Margarita Windisch

MELBOURNE — On August 11, the Ambulance Employees Association (AEA) secured an agreement for Victoria paramedics with the ALP state government that will deliver a 10-hour rest break and better wages.
Canice Lynch was sacked from his job at the West Gate Bridge strengthening project on July 24. Lynch was the Construction Forestry Mining Energy Union (CFMEU) shop steward at the site.
“The system here in Victoria for delivering quality training to both domestic students and international students is working very, very well”, Jacinta Allan, Victorian skills and workplace participation minister told ABC Stateline on July 24 in response to criticisms of Australia’s international education market.
Construction giant John Holland was the first employer to lodge an application with Labor’s new Fair Work Australia industrial umpire. It asked FWA to rule on which union has coverage at its controversial West Gate Bridge site in Melbourne.
Cindy Shelley had worked for Thomastown-based tooling specialist Sutton Tools for more than 20 years when she was told that her job was gone.
July 7 proved to be an excellent day for the Australian business community. Citing the economic downturn as a key factor in his decision, Fair Pay Commissioner Ian Harper announced that there will be no increase the minimum wage.
Five hundred people rallied and marched on July 10 in Melbourne to celebrate NAIDOC week. The theme of NAIDOC 2009 was Honouring Our Elders, Nurturing Our Youth.
Bugger the Polar Bears — This is SeriousJuly 21 to August 15 (except Sundays and Mondays), 8pmNew Ballroom, Trades Hall, corner of Lygon & Victoria Streets, Carlton (entrance off Lygon Street)Visit www.bellaunion.com.au or phone 9775 3797 for bookings or tickets at the door.
Public broadcaster ABC has entered into a controversial joint venture with Australia’s largest regional commercial television network, WIN TV, to run the ABC’s master control centre to send out television and radio signals. WIN TV’s transmission spans the largest geographical area in the world, reaching more than 5.2 million viewers across Australia.
The Socialist Alliance and Green Left Weekly have upset the apple cart again! While articles in the Australian accuse GLW of being in bed with the “hate-filled” Hamas, the muck-raking ALP factional blog Vexnews blasts an “extreme left ALP candidate” for being a secret member of the “virulently leftist and anti-semitic” Socialist Alliance.
A draft agency agreement proposed by Australian Taxation Office (ATO) management has been endorsed by a staff vote. An announcement made on June 30 said 56% of votes were cast in support of the agreement.
Low-paid workers in luxury hotels, including cleaners and kitchen staff, were the first to lodge an application with Fair Work Australia (FWA) when the federal government’s new industrial relations regime, the Fair Work Act 2009, came into effect on July 1.