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Thousands march to support meatworkers

BY LAURA COX ROCKHAMPTON — Almost 3000 spirited protesters marched through the CBD on March 2, in support of the 1350 workers who lost their jobs when Consolidated Meat Group (CMG) closed the Lakes Creek abattoir in mid-January. Mounting

Woomera asylum seekers resume protest

BY SARAH STEPHEN A hunger strike by around 150 mostly Iraqi asylum seekers held in Woomera detention centre began on March 7. Fifteen shallow graves were dug, and detainees buried themselves up to their necks, indicating that they would rather be

'Stop the war on women!'

BY LAUREN CARROLL HARRIS "This year's International Women's Day [IWD] takes place in a very dangerous political climate for women — both in Australia and internationally. The launching by the United States of a socalled war against terrorism —

Workers poisoned at Caltex refinery

BY SAM WAINWRIGHT SYDNEY — In the small hours of March 4 two production workers and a contract fitter from the Caltex oil refinery at Kurnell were admitted to Sutherland Hospital suffering exposure to hydrogen sulphide gas. Prolonged exposure

Write On: letters from Green Left Weekly readers

'Non-thinkers' Referring to his decision not to dismiss Dr Hollingworth, the PM has expressed the belief that "thinking people understand that I have reached a correct judgment". To write-off around 55% of the population as "non-thinkers" is

ZIMBABWE: Abducted trade union leader still missing

BY NORM DIXON Zimbabwe Civil Service Employees Association president Ephraim Tapa and Faith Mukwakwa, his wife, have been missing since February 16. Their vehicle was intercepted by supporters of President Robert Mugabe's Zimbabwe African Nation

Links on imperialism's 'unwinnable war'

REVIEW BY LUKE FOMIATTI Links #20 New Course Publications, 2002 28 pages, $8 each or $39 for a six-issue subscription Order at <links@dsp.org.au> “Every nation, in every region, now has a choice to make. Either you are with us,

COLOMBIA: US fuels dirty war

BY NICOLE COLSON Colombian President Andres Pastrana gave the order on February 20 for his military to invade territory controlled by left-wing rebels in a deadly escalation of the government's four-decade-old dirty war. Pastrana broke off talks

Loose cannons

Freudian slip "First, let me say that our thoughts and prayers go out to the families and the friends of the service members who have lost their lives in our ongoing operations in Vietnam." — General Tommy Frank opening a March 5 news conference

Action updates

Bus drivers strike for better pay SYDNEY — Government bus services in Sydney and Newcastle stopped for 48 hours on March 6-7, as drivers and maintenance workers took strike action over pay. The strike was called after the Rail, Tram and Bus

INDIA: Religious fanaticism and cold-blooded murder

For several months, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) party has been whipping up communal tension and targeting Muslims in India. In particular, it has renewed its focus on building a Hindu temple at Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh, at the same site

Flair Menswear hit by first strike

BY SUE BULL MELBOURNE — Elizabeth Vujkov has worked for Flair Menswear, now owned by Hugo Boss, for 23 years. She was shocked when she was told on February 26, along with 119 others, that the whole manufacturing section of the company was being