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Labor votes for Howard-Georgiou deal

Sarah Stephen How fast the federal Coalition government can move when it wants to! On June 17, Prime Minister John Howard came to an agreement with the "Rebel 4" Liberal Party backbenchers on a compromise deal to reduce the harshness of mandatory

UNITED STATES: Lessons from the United Airlines pension plan negotiations

Malik Miah, San Francisco The latest setback for US workers' right to secure retirement pensions occurred in the airline industry with the termination last month of four defined benefit pension plans at United Airlines (UAL), the world's second

Radical TV now on DVD

BY JOHN REYNOLDS Help support the development of progressive and radical TV — Actively Radical TV is offering the Art Resistance Community TV weekly program for purchase on DVD or VHS. The Art Resistance hour is broadcast 9.30-10.30pm on Sunday

ECUADOR: Palacio attacks U.S., supports Bolivar

On June 21, President Alfredo Palacio declared that Ecuador will not be signing a treaty granting US troops in the country immunity from prosecution for crimes against humanity before the International Criminal Court. The decision, which followed a

BRAZIL: Corruption scandal threatens Lula

Federico Fuentes On June 19, the national directorate of the Worker's Party (PT) of Brazil called on its members to organise public actions and other events to denounce "the unscrupulous campaign of false accusations and lies" being waged by

Local council opposes detention centre

MELBOURNE — At a meeting to launch its social justice charter for 2005, Hume City Council reaffirmed its opposition to the proposed Broadmeadows immigration detention centre. Councillor Gary Jungwirth, the HCC's portfolio councillor for social

Poet of the poor

Pablo Neruda: A Passion for LifeBy Adam FeinsteinBloomsbury, 2004497 pages, $65 (hb) REVIEW BY PHIL SHANNON Pablo Neruda was a poet who won the Nobel prize for literature. He was also a lifelong, if increasingly troubled, Stalinist. As Adam

IR minister in hot water over individual contracts

Nick Everett, Canberra On June 20, federal workplace relations minister Kevin Andrews demanded the ACTU remove TV advertisements claiming that under the federal government's planned new industrial relations laws, workers could be forced into

Union leaders call on ALP to stand up for workers' rights

Peter Boyle & Margarita Windisch Union leaders around the country are demanding that federal Labor and state Labor governments actively fight PM John Howard's proposed new anti-union laws. On June 15, National Union of Workers NSW secretary

Pressure continues over Timor Sea deal

Tony Iltis, Melbourne The Timor Sea Justice Campaign (TSJC) held a public information evening on June 23 at the Collingwood Town Hall to explain the current state of negotiations between Australia and East Timor. Hosted by Melbourne comedian Rod

A woman's place is in the struggle: Fighting Howard's anti-women, anti-worker agenda

PM John Howard and the federal Coalition's anti-union legislation will be disastrous for all workers, but some are likely to fare worse than others. Green Left Weekly spoke to Jenny Kruschel, Victorian assistant secretary of the Textile, Clothing and

Construction union wins first round

Mick Bull, Melbourne The Victorian branch of the construction division of the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) has broken through in its quest to get a new industry-wide pattern enterprise bargaining agreement (EBA). On