealth Bank
Contact Katie khall@actu.asn.au
www.myspace.com/latroberightsatwork

In any given week, each electorate needs help with letterboxing as well. Email the organiser if you can help in an electorate.

Click here for the marginal seats information.

Your Rights at Work in Tassie

Apart from the seat of Franklin, where ETU assistant secretary Kevin Harkins is standing as the endorsed ALP candidate, the two seats of interest are the marginals Bass and Braddon.

The contact details are as follows:

Bass (Tas) Cindy O’Connor
coconnor@actu.asn.au
http://www.myspace.com/bassyraw

Braddon (Tas ) Jill Batt
jbatt@actu.asn.au

WHAT’S ON IN THESE SEATS:

Bass
July 7-14th 11-3pm
YRAW BBQ Launceston
Enrolling to Vote Howard Out
Contact Cindy coconnor@actu.asn.au
http://www.myspace.com/bassyraw

Braddon
August 8 - time to be advised
Senior Citizens Forum
Devonport Soccer Club.
Contact Jill jbatt@actu.asn.au

Tuesday July 10 at 11.00am
Community Forum planning session at HACSU office. Again, contact Jill jbatt@actu.asn.au

Tuesday July 18 from 7:00 – 8:30 pm Community Forum
Are working families on the north west coast getting a fair go?
Leven Theatre, Ulverstone Civic Centre, Patrick Street, Ulverstone.
Chaired by Alf Mott
Contact Jill jbatt@actu.asn.au

Click here for the marginal seats information.

By now you should have received an invitation to sign up to UnionActive – a campaign component of the ETU website - which was developed to provide an online campaigning capacity for the ETU members and friends.
Our aim is to sign up a minimum 2,000 people, who’ll be asked to petition politicians, news editors, shareholders and companies across the full spectrum of issues that matter to working people, and to participate in activities such as the Your Rights At Work campaigns. UnionActive will provide campaign action tools such as online petitions, targetted emails, surveys, letter writing pro forma, power point presentations, logos and merchandise to use in community and workplace campaigns. Our most immediate campaign is aimed at Pulling the Plug on WorkChoices and the Howard government at the upcoming election and to make sure a new incoming government looks after the interests of working people.

Click here to join UnionActive now.

It’s now official. The Australian Industrial Relations Commission has revealed the sacking of a machinist in Melbourne was ‘predominantly’ because he was on an ‘inflexible’ union agreement and nothing can be done about it.
All the company had to do was identify a number of reasons, including a downturn in business, to avoid the sacking becoming unlawful. It’s a very convenient way of reducing union influence in the workplace. Commissioner John Lewin was reported in The Australian newspaper as saying ‘the operation of WorkChoices meant the commission could not effectively determine whether the sacking was unreasonable’.
It prompted the following response from Lee Skourdoumbis, the Victorian secretary of the Construction Forestry Mining and Energy Union: ‘I think a number of employers will see a decision like this as the green light to attempt to dismiss workers because of union membership.’ Not surprisingly, the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry jumped to the defence of the WorkChoices legislation, suggesting the worker could take the case to the Federal Court.
Don’t we just love how bosses define flexibility? For them it’s the imposition of working hours that break the fabric of community and family life and reduce rates of pay. So much for the Howard government’s commitment to battlers!

How encouraging to learn that a recent poll shows that close on 80 % of Australians believe John Howard’s ‘invasion’ of indigenous communities has more to do with the election than a deep commitment to indigenous health.

It’s a view shared by the ETU’s indigenous apprenticeship officer Dean Rioli who told the ETU News he’d never encountered sexual assault when he was growing up on the Tiwi Islands and that his uncle had written to Mal Brough saying he and his community were insulted by the strategy. ‘Growing up in the community...you always felt safe. ‘Sending an army into every aboriginal community is very extreme. I’m all for stamping out child abuse ...those communities that do have a history of molestation and child abuse must be helped ...turn them dry...everyone is pretty much of the same opinion...to label every aboriginal community as having a problem is extreme,’ says Rioli. Thankfully his former coach Kevin Sheedy has expressed similar sentiments.

Please click here to listen to the full audio transcript of Dean Rioli’s thoughts on the ETU website.

What Really Happened to Brooke Hanson

Nothing like an electric shock to a famous person to fire up Energy Safe Victoria! Brooke Hanson’s encounter with electricity at the Swimming Pool and Spa Association of Victoria industry show at the Melbourne Exhibition Centre on 17 June 2007 has brought the dangers of electricity into sharp focus.

All electrical contractors, licensed electricians, exhibition venue management, exhibition and display organisers and exhibitors have been told to check - and in some instances double check - the condition and compliance of electrical equipment used at events, shows and displays.

After exhaustive investigations, ESV concluded that one of the electrical leads supplied by a contractor to power the spa pool being demonstrated by Brooke Hanson did not have a proper earth connection. The lack of earthing would have resulted in 15 volts AC being injected into the salty, ionised water of the pool – sufficient to provide a significant electric shock to a swimmer who had spent a time in the water.

As much as everyone is glad Brooke and her sister escaped unharmed, the ETU only wishes such incidents would prompt the media to adopt a more sympathetic approach to trade unions. After all, it’s because the ETU has shop stewards and OH&S reps that safety standards are maintained. Unfortunately, the federal government’s obsession with wiping unions from the workplace poses a great threat to the safety of workers. Maybe we’ll have an ally in Brooke Hanson in the future.

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