Getting Rid of Howard

On Saturday the battle to defeat John Howard and his anti-union mates enters its final hours and we need you. Any member who can spare the time to assist Mike Symon and the Your Rights at Work campaign in Deakin should raise their hand. With a margin of around 5%, sitting Liberal member Phil Barresi can be beaten.

How typical of the Liberals that they would choose to send a defamatory leaflet around the electorate this week demonising Mike’s previous work with Protect. Although the leaflet received covered in The Age on Tuesday the lies failed to draw more than a yawn. The leaflet is the work of a man who is desperate. And so he should be desperate, given he voted for Howard’s raft of IR legislation on 23 separate occasions.

A vote for Phil Barresi in Deakin is a vote for another grubby, boring political apparatchik. A vote for Mike Symon is a vote for a good bloke and astute political thinker.

To assist Mike in driving Howard from the parliament just ring Alex McCallum on 8329 0000 or email on alex@etu.asn.au

Mike Symon needs all hands on deck in Deakin on Election Day.

Batting for Asthma

We’ve already sent the word around about the cricket match on Sunday 25 November 2007 at the Footscray-Edgewater Cricket Ground. Dean Mighell and Phil Cleary will be batting with the Centurions and Ron Luckman will be behind the stumps when the team takes on Merv Hughes’ star-studded team.

All proceeds will go to the Asthma Foundation. There will be rides for the kids and plenty of food, and the Club bar is open. Last year we had a terrific game which ended in a genuine tie (believe it or not) and over $5,000 was raised.

This year Merv has Jason Bakker; Rohan Smith (ex Western Bulldogs), Tony Dodemaide, Crackers Keenan, Brownlow Medallist and Victorian all-rounder, Peter Bedford, and Gary Hughes, Merv's brother, will also be playing.

The cricket day offers members a great opportunity to have some fun with friends and family. Not only will it be fun but it could well be the moment for a great celebration. See you there.

WHERE: The Footscray-Edgewater Cricket Mervyn G Hughes Oval (Footscray-Edgewater cricket club) Farnsworth Avenue, Footscray - Melway Map Ref 2S F2

WHEN: Sunday 25 November, commencing at 1 pm

Raising a Rebel Flag

According to the ABCC – taskforce - the Building Code is underpinned by the following ‘fundamental principles’.

1. freedom of choice
2. freedom of association—the choice to be or not to be in a union or employer association, and-the choice of which union or employer organisation; and
3. all Australians must be treated equally before the law.

So why is the government using the Australian Government Implementation Guidelines for the National Code of Practice for the Construction Industry to ban the Eureka flag from building sites? Yes, section 8.5.3 of the guidelines deems ‘no ticket, no start’ signs, or other notices such as posters, helmets, stickers or union logos or flags etcetera that imply that union membership is anything other than a matter for individual choice’ to be inconsistent with the Code:

This Friday 23 November - outside the State Library - starting at 5.30 pm the ETU flag will be flying alongside the Eureka flag as a collection of concerned people – lawyers, a priest, unionists, Eureka descendants and community activists – express their disgust with the legislation and their commitment to see an end to such anti-democratic legislation.
The diggers at Eureka in 1854 swore to ‘stand truly by each other, and fight to defend our rights and liberties’. This Friday our modern day rebels will be re-creating that moment in time. Let’s make sure there’s a big contingent of ETU members and friends at the rally.

Are You on YouTube Yet?

The latest edition of The Spark podcast is now on YouTube and the ETU website. In this edition of The Spark ETU secretary, Dean Mighell, discusses eleven years of John Howard and talks candidly about his voting intentions on Saturday. It’s worth a listen.

Dean will be staffing a polling booth in Deakin on Election Day.

Online members would be aware that in recent weeks the ETU has posted various programs – the nurses’ dispute among them – on YouTube. In 2008 YouTube will play an even more significant role in ETU communications. With the interviews conducted by Phil Cleary and compiled for the web by Jason Gibson - in the communications department – the ETU will be able to make the news rather than just respond to it.

The following links are an example:

http://www.youtube.com/user/etusouthernstates

http://www.youtube.com/etuholdtheline

http://www.etu.asn.au/2007/hold_the_line.html

If you have any thoughts about stories, or want to make a comment, please email me: phil@etu.asn.au

The Final Union Show for 2007

This Monday night’s Union Show will be the last for 2007. It will feature interviews with people in Deakin on Election Day and at the Trades Hall party on election night, as well as a full round-up of the election.

