ScreenSound agreement near
CANBERRA — Delegates and members at ScreenSound Australia of the Community and Public Sector Union, Australian Manufacturing Workers Union and the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance are to meet on August 1 to consider management's pay offer.
The unions have held firm to their demands for improved working conditions and an acceptable pay increase without trading off conditions. Management insists that pay increases be linked to improved "productivity".
Management's offer is 7% over two years, with a "bonus" in lieu of back payment, and is conditional on a longer delay before higher duties wage increases are paid. Proposals for shift-work conditions and payment have not been finalised and could seriously reduce the take-home pay of part-time staff who work shifts.
GE labelling agreed
Health ministers from Australia and New Zealand agreed on July 28, in a seven to three decision, to introduce a system of labelling for genetically engineered food.
From its implementation next year, the agreement will require all food containing genetically engineered ingredients to be labelled as such. PM John Howard wanted compulsory labelling to apply only to foods containing more than 1% of GE ingredients, saying that full labelling would cost the food industry too much.
The labelling will not be totally comprehensive: restaurants and takeaway food will be exempted, as will accidental contamination of up to 1%. Recent surveys show that up to 90% of people in Australia want GE food labelled.
Protectionists' rally
SYDNEY — Chanting "Fair trade, not free trade!", 2000 members of the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union protested outside the state government offices on July 26. The rally was joined by some 200 Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union delegates.
Under the nationalist banner, "Make it here or jobs disappear", the rally supported AMWU national secretary Doug Cameron's call for the ALP national conference this week to adopt a trade policy that includes a "social tariff". This was reflected in the call for tariffs on manufactured imports to be increased from 5% to 10%.
The rally also called on the NSW government to impose strict requirements on project developers to use Australian-made material and to introduce legislation for preference to be given to Australian-made goods and services. ACTU President Sharan Burrow supported the call for more protectionism.