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Commission rules in Incat workers' favour

BY ALEX BAINBRIDGE HOBART — Shipbuilder Incat has been forced by the Industrial Relations Commission to back off from attempts to impose on its workers the "choice" of a four-day week or 200 redundancies. Incat has a legally binding agreement,

Socialist Alliance launched in Lismore

BY MATT EGAN LISMORE — Nearly 40 people crammed into a caf‚ on May 17 to hear about the newly-formed Socialist Alliance and help launch a local SA group. Edda Lampis, of the International Socialist Organisation, outlined the crisis of

UNITED STATES: 'Which side are you on?'

BY DAVID BACON OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA — "For immigrants to build a better future, they need to build a union", says Eliseo Medina, a Mexican immigrant from Zacatecas who became a leading organiser for the United Farm Workers, and now serves as

Socialist Alliance establishes local campaign groups

BY NICK EVERETT SYDNEY — Five local campaign groups of the newly formed Socialist Alliance held inaugural meetings across Sydney on May 15 and 16. The meetings — held in Sydney city (Ultimo), Burwood, Parramatta, Marrickville and Chatswood —

UNITED NATIONS: US booted off commission

BY ALISON DELLIT The United States government suffered a humiliating defeat on May 4 when it was voted off the United Nations Human Rights Commission for the first time since the commission's inception. It's not as if Washington didn't do its

Exposing Plan Colombia

Colombia — Peace at what prices?Written & directed by Anne O'CaseyRunning time 40 minutes, $20Available from CISLAC (PO Box A431 Sydney South NSW 2000; web site: <http://www.cislac.org.au>) REVIEW BY LYNDA HANSEN The latest video

Pro-choice campaign takes to streets

BY LYNDA HANSEN BRISBANE — The International Women's Day Collective launched its abortion law repeal petition campaign at the May 7 Labour Day festivities in Musgrave Park. The petition demands repeal of the Queensland criminal code sections

Break the chains of eternal debt

BY EVA CHENG What does it say about the nature of the current world order when, despite expanded food production capacity and sophisticated life-saving technologies, more than 30,000 children under five still die each day in Third World countries

and ain't i a woman?: Criminalising miscarriage

On May 17 a South Carolina court sentenced a 24-year-old woman to 12 years in prison for homicide. The victim was her fetus; the method of the "murder" was cocaine use. Eight months pregnant when she miscarried, Regina McKnight is homeless, poor,

Doctors win pay rise

BY ALEX BAINBRIDGE HOBART — "If doctors in public hospitals were only concerned about money, they wouldn't be working in the public system" said Dr Kamala Emanuel in defence of the campaign by doctors to win improvements in their conditions of

Josh White: The forgotten singer

REVIEW BY PHIL SHANNON Josh White: Society BluesBy Elijah WaldUniversity of Massachusetts Press, 2000336 pp, $69 (hb) Josh White is the forgotten singer of progressive blues and folk in the United States. Common coin has it that his obscurity is

News briefs

Vodaphone workers face sackings MELBOURNE — Forty workers for telecommunications company Vodaphone turned up to what they thought would be an ordinary day of training on March 15, only to find themselves being marched out of the gates flanked by