Firefighters demand a fair deal
ADELAIDE — Firefighters and their supporters rallied on February 10 in support of an 18% pay rise. The SA government has offered 6% over three years. Mick Doyle, secretary of the United Fire Fighters Union (UFFU), told the crowd of 400 at Parliament House that this offer was not on par with rises awarded to other Â鶹´«Ã½ of the state public sector.
The UFFU is also campaigning against the relocation of the communications centre to Mt Barker, which will cost an estimated $25 million. The government says the relocation is necessary because the existing centre is on a fault line. Opponents of the move dispute this.
Labor opposition leader Mike Rann and shadow emergency services minister Patrick Conlan told the rally that Labor supported firefighters' campaign and would campaign strongly against the government's proposed industrial relations legislation. The firefighters gave Rann a petition of 18,000 signatures to present to parliament.
Save Toongabbie Forest!
SYDNEY — About 50 people attended a public meeting at the Toongabbie Public School hall in Sydney's western suburbs on February 7. The meeting was called by Friends of Old Toongabbie Forest over threats to the local wilderness.
Speakers were the state minister for the environment, Pam Allan, Lee Rhiannon from the NSW Greens and local resident Paul Kravchenko.
A motion imploring the NSW government to reinstate the interim protection order on the forest was passed and everyone was urged to protest to the Grand United Friendly Building Society against its development of the site. Phone Annie on 02 9686 2059 or visit .
Mexican 'Red Bishop' speaks on the Zapatistas
MELBOURNE — On February 6, Bishop Samuel Ruiz of San Christobel in Chiapas, Mexico, addressed a workshop organised by the Institute of Latin American Studies at the New International Bookshop. Ruiz, dubbed the "Red Bishop", was until recently at the centre of negotiations between the Zapatista National Liberation Army (EZLN) and the Mexican government.
Ruiz pointed out that the struggle of the EZLN was not simply to improve conditions for the indigenous population of Chiapas. "It is one manifestation of a growing number of indigenous struggles throughout the world. While the Earth is trembling with these struggles, the volcano erupts where the surface is thinnest. This is what happened in Chiapas."
More 120 people attended a public meeting at All Hallows School in Brisbane on February 9 to welcome Bishop Ruiz.
Unions respond to individual contracts
CANBERRA — Delegates and officials of major unions
covering ACT government workers met on February 10 to formulate a response to the push by the ACT Liberal government to force workers into individual contracts, and to privatise their superannuation fund.
It was the first such meeting since the bargaining for a new enterprise agreement commenced. Around 70 delegates and officials endorsed a proposal to launch a legal challenge, backed by a public campaign.
New job starters are being offered only individual contracts, and inducements are being offered to existing staff to also sign them.