The program airs at 8.30 pm. As previously explained, the ETU is now heavily involved in the show. With Dean Mighell offering the ETU’s support, your correspondent (Phil Cleary) hosting the program and the ETU’s communications coordinator Jason Gibson - replacing Erinn Sales who is on maternity leave - editing and compiling segments, all we need to do is build the audience. Currently that audience sits at around 60 000. Not bad for community TV!

If members spread the word it can only be good for working people, especially at a time of such political conservatism. In 2008 the program will bigger and better.

Those who don’t get Channel 31 or miss the program can catch highlights on the ETU’s YouTube site:

http://www.youtube.com/user/etusouthernstates

Channel 31’s site on YouTube is: http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=unionshow

As always, send us an email if you have any thoughts: phil@etu.asn.au

The raffle for ETU member John Lock and his family ends on Friday 7 December, with the draw to be held at Scope on Thursday 13 December. There are still plenty of tickets on sale.

Most members would be aware that John’s son Tom is suffering from cerebral palsy and epilepsy and requires a wheelchair and his other son Jordon and wife Leigh are experiencing challenging health issues.

All monies raised will go towards the purchase of a Kia car – valued at $65,000 - with modifications for Tom’s wheelchair. We thank you for the support and looks forward to delivering the car to John and his family.

If you have raffle tickets could you please try your best to sell them before the closing date? Thanks for your support.

To donate to the cause, go to the ETU website www.etu.asn.au and follow the links or ring the office on 8329 0000.

In 2001 the Workplace Studies Centre at Victoria University provided the ETU with a 41 page report titled ‘Needs of working electrical contractors: self employed and small scale employers’. Armed with this report the ETU has employed Peter Mighell – who has spent most of his working life as a manager in small business - to head its campaign to attract contractors to the union.

The ETU believes it is well placed to serve the interests of contractors in the same way it protects the interests of employees. ‘From safety issues to super and financial planning, the ETU has the resources and skill to assist contractors,’ says Peter.

If you are a contractor and would like to share your thoughts and aspirations with Peter Mighell, please ring him on 8329 0000 or 0407 925696

In 2007 the ETU launched a new range of apparel - T-shirts and tops – to coincide with the move to the Mills Building. Aficionados of style say the clothing is now so hip even the kids are crying out for the ‘hoody’, the ‘zipped sweat’ and the sexy ‘1902 T-shirt’.

So much for unionists being thugs! Dressed in this gear the average bloke will be known only as a Thoroughly Huggable Union Guy. If you’re looking for something to give a mate on the job or something for yourself, to wear on the Portsea foreshore or on the Lorne promenade, then the ETU Shop is to the place to go.

The ETU Shop can be found on Level 1 at the ETU office, 200 Arden Street, North Melbourne. Sun glasses and water bottles to protect you from John Howard’s global warming are also on sale. Just stroll up the stars and you’ll be confronted by a smorgasbord of sartorial splendour.

And look out for the ‘EMPLOY A WOMAN ELECTRICIAN’ T-shirt. ‘You’d be mad not to buy one of these. They were designed by the women’s network and they look great,’ says Women’s Officer, Vanessa Garbett.

Asbestos Awareness Week

As part of National Asbestos Awareness Week the Asbestos Information & Support Services Inc (AISS) is holding a memorial for victims, families, friends and supporters who have been touched by this disease or have an interest in this disease. The event is to be held at the Trades Hall Council, 127 Myers Street Geelong on Wednesday 28 November 2007, from 4pm - 6pm, followed by refreshments.

The memorial will give people who have been affected by this disease a chance to pay respect to the people who have lost their lives due to asbestos exposure or who are dealing with the day-to-day issues associated with an asbestos disease. There will be several speakers at the memorial, including Uniting Church Minister, Paul Stephens, federal Labor candidate Richard Marles, AISS Member Les Newman and Barry Fitton from CEPU Plumbers.

AISS is a not-for-profit organisation, primarily run by volunteers who have been personally touched by this disease. As well as its support activities AISS aims to educate the general community about the dangers of asbestos, with the ultimate goal being the eradication of asbestos from our environment.

For further details or to RSVP please contact James Gunderson on: 9654 9555 or 0412 697 037 or by email: aiss.contact@gmail.com

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