Archive
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ASU Campaign to Abolish the Local Government Inspectorate
2010 - Mar - 01Launch of the Campaign, 10am Wednesday March 3, Melbourne Town Hall, Swanston Street....read more
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SLAM RALLY - Dont Kill Live Music
2010 - Feb - 2424 February 2010 The Victorian Trades Hall Council supported the “Save Live Australian Music’ (SLAM) Rally held on Tuesday, 23 February 2010. Thousands of musicians and fans gathered in Melbourne CBD to protest against the State Government’s liquor licensing laws. The Rally recreated AC/DC’s It’s a Long Way to the Top (if you Wanna Rock’n’Roll) film clip shot in Swanston Street 34 years ago today, travelled from the State Library to Parliament House, filling the streets with musicians and their supporters....read more
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Workplace Bullying - VWA's 'Respect at Work' campaign needs to make up lost ground
2010 - Feb - 17By Brian Boyd, VTHC Secretary 17 February 2010 The Victorian Trades Hall Council has welcomed the recent successful prosecution for bullying and said the establishment of WorkSafe’s “Respect at Work” campaign needs to hit the ground running. For many years in many WorkSafe forums unions have been raising concerns about the inadequacy of WorkSafe’s response to workplace bullying. The VTHC is pleased that this campaign is up and running but workers in Victoria deserve a stronger response from WorkSafe on this issue. For some workers bullying is a life and death issue for others bullying is an all too common occurrence. The move to prosecute bullies, and the employers who allow it to happen, is welcome. Sadly, there are many more workers who continue to suffer bullying in the workplace and their stories also need to be told. The VTHC also says that federal moves to uniform health and safety laws around Australia, if allowed to happen based on current drafts, will result in reduced Victorian OHS standards. ...read more
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Victorian Workers Compensation Changes - Many Workers Will be Worse Off
2010 - Feb - 01by Brian Boyd VTHC Secretary 1 February 2010 There was a comprehensive review of the Accident Compensation Act 1985 over the last two years. Peter Hanks QC oversaw the Review with union and employer representatives being involved. During the review process the unions expressed alarm early in proceedings that some of the proposed changes being put forward would not be acceptable....read more
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Tony Abbott, "The Mad Monk" and the union movement
2009 - Dec - 14By Brian Boyd, VTHC Secretary 18 January 2010 It is right for the union movement to warn workers about the return of the right - wing rump now in charge of the federal Liberal / NP opposition. The turmoil inside the Liberal Party at the end of 2009 over a proposed Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) has only exposed to the wider Australian public the existence of the ultra conservative, born to rule group of politicians in Canberra, that the union movement has been well aware of for years. We should be wary of their antics, their prograndising, pro- employer, wage cutting, work place destabilisation rhetoric. There is no way ordinary working people want these politicians running the country again. Their arrogance knows no bounds. When their latest leader Tony Abbott said he’s going to resurrect the insulting concept of "Howard’s Battlers" and rename them "Abbott’s Army", it was pathetic. They can try to reinvent themselves as much as they like, but unions know that the contempt they hold for ordinary people will never go away. There is no way Mr Abbott is going to turn back time and play similar games. Yet he fancies himself....read more
