rioters bloc
15th November 2005, 04:12
wish i coulda been there, have a massive exam tomorrow tho that i could very well fail and i don't wanna pay another $1800 to repeat the subject :/ hence staying home to study :(
my mum went though :D and she had tonnes of fun
Thousands march in IR protests
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/thousa...1951125790.html (http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/thousands-march-in-ir-protests/2005/11/15/1131951125790.html)
[smh also have photos :)]
More than 30,000 banner-waving protesters marched through central Sydney today, causing traffic havoc, as part of a national day of action against the Federal Government's workplace agenda.
And in Melbourne estimates of the crowd varied from Victoria Police's 150,000 to the ACTU's 200,000.
As more than 3000 transport workers briefly blocked Sydney's M4 at Homesbush - earning a putdown as "ratbags" from NSW Opposition leader Peter Debnam - the employers organisation claimed more than 95 per cent of the nation's workers had ignored the protests.
"They haven't even got anywhere [near] a majority of the union movement membership to turn up, let alone anything more than a fraction of the Australian workforce," said Peter Hendy, chief executive of the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
But 20,000 were expected to turn out in Perth, with a further 15,000 in Brisbane and 10,000 in Adelaide.
Meanwhile, Queensland Council of Unions spokesman Laurie Horgan said three Adsteam Agency employees were sacked this morning for attending a Mackay rally - one of more than 300 nationally.
"They made a decision at 7.30am [AEST] to attend the rally, they were making a political statement on the basis that they wanted to come in here, listen to the address and join with other trade unionists within the Mackay region," Mr Horgan told ABC Radio.
"In doing so they were told half an hour later that they were instantly dismissed."
But Adsteam said in a statement that no decision had been made to sack the workers, though it said they could be dismissed as disciplinary action.
A centrepiece of the action was a pledge by striking Boeing workers in Sydney to maintain a picket in their protracted industrial dispute, which they say has become a symbol of the nationwide fight against the reforms.
Up to 100,000 people in NSW took part in 227 separate stopwork meetings throughout the state, linked by a nationwide Sky Channel hook-up.
Rallying workers in Sydney were led by a fire truck, traditional Korean drummers and the Unions NSW orange campaign bus as they stretched almost six city blocks along George Street, chanting their opposition to the changes.
The workers rallied at Martin Place in the city centre and at Belmore Park, opposite Central train station, before marching through the centre of Sydney to the headquarters of Boeing Australia at Chifley Square.
Boeing has been embroiled in a months-long dispute with some of its skilled workers.
But the company says the dispute has nothing to do with any proposed changes to industrial laws.
Striking Boeing worker Aaron Beasley addressed the rally as dozens of police guarded the entrance to the company's headquarters.
"We've been on strike for five and a half months now and all we want is union representation and the right to have a collective agreement," Mr Beasley told the rally.
"We will not walk away from this strike for the reason that we need to get these draconian laws repealed for the sake of our children ... and our forefathers."
He said striking Boeing workers had become powerful symbols in the fight against the Howard Government's industrial reforms.
"Our plight is a representation of things to come," he said.
"This dispute has become much bigger than just ... blokes at a factory who want a collective agreement and want to be represented by a union."
Federal Labor MP Peter Garrett pledged his support for the Boeing workers.
"[The Boeing dispute] is an absolute disgrace, we can't allow this to happen in this country, it's not the Australian way," Mr Garrett said
Twenty-five Boeing Australia employees, based at the company's maintenance plant at the Williamtown RAAF base near Newcastle in NSW, have been on strike since June.
They are seeking a union-negotiated collective agreement.
Boeing wants the workers, who repair and maintain the RAAF's F/A-18 Hornet jet fighters, to continue working under individual common law agreements with the remainder of its workforce.
The striking workers have maintained a picket line outside the RAAF base for more than 150 days, while the 60 full-time Boeing engineers who are not on strike have stayed on the job keeping the maintenance work on schedule.
The company disputes a union claim that most of Boeing's aircraft engineers and technicians favour a collective agreement, saying 93 per cent of workers opted to stay on their individual contracts when given the choice three months ago.
Boeing Australia again defended its employment contracts with workers today.
"The dispute at Williamtown has been cynically misrepresented by the Australians Workers Union so it could use Boeing Australia and our employees as part of its national publicity campaign against IR changes," the company said in a statement.
Prime Minister John Howard said today that once the new laws had been in place for a while "most Australians will look back on the criticisms and objections ... with a sense of bewilderment".
He told the Housing Industry Association in Sydney: "The sky will not fall in, weekend barbecues will not be abolished, parents will still be able to spend Christmas day with their children."
