Picketer wins court case
MELBOURNE — A January 13 rally outside the Geelong Magistrates Court supported Wendy Bainger, who was arrested on the picket line at E.P. Robinson's wool scouring plant in Geelong. Bainger was charged with wilful damage, accused of kicking in the door of a company car as it broke the picket line.
The dispute began after workers left the Australian Workers Union and joined the Shearers and Rural Workers Union. The AWU had refused to campaign to improve the atrocious working conditions at the plant.
The rally was supported by left activists and members of the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union and the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union. The case was dismissed with $1100 in costs being awarded to Bainger.
NTEU victory
SYDNEY — After a strong industrial campaign by academics at the University of Sydney for a 19.7% pay increase, an agreement has been reached.
The 14-month-long campaign by the National Tertiary Education and Industry Union for an across-the-board national pay rise for academics of 15% culminated at the University of Sydney with academics placing marking bans on second semester exams last November. The bans forced the vice-chancellor, Gavin Brown, into negotiating a 12.5% pay rise which was accepted by academics on January 9.
Workers oppose award change
SYDNEY — Employees at Viking Office Products in the western suburb of Rydalmere declared at a meeting on January 8 that they want to remain under their state award. In late December, management moved to place workers under the federal Storage Services Interim Award, which includes no-strike clauses and has no procedures for overturning unfair dismissals.
The January 8 meeting declared that Viking should deal only with the National Union of Workers membership and the NSW branch. Viking originally bypassed NUW members in the workplace and the state branch, dealing only with the NUW's federal office, which agreed to federal coverage, and the Industrial Relations Commission. The dispute is awaiting a hearing in the IRC.