News Briefs

News Briefs

'Youth for Refugees' hunger strike

CANBERRA — Pro-refugee high school and campus students and young workers
took part in a 24-hour solidarity hunger strike on June 28. The hunger
strike, organised by Resistance, was in solidarity with the detainees inside
Woomera.

Behind mock barbed-wire in Garema Place, the strikers banged pots and
pans in time with pro-refugee chants. They raised more than $130 for the
refugee-rights campaign.

Record settlement for sacked miners

One hundred and ninety coal mineworkers accepted Australia's biggest ever
unfair dismissal settlement, $25 million, from Rio Tinto on May 31. Sixteen
workers from the Blair Athol mine are still waiting for a decision. The
settlement follows sustained industrial and international campaigning by
unionists.

The 108 mineworkers from the Hunter Valley No.1 mine were unfairly dismissed
on October 20, 1998, and the remaining 82 from Mount Thorley mine on November
17, 1999. Tony Maher, general president of the CFMEU mining and energy
division, told Green Left Weekly that the government's industrial
laws make it possible for workers to be denied justice for so long. “Some
of these miners and their families have waited more than three-and-a-half
years for justice because of the Coalition government's refusal to introduce
decent unfair dismissal laws.”

Tamil community marks steps towards peace

SYDNEY — On June 22, more than 2000 Tamils and supporters took part in
the Pongu Thamil celebrations in western Sydney to mark the ceasefire and
steps towards peace negotiations between the Tamil people and the Sri Lankan
government.

Hosted by the Australasian Federation of Tamil Associations, the celebration
was marked by input from young Tamils who recreated scenes from Tamil history,
and spoke passionately about their desire for peace and a Tamil homeland
in Sri Lanka so that Sinhalese and Tamils could live as equals. Surprisingly,
the Sri Lankan government minister for community development, P. Handrasekeran,
was present and gave greetings.

From Green Left Weekly, July 3, 2002.

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