This guy is out of control.
He plans to use his money to buy his way into parliament, and he wants to re-build the unsinkable ship that sank.
Hopefully there's a theme here. Build you ship Clive, get in it and sail yourself, and your bloated ego, into the biggest iceberg you can find, you lunatic.
Clive Palmer is just one example of how capitalism fails this country. He's not a success story, he's a psycho.
Local outrage at explosive cargo
NEWCASTLE residents have reacted with a mix of anger and despair to news that chemical company Orica is storing 3000 tonnes of explosive mining materials offshore on a ship described by unions as being in ''incredibly bad'' condition.
''We don't think the company pays enough respect to the law or to the safety fears of residents,'' said the head of a local watchdog, John Hayes.
''Orica does not have a good record here. It says it wants to win the support and confidence of the local community. But this latest, toxic episode will do nothing to achieve that,'' he said.
Advertisement: Story continues below
Mr Hayes, leader of the Correct Planning and Consultation for Mayfield Group, also questioned the ability of the state and federal governments to police the company's behaviour satisfactorily.
''If the [NSW] Environment Protection Authority can't keep us safe, then who can?'' Mr Hayes demanded in an email sent immediately to the EPA's director Gary Davey.
His comments were echoed by residents such as Clasina Fisher, of Stockton.
''We feel very concerned, very vulnerable, about these dangerous explosives bobbing about in the sea just off Newcastle. Can you imagine what would happen if a fire started?'', she said.
The ammonium nitrate, which is used in blasting, was reportedly loaded on to the MCP Kopenhagen for storage seven days ago and taken out to sea.
The Maritime Union of Australia says the cargo vessel has a poor safety record, describing it as an ''incredibly bad ship, with a highly dangerous cargo that could potentially put the people of Newcastle at risk''.
The ship is reportedly Greek-owned, flies a Maltese flag of convenience and has a predominantly Filipino crew.
Orica has plans to store ammonium nitrate in the former Rosemount Winery in the Hunter Valley. It was also forced recently to reduce stocks at a yard, owned by a separate company, which was found not to have the necessary approvals.
Yesterday, the opposition spokesman on the environment, Luke Foley, accused the government of secretly permitting the ''trouble-plagued'' Orica to endanger the local community further.
''Orica should be under constant surveillance by the O'Farrell government and the Environmental Protection Authority following repeated chemical leaks from its Kooragang Island plant over the past year,'' he said.
However, a government spokesperson said yesterday the operation of the ship was ''a matter for Orica'', and was not subject to scrutiny by the environment department or authority.
A spokeswoman for Orica, Nicole Ekert, said the company had received permits from the Australian Maritime Safety Authority for a single voyage.
Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/local-outrage-at-explosive-cargo-20120429-1xt1b.htm...
Tell us your experience of the workers compensation system.
http://www.unionsnsw.org.au/content/tell-us-your-workers-compensation-story
FORD Australia has stood down its entire Victorian workforce for almost a week because of a dispute between one of its suppliers and their landlord over unpaid rent.
CMI Industrial, which supplies suspension and other parts to the car maker, was yesterday pushed into receivership by Ford, which it also owed money.
CMI Industrial's landlord locked the company out of its Campbellfield factory on Friday, and handed owner Max Hofmeister a bill for $116,000 in unpaid rent.
Advertisement: Story continues below
Keith Thomas has worked at CMI for 16 years. Photo: Penny Stephens
The bill was not paid, leaving an uncertain future for the 80 workers at CMI's Campbellfield production line and hundreds of other workers employed at its other factories.
And, with the firm now forced into receivership by Ford, the car maker has shut its plant next door until Wednesday. It hopes CMI Industrial can be up and running by then.
Ford has brought forward down days planned for June, minimising employees' loss of wages.
Production at Ford's Broadmeadows and Geelong plants ceased last night, affecting 1800 workers.
Ford spokeswoman Sinead Phipps said the plan in having receivers appointed was to get staff back to work at both CMI Industrial and at Ford, while a long-term strategy at the supplier was devised.
McGrathNicol have been appointed receivers and managers of the manufacturer's factories in Campbellfield, West Footscray, Ballarat and Horsham.
Workplace Relations Minister Bill Shorten said he believed CMI Industrial could remain a viable business if it was restructured. He said the nation's automotive industry was being buffeted by the high Australian dollar. And he warned that Tony Abbott and the federal coalition appeared to have no plan for Australia's struggling automotive sector.
