Oceania
Over 100 Australian workers in court over walkout
107 workers and their families will face court today in Perth, facing prosecution for taking industrial action following the sacking of their union representative.
In the first test of the Howard Government’s new building and construction IR (Industial Relations) laws, 107 workers and their families will be in court today in Perth, facing prosecution for taking alleged industrial action following the sacking of their union representative. The workers face fines of up to AUS$28,600 (£11,500).
Worldwide report details brutal suppression of workers' rights
115 trade unionists were murdered for defending workers’ rights in 2005, while more than 1,600 were subjected to violent assaults and some 9,000 arrested, a report states. according to the ICFTU’s Annual Survey of Trade Union Rights violations, published today.
In addition, nearly 10,000 workers were sacked for their trade union involvement, and almost 1,700 detained states the ICFTU’s Annual Survey of Trade Union Rights violations, published today.
1982: The death of Neil Roberts
A short account of a little known political death in New Zealand. In 1982, an anarchist punk rocker attempted to blow up the Wanganui police computer. He blew himself up in the process
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Precious metals - struggle and repression in Papua
The battle over Papua’s copper and gold deposits is heating up as locals fight back against their exploiters, reports Rob Ray
Mining giant Freeport-McMoran have violently cleared roadblocks thrown up by locals in protest at the company’s exploitation of Papua’s vast mineral resources and treatment of the indigenous population.
New Zealand: demonstration against youth pay rates
Images from the walkout of 1,000 school students in Auckland over youth pay rates. For more information see the libcom news article on the events.
After France, 1,000 students walk out in Auckland NZ
In Auckland, New Zealand today, over 1,000 high school students walked out of class to protest against youth pay rates, whilst linking their protest to the events in France.
The protest ended with some violence and a sit-down protest in a major intersection.
Students from schools including Auckland Girls Grammar, Selwyn College, Epsom Girls and Senior College went to a rally during school hours to demand equal pay with adults.
265 day Boeing strike takes its toll
Workers at Boeing in Australia have spent 265 days on the picket line over a collective wage bargaining agreement.
The Maitland Mercury spoke to them:
Peter Farrar is a weapons expert, highly qualified to ensure Australia's F18 Hornet fighters can shoot straight and their missiles fire properly.
Yet for 265 days he has become an expert at crossword puzzles - and doing lots and lots of housework.
NZ: McDonald's backs down after lunchtime strike
McDonald’s workers in Auckland, New Zealand carried out a symbolic strike at lunchtime on Friday despite the company’s threats to sue individual workers if they took part in union action.
After the strike, the company retracted their threat issued last night to sue any of their workers who went on strike today.
The symbolic strike was in response to a number of Unite union members being rostered off by the company on Sunday February 12, when it was agreed the workers would be paid to go to a union stopwork meeting at the Town Hall.
Australia: Virgin owes staff millions
Australia: Virgin Blue could be forced to pay millions of dollars in back pay to ground staff after it left a shift allowance out of the pay packets of its ground handlers and guest services staff from August 2000 until October 2004.
While ground staff worked an average of eight hours a day, Virgin's pay office miscalculated that staff had worked 7.5 hours, and paid shift allowances accordingly. Over four years this amounts to several million Australian dollars of unpaid wages.
Australia - 200 days on picket line for Boeing workers
Boeing maintenance engineers in Williamtown, Newcastle marked their 200th day on the picket line on the 17th December.
AWU National Secretary Bill Shorten said the 27 engineers and their families were remaining resolute in their battle to get Boeing to recognise their right to have their union negotiate a collective agreement on their behalf.
"This dispute is pretty tough on our members, who are now looking at the very real prospect of spending their Christmas on the picket line," Mr Shorten said.
