Alex Bainbridge

  • Tasmania Together sparks forest debate

    HOBART — Benchmark targets for Tasmania Together were released on September 3. Tasmania Together is the state Labor government's consultation program designed to draw up "goals" and "visions" for the state by 2020. There are

  • Potato farmers accept pay rise

    HOBART — Potato farmers have accepted an increase of $36 per tonne, over three years, made by potato processor Simplot. The deal was struck on September 3 after negotiations that were, in the words of farmers' leader Richard

  • Forest protest adds to pressure on Labor

    HOBART — Thousands of people amassed outside the ALP state conference on August 11, calling for an end to logging in old-growth forests. Tasmania currently accounts for more than two-thirds of Australia's total woodchip

  • Potato growers win pay rise

    HOBART — Contracted potato growers have accepted an offer by McCain to pay an extra $22 per tonne this year and another $9 per tonne next year for potatoes. This is an important win even though farmers had originally been

  • Incat workers fight on

    HOBART — The Australian Manufacturing Workers Union (AMWU) has called for a 5% pay rise for Incat workers, following the July 24 announcement that Incat has won a contract with the US military. The contract involves chartering

  • We can do better than Labor

    HOBART — The state conference of the Australian Labor Party will be held at the prestigious Wrest Point Casino on the weekend of August 11-12. As is typical at these conferences, it will be an opportunity for Labor leaders like

  • "Ah McCain, you've done us again!"

    SMITHTON — On August 1, in the largest farmer protest in Tasmania's history, 500 potato farmers and their supporters converged with tractors, trucks and other farm equipment on the McCain factory in Smithton. The blockade

  • 56-hour weeks on Tasmanian west coast

    HOBART — After months of union and community pressure, tin mining company Renison Bell, located on Tasmania's west coast, finally agreed on July 12 to conduct an assessment of the risks associated with its 56-hour weekly work

  • Tasmania Together: an example of fake consultation

    Statements by Labor Premier Jim Bacon to the effect that his government would not be bound by its decisions if they went against government policy, have shown "Tasmania Together", the government's new effort at "community

  • Incat fails to rule out more job cuts

    HOBART — Voluntary and forced redundancies at the Incat boat-building company have resulted in Incat’s work force being reduced from 900 to 710. Last year the work force was 1000-strong but workers who left have not been

  • Incat workers suffer redundancies

    HOBART — Seventy of ship-builder Incat's 900 workers finished work on May 25 after accepting voluntary redundancies. The company extended an earlier deadline for workers to apply for redundancies but threatened forced sackings

  • Commission rules in Incat workers' favour

    HOBART — Shipbuilder Incat has been forced by the Industrial Relations Commission to back off from attempts to impose on its workers the "choice" of a four-day week or 200 redundancies. Incat has a legally binding agreement,