Opposition spokesman Eric Abetz hit back, saying that if Mr Shorten wanted to help the industry he should push for the repeal of the carbon tax.
CMI Industrial employees turned up for work again yesterday morning, to once more find the gates locked by the property's owner.
Keith Thomas has worked at CMI Industrial for 16 years, and said workers had been turning up ready for work every day since its gates were locked last week. ''This whole thing is not our fault,'' he said.
CMI Industrial owner Mr Hofmeister could not be reached for comment yesterday. He is understood to be in Queensland.
The Australian Manufacturing Workers Union represents employees at both CMI Industrial and Ford Australia. Its Victorian state secretary, Steve Dargavel, said it was likely some workers at CMI Industrial would be sacked. ''The receivers have not advised us how many people they intend to terminate,'' he said.
McGrathNicol spokesman Nick Maher yesterday could not say what financial issues faced the company, how much it owed debtors or why the company was in trouble.
Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/ford-workers-stood-down-as-parts-supplier-p...
Billy will be known to members and officials as the heart and soul of the union's training rooms at St George's Basin in Southern NSW.
He was also a constant presence around the Southern NSW Branch Offices - a fountain of knowledge, good humour and comradeship.
His passing, whilst sad, has been mercifully quick, given that Bill was fit enough to take his usual place in the SNSW union rooms only two weeks ago.
The union extends its deepest sympathies to Billy's family, friends and comrades.
Funeral details will be posted when known.
The Maritime Union of Australia mourns the passing of one of its most stalwart members, William Harvey (known to all as Billy Bunter).
I'm always a little torn about how I feel about Anzac Day.
My Grandfathers both served, one in the air force, the other one served in the army, fighting in Singapore and ending up a prisoner of war in Changi.
My father served as a medic in the Army Reserve, and my father-in law still has ties to his time in National Service.
My long career in Fire and Rescue NSW is within a para-military organisation, with rank and naval/military foundations and traditions.
But is Anzac Day a festival of nationalistic militarism?
Does it instil into new generations a sense of solidarity with the governments and military brass who send people off to fight in war?
We are told that Anzac Day is about remembering the horror of war. And yet the people and organisations who preside over Anzac Day are the same ones who are waging an unprovoked war of aggression in countries like Iraq.
In reality, these wars form part of many Australian military adventures. All of which have been bloody, aggressive, and designed only to serve the rich in recent times. The rich can't do the fighting themselves. If you remember footage of John Howard walking around Canberra with an entourage in his Aussie team tracksuit, or Kerry Packer out for a jog with his personal paramedic team in tow, you'll know what I mean.
But then I can see that WWI and WWII saw greater threats to humanity, and indeed Australia, than what modern wars ever have. I accept that we should honour the working class men and women who fought for us and our futures.
I think the real problem I have with Anzac Day in its current form is the way the ruling class take it over and use it to justify past decisions, and use the bravery and courage of the working class for their own purposes.
Yep, I'm torn, and to see my Grandfather essentially left to go mad from the experiences he went through in Changi by the Government that sent him there, is a classic example of where I'm at.
Today I remember both my Grandfathers, and I respect the sacrifices and truths of war. However I cannot respect those that continue to use the courage and sacrifice of them and their Comrades to suggest that we should celebrate war and aggression.
I know what it's like to risk your life with those I consider Comrades by my side, and we must fully respect the experiences and risks that our fellow Australians have taken for what they saw as the right reasons - and I do.
On that basis, I'll continue to respect Anzac Day for what it is to us, but we must continue to question whether the men and women we keep sending overseas to risk their lives should be sent at all. Yes they will fight, and they will die, but we should remember that we allow it to happen. So make sure it's worth it.
Lest we forget.
UNION leaders and delegates from across the Central West met in Bathurst yesterday for the launch of the Central West Union Alliance.
Several unions have come together to form the alliance as part of a campaign to take on the NSW Government and its new industrial relations laws.
Around 80 people attended the launch, surpassing local spokesperson Cassandra Coleman’s wildest expectations.
They came from Lithgow, Clarence, Bathurst, Orange and Dubbo.
“We are pleased to see so many delegates from all over the Central West,” she said.
“This tells me we are a force to be reckoned with.