He denied that federal department workers had been directed not to take part in today's demonstrations.
bah back to study :(
my mum went though :D and she had tonnes of fun
Thousands march in IR protests
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/thousa...1951125790.html (http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/thousands-march-in-ir-protests/2005/11/15/1131951125790.html)
[smh also have photos :)]
More than 30,000 banner-waving protesters marched through central Sydney today, causing traffic havoc, as part of a national day of action against the Federal Government's workplace agenda.
And in Melbourne estimates of the crowd varied from Victoria Police's 150,000 to the ACTU's 200,000.
As more than 3000 transport workers briefly blocked Sydney's M4 at Homesbush - earning a putdown as "ratbags" from NSW Opposition leader Peter Debnam - the employers organisation claimed more than 95 per cent of the nation's workers had ignored the protests.
"They haven't even got anywhere [near] a majority of the union movement membership to turn up, let alone anything more than a fraction of the Australian workforce," said Peter Hendy, chief executive of the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
But 20,000 were expected to turn out in Perth, with a further 15,000 in Brisbane and 10,000 in Adelaide.
Meanwhile, Queensland Council of Unions spokesman Laurie Horgan said three Adsteam Agency employees were sacked this morning for attending a Mackay rally - one of more than 300 nationally.
"They made a decision at 7.30am [AEST] to attend the rally, they were making a political statement on the basis that they wanted to come in here, listen to the address and join with other trade unionists within the Mackay region," Mr Horgan told ABC Radio.
"In doing so they were told half an hour later that they were instantly dismissed."
But Adsteam said in a statement that no decision had been made to sack the workers, though it said they could be dismissed as disciplinary action.
A centrepiece of the action was a pledge by striking Boeing workers in Sydney to maintain a picket in their protracted industrial dispute, which they say has become a symbol of the nationwide fight against the reforms.
Up to 100,000 people in NSW took part in 227 separate stopwork meetings throughout the state, linked by a nationwide Sky Channel hook-up.
Rallying workers in Sydney were led by a fire truck, traditional Korean drummers and the Unions NSW orange campaign bus as they stretched almost six city blocks along George Street, chanting their opposition to the changes.
The workers rallied at Martin Place in the city centre and at Belmore Park, opposite Central train station, before marching through the centre of Sydney to the headquarters of Boeing Australia at Chifley Square.
Boeing has been embroiled in a months-long dispute with some of its skilled workers.
But the company says the dispute has nothing to do with any proposed changes to industrial laws.
Striking Boeing worker Aaron Beasley addressed the rally as dozens of police guarded the entrance to the company's headquarters.
"We've been on strike for five and a half months now and all we want is union representation and the right to have a collective agreement," Mr Beasley told the rally.
"We will not walk away from this strike for the reason that we need to get these draconian laws repealed for the sake of our children ... and our forefathers."
He said striking Boeing workers had become powerful symbols in the fight against the Howard Government's industrial reforms.
"Our plight is a representation of things to come," he said.
"This dispute has become much bigger than just ... blokes at a factory who want a collective agreement and want to be represented by a union."
Federal Labor MP Peter Garrett pledged his support for the Boeing workers.
"[The Boeing dispute] is an absolute disgrace, we can't allow this to happen in this country, it's not the Australian way," Mr Garrett said
Twenty-five Boeing Australia employees, based at the company's maintenance plant at the Williamtown RAAF base near Newcastle in NSW, have been on strike since June.
They are seeking a union-negotiated collective agreement.
Boeing wants the workers, who repair and maintain the RAAF's F/A-18 Hornet jet fighters, to continue working under individual common law agreements with the remainder of its workforce.
The striking workers have maintained a picket line outside the RAAF base for more than 150 days, while the 60 full-time Boeing engineers who are not on strike have stayed on the job keeping the maintenance work on schedule.
The company disputes a union claim that most of Boeing's aircraft engineers and technicians favour a collective agreement, saying 93 per cent of workers opted to stay on their individual contracts when given the choice three months ago.
Boeing Australia again defended its employment contracts with workers today.
"The dispute at Williamtown has been cynically misrepresented by the Australians Workers Union so it could use Boeing Australia and our employees as part of its national publicity campaign against IR changes," the company said in a statement.
Prime Minister John Howard said today that once the new laws had been in place for a while "most Australians will look back on the criticisms and objections ... with a sense of bewilderment".
He told the Housing Industry Association in Sydney: "The sky will not fall in, weekend barbecues will not be abolished, parents will still be able to spend Christmas day with their children."
He denied that federal department workers had been directed not to take part in today's demonstrations.
bah back to study :(