Di Quin

  • Vic government attacks building unions

    MELBOURNE — The Victorian state government has begun a vilification campaign against the deregistered Builders Labourers Federation because of the recent appointment of three Victorian BLF members as organisers within the state

  • One year of Kennett, and the pain increases

    MELBOURNE — Just under one year after the Coalition came into government in Victoria, the state remains in severe economic crisis, and a new austerity budget last week hit Victorians still reeling from the attacks brought in by

  • 600 meet on Victorian Workcover

    600 meet on Victorian WorkcoverMELBOURNE — State award union delegates, occupational health and safety delegates and injured workers met on July 21 to condemn the Kennett government's Workcover scheme. The meeting,

  • Workcover protests begin

    Workcover protests beginMELBOURNE — About 1000 building workers braved Melbourne's wintry conditions on July 7 to protest against the Kennett government's Workcover Act. The law, which came into effect in December,

  • New unity among building unions

    MELBOURNE — Recent elections of the Building Workers Industrial Union division of the Construction, Forestry and Energy Workers' Union (CFMEU) in Victoria are seen as an important step towards creating a united union within the

  • Richmond occupation gains ground

    MELBOURNE — Support for the occupation of Richmond Secondary College is gaining ground despite a state Equal Opportunity Board decision to dismiss a claim made by two male students that the Kennett government's decision to close

  • 74 days of action end after a week

    74 days of action end after a weekMELBOURNE — On May 25, Victorian public sector unions suspended the industrial action component of their "74 days of action" campaign, which started on May 17. Only teacher unions and the

  • Nurses impose bans

    Nurses impose bansMELBOURNE — Nurses at Western General have imposed bans on elective admissions and internal transfer of patients due to an increasing strain on midwifery staffing levels. The closure of the midwifery

  • Rolling stoppages to protest Kennett cuts

    Rolling stoppages to protest Kennett cutsMELBOURNE — State public sector unions will begin an industrial action campaign throughout Victoria from May 17 in response to the Kennett government's vicious funding cuts,

  • The hole in Kennett's 'safety net'

    The hole in Kennett's 'safety net'MELBOURNE — The Kennett government's Employee Relations Act purports to establish a "safety net" of minimum conditions for the new employment agreements being forced on many workers.

  • Why Keating won't save Victorian workers

    MELBOURNE — Victorian workers are being advised by some of their union officials to trust federal Labor to save them from the Kennett government's unprecedented attack on workers' rights. The ACTU has warned the Victorian Trades