“This launch of the Central West Union Alliance is the culmination of eight to 10 months of solid work, so we are very pleased.”
She said the alliance between the major unions has been created so they can speak with one voice about matters specific to the Central West.
Ms Coleman said the alliance is open to all who wish to take part. A leadership team will be elected in Orange at the end of July.
She said the group is designed to promote the “broad interests of working people during a time of economic insecurity and State Government attacks on workplace rights and public sector workers – which form a large segment of the Central West comm-unity”.
“The Central West has faced a particularly difficult period recently, with the loss of jobs at Kirkconnell jail, uncertainty in the Department of Industry and Investment, and potential privatisation of the power stations near Lithgow,” Ms Coleman said.
“We’ve seen sustained attacks from the O’Farrell Government, which continues to undermine the rights of working people, and is now considering cutting staff ratios for nurses, police, teachers, firefighters and other vital public sector workers.
“This is our opportunity to have a co-ordinated voice on these issues, to defend local jobs and services.”
She said the group intends to be an active member of the Central West community and will advocate for better services across the region.
Unions NSW secretary Mark Lennon said yesterday that now, more than ever, “working people need a strong voice to ensure their jobs and workplace rights are a priority to government, business and the broad community”.
Firefighters are cleaning up after a massive fire broke out at an industrial estate in Sydney's north-west early this morning.
At least four units at the Dural Business Centre, on Old Northern Road, caught fire just before 2:30am.
Around 100 firefighters were at the fire at its peak and residents living nearby were evacuated as thick black smoke from burning tyres rose into the air.
But fire crews managed to stop the fire spreading to a nearby service station.
Investigators are now trying to determine the cause of the fire.
No-one was injured in the blaze.
THE NSW government is considering cutting benefits under the workers compensation scheme by putting a cap on medical expenses payouts, removing coverage for injury claims relating to journeys to and from work and reducing weekly compensation payments.
The Finance and Services Minister, Greg Pearce, released an issues paper yesterday on the scheme which he described as unsustainable because it has a deficit of $4.1 billion.
Mr Pearce said that without significant reform NSW businesses would face a 28 per cent increase in WorkCover premiums, which would stall the state's economy and jobs growth.
Advertisement: Story continues below''The government is determined to provide injured workers the best safety net that we can and to ensure return to work as quickly as possible where a worker is able to return to work,'' he said. ''One of our concerns is that premiums in NSW are already 20 to 60 per cent higher than our main competitors in Victoria and Queensland.''
The government had not yet made any decisions about how it would reform the WorkCover scheme, Mr Pearce said, but it released a government working paper that suggests cuts to benefits to manage the deficit.
The issues paper presents a case for removing coverage of journey claims, introducing caps for medical coverage and the duration of weekly payments and excluding nervous shock claims from relatives or dependants of workers who die or are injured on the job. It also suggests removing pain and suffering as a separate category of compensation and incorporating this into lump sum payments. Regulation of health providers has also been suggested to curb increases in medical costs in the past five years.
The government has appointed a parliamentary committee to hold an inquiry into how the scheme should be reformed.
The eight-member committee will be chaired by the Shooters and Fishers Party MP Robert Borsak and will include four government MPs, two from the Labor Party and one other MP from the crossbench.
The Labor Party leader, John Robertson, the former head of Unions NSW who opposed former premier Bob Carr's WorkCover reforms, accused the government yesterday of removing a crucial safety net for all injured workers and their families. He said the committee had a majority of conservative MPs who would deliver the government's agenda.
''This committee has been set up as a whitewash by a gutless and heartless government that is seeking to rip away the entitlements of injured workers,'' he said.
''We are going to see massive cuts to workers' compensation entitlements which will leave injured workers and families who have suffered the loss of a loved one left destitute simply because this government is looking at ways it can cut away at the entitlements of every worker in NSW.''
The Unions NSW secretary, Mark Lennon, said the changes floated in the government's issues paper appeared to flag an agenda to cut benefits.
''Workers deserve to be protected when they're travelling to and from work - that's a basic right. It's completely callous to put this on the chopping block,'' he said.
''Preventing nervous shock claims from relatives of deceased workers is simply heartless. The families of workers who have died in workplace tragedies need to be supported, not abandoned.''
The Greens MP David Shoebridge described the parliamentary inquiry as a ''mock inquiry with no independence''.
