Industrial Workers of the World

Defend Workers’ Rights Defend Community Living Standards For further Melbourne information: Western Suburbs Community and Unions Coalition 0417 456 001

Support Westgate Bridge Workers and Their Families Community Picnic Sunday 26 April 12.00 pm onwards Yarraville Gardens Cnr. Hyde Street & Somerville Road, Yarraville, Melway 42, C8 BBQ, Food, Drinks Speakers include Westgate Bridge Workers, Fr Bob Maguire & others Music, bands,inc. Chris Wilson & more. Children¹s activities

__________ Westgate bridge dispute by chriswhite on Sunday, 5 April 2009

In early March the multi-national construction giant John Holland sacked 39 Westgate Bridge workers because they refused to take a cut in their wages and conditions below industry standards. The 39 sacked Australian Manufacturing Workers Union (AMWU) and Construction Forestry Mining Energy Union (CFMEU) members were employed last December by Civil Pacific Services, the company sub-contracted by John Holland, under the “West Gate Bridge Project Agreement”, which was signed by the respective unions and Civil Pacific Services.

John Holland responded by presenting the employees with an inferior agreement and told them they would be members of the industrially weaker Australian Workers’ Union (AWU) on this particular worksite, thereby attacking their right to freedom of association. The workers refused to accept the agreement, which led to Civil Pacific Services terminating their employment on March 2.

The sacked workers are demanding -

* their jobs back on wages and conditions that meet the industry standards appropriate to this type of project

* all their shop stewards and OHS representatives be reinstated

John Holland is taking advantage of the economic crisis, rising unemployment and job insecurity to wipe out hard won rights and conditions of working people. Already scenes of a vibrant demonstration by union members and their supporters at the bridge every morning and have pledged to continue their demonstrations until a satisfactory settlement is reached with the company.

John Holland’s willingness to enter into negotiations might have been motivated by the fact that the company has been unable to replace the sacked workers with a big enough scab labour force willing to cross the picket line and start work on the project.

John Holland has initiated legal proceedings against three union officials, threatened some of the sacked workers with legal actions and issued court orders against four workers, preventing them from participating in the community protest at the worksite. Its targeting of the four workers smacks of intimidation tactics against union activists.

The company has started to sue the unions for millions of dollars damages for an unlawful dispute. But it is Howard’s law that is wrong as workers deserve to be able to freely withdraw their labour without their union being penalised…and financially destroyed. The new Fair Work Act contains the same ant-strike provisions!

Nevertheless, workers do strike and their struggle receives community support. If John Holland gets away with slashing Westgate workers’ wages and conditions, union rights and job security this will spread to other workplaces and industries. This is a fight for all working people and communities. United we stand, divided we fall.

These courageous workers deserve wide community support! The Westgate Bridge is the site of the worst industrial disaster this country has ever seen. A disaster that cost the lives of 35 workers. For John Holland to use our bridge to cut people’s wages and conditions is an insult to the memory of anyone associated with the building of Westgate Bridge and the people of western suburbs communities. +++++++++ Chris White is a labour law researcher, specialising in Chinese labour laws and the right to strike. Chris spent 27 years in the union movement in South Australia. He has served on the board of the SA Housing Trust Board and was active in the SA East Timor Association. Chris now lives in Canberra as an advocate and consultant on workforce and social justice issues.

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Westgate Bridge Unions and John Holland come to a truce 16 April 2009 The Secretaries of the AWU, AMWU and CFMEU and representatives of John Holland Pty Ltd met today at the AWU headquarters in West Melbourne and resolved to discuss the current industrial dispute on the Westgate Bridge. The parties have agreed to participate in mediation on the industrial matters which will be conducted by Mr Justice Ian Ross. In order to allow the mediation to commence, the Unions will apply their best endeavours to have the protest activities cease in and around the Westgate Bridge and the Westgate site offices. John Holland will suspend all engineering activity for the week commencing Monday 20 April 2009. Any work associated with the erection of the anti-suicide barriers will continue until full completion. For more information call AWU Victorian Branch Secretary Cesar Melhem 0418 597 822 or (03) 8327 0827 http://vic.awu.net.au/67_5.html?H|22|67|53560046

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Lauren Wilson | April 16, 2009 ABOUT 200 Victoria Police officers, some on horseback, held the fort under Melbourne's West Gate Bridge so construction firm John Holland could send less than a dozen non-union workers on a bus through an angry picket line yesterday....police were braced for a violent scuffle between the union members and the handful of non-union workers -- or "scabs", as they were referred to on the picket line ...It was a clear demonstration of force by Victoria Police, which came less than 24 hours after John Holland's human resources manager Stephen Sasse had publicly criticised the authorities for not doing enough to help the construction company to resume operations on the site. Australian Building and Construction Commissioner John Lloyd said "Any breaches of the workplace laws will be thoroughly investigated." The workers and their families picketed the Holland site all day, chanting that they wanted their jobs back. They found impromptu and involuntary support from a bus driver, whose failed attempt at a three-point-turn wedged his vehicle lengthways across the road that the union members had attempted to block only with their bodies. A spokesman for the CFMEU said: "There was a bit of argy-bargy, but no-one was injured in the incident. "The picket line will be back on tomorrow." http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,25340264-5006785,00.html

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'Dodgy colleges' exploit foreign students http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,25340486-12332,00.html

AUSTRALIAN students want the federal Government to launch an inquiry into the mistreatment of international students amid reports corrupt training colleges are exploiting them. The National Union of Students says international pupils are being exploited by dodgy English-language providers, unscrupulous landlords and bosses. "There are still a few dodgy higher education providers out there who are offering qualifications well below quality standards," union president David Barrow said in a statement. "A full inquiry will get the facts on the table (and) be good for Australia's reputation, the sector and the well-being of international students." Mr Barrow said foreign students also faced problems when seeking employment because they were allowed to work only 20 hours a week, forcing some into blackmarket jobs and under-the-counter arrangements. "Landlords (also) have been able to exploit international students and we have heard some three-bedroom apartments can house 10 students, each paying $150 a week." International education is worth $14 billion to Australia and is the nation's third-largest export industry after coal and iron.