News briefs

Another death in Port Phillip prison

MELBOURNE — A 34-year-old man was found dead, hanging in a cell at the Port Phillip private prison on March 19. This is the sixth death at the prison since it began operating six months ago.

This death follows the attempt on March 7 by a prisoner to hang himself on his first day in jail. On March 15, an intellectually disabled man placed in a "safe" cell under a suicide and self-harm observation regime set himself on fire. Internal sources have said there have been more than 100 attempted suicides at the prison.

Following a riot in the Scarborough South unit on the night of March 11, the prison has been in 23-hour lock down since March 13.

Transport union survey

BRISBANE — Positive attitudes by transport workers toward their union, and vice versa, were the main findings of a survey of Queensland Transport Workers Union members, reported by researcher Mindy Thorpe at a forum at the Paddington Workers Club on March 13.

Contrary to the many negative results in studies of trade unionism in Australia recently, Thorpe's survey of 1000 TWU members showed a strong correlation between ideas of collectivism and solidarity among union members, and the militancy and support provided by the union leadership.

In a context in which general union membership has fallen from more than 50% of the work force 20 years ago to around 35% today, these findings are a boost to the union movement facing major attack from governments and big business.

From GLW issue 311