ADELAIDE — Unprecedented strike action by more than 15,000 state public servants will shut down many offices and services on March 26, in protest at the state government's failure to improve its pay and conditions offer.
The state government is offering a 4% per year pay increase to public servants earning less than $43,000 and 3.5% to the rest, plus eight weeks' paid maternity leave for both groups. The Public Service Association was demanding a 6% increase per year for two years, but conceded that it would accept a 10% rise as a measure of good faith. The union is also claiming 14 weeks' paid maternity leave.
Bans and limitations on work have been in place for several weeks but members believe that stepping up their action is the only way to demonstrate that they take their jobs and livelihoods seriously. This will be the first sector-wide strike by the union for 22 years.
Melanie Sjoberg
TAFE strikes back
SYDNEY — TAFE teachers staged a 24-hour strike and 300-strong rally at state parliament on March 10, to protest the government's massive TAFE fee hikes and under-funding.
The rally was joined by other unionists and TAFE students. Speakers highlighted how the fee increases of up to 227% and the de-funding of the TAFE sector by state ALP and federal Coalition governments mean that students are missing out on quality education. There are 20,000 fewer students enrolled in TAFE in 2004 than there were in 2003.
According to the NSW Teachers Federation website, the federation's president Maree O'Halloran said education in NSW was being run by two doctors — federal Coalition education minister Dr Brendan Nelson and NSW Labor education minister Dr Andrew Refshauge. "I wish I could tell you it was Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, but it's Dr Jekyll and Dr Jekyll", she said.
Paul Benedek
Waterfront film sparks debate
ADELAIDE — The Socialist Alliance held a film screening of Redundancies... and other minor matters on March 10.
The documentary, by Trish Nacey, explores the impact of the 1998 waterfront dispute on a group of workers at Patrick stevedoring company and their families. It also covers the well-known conspiracy between Patrick and the federal Coalition government to destroy the Maritime Union of Australia.
The film sparked a lively debate around how the working environment had changed since the waterfront dispute, and the role of the dispute in creating those changes.
Tom Bertuleit
From Â鶹´«Ã½ Weekly, March 17, 2004.
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