''It is completely dominated by Coalition members and right-wing minor parties,'' Mr Shoebridge said.
LOW-SKILLED foreign workers employed on the Inpex gas project could create another environmental disaster like the Montara oil spill, the Maritime Union of Australia claims.
Acting national secretary for the union Ian Bray said companies bidding for work on the Inpex project have applied to the Territory Government to have foreign maritime certificates recognised as equivalent to Australian training.
But he could not name a company that is trying have foreign marine workers' qualifications recognised.
"We are still following that up ourselves we need to make sure," he said.
Mr Bray said low-skilled workers on off-shore vessels increased the risk of another environmental disaster like the Montara oil spill when up 1500 barrels of oil a day spewed into the Timor Sea for 75 days in 2009.
http://www.ntnews.com.au/article/2012/04/23/300231_ntnews.html
THEY'RE the emergency service workers that never hesitate when called into action.
The Daily Telegraph captured these exclusive pictures of fire fighters from Silverwater, Parramatta and Merrylands bursting through the front door to Ray White Real Estate on Bridge St, Granville as smoke billowed from the building.
A suite on the ground floor was completely destroyed by the blaze that erupted about 1.10am last night.
The flames were extinguished and police established a crime scene to investigate the cause of the fire.
They are treating the incident as suspicious.
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/sydney-nsw/sydney-fire-fighters-battle-...
Petty cash payments for meal and refreshment allowances – it’s the law
Further to last week’s SITREP, the Union is prosecuting the Department for breaches of both the Permanent Award and the Retained Award for failure to provide meal and refreshment allowances. The matter has been listed for mention in the Industrial Court on 24 May 2012.
The threshold issue is what status do our Awards enjoy? The Government, Treasury, and their HR blow-ins in Head Office, appear to view them as a guide that they can chose to ignore. The Acting Commissioner’s message to all members this week reflected such a view. The Union’s position is both straightforward and correct – our Awards are the law and must be complied with. If the Department believes that circumstances have changed, then they need to negotiate change in the Award with the Union. They cannot ignore the Awards and simply change entitlements by diktat. This time it is our meal and refreshment allowances and overtime meal allowances. What will be next?
In the meantime, the Union instruction given in SITREP 12/12 that all meal and refreshment allowances and overtime meal allowances are to continue to be paid out of petty cash remains in force. If there is no longer any petty cash at the Station, then all claims should be kept by Station Commanders for payment when petty cash becomes available. Each separate claim which remains unpaid at the end of the shift will be recorded by the Union as a breach of the relevant Award, with a fine (up to a maximum of $10,000 for each breach) in addition to payment of the allowances (with interest) sought through the Industrial Court. If you are not paid by the end of your shift email the Union office with full details to office@fbeu.net .
ESS (T&E) Claims….oh those problems!
In his message to staff the Acting Commissioner finally recognised what members have been saying for weeks now – that the new T&E module on ESS isn’t working.
The Union will monitor what assistance the new ‘Easy User Guides’, enhanced staffing of the HR Helpdesk, and access to computer training courses provides to members. It’s a pity the Department’s HR section didn’t think of that before they, without notice and consultation, implemented the new module.
Accordingly the Union instruction given in SITREP 13/12 that any member who experiences difficulty in making a claim (for payments other than meal and refreshment allowances and overtime meal allowances) when utilising the T&E area of the ESS portal on SAP is to immediately revert to claiming by way of previous practice, ie. miscellaneous voucher or petty cash, still stands. Members should by all means seek assistance from the Department’s helpdesk first, but if the problem is not quickly resolved should follow the Union’s instruction.
Financial relief for June/Sept 2011 stop works – 1 May deadline
Members claiming financial relief for last year’s stop work actions (see SITREP 02/12 and 07/12) may request an application form by calling the Union office on 9218 3444, or emailing office@fbeu.net. Applications must be received by 1 May 2012 – those received after that date will not be considered.
May Day March 2012 – Sunday 6 May
The 2012 Sydney May Day march will be held on Sunday 6 May with members meeting at Hyde Park North at 1200 hours. Following the march, the Union will be putting on food and beverages for members and their families. It would be helpful for catering purposes if members who intend coming along could let Alison or Julie know with a simple email (office@fbeu.net).
2012 Death and Disability Award filed
The Union has filed an application for a new Death and Disability Award following the nominal expiry of the 2009 Award on 22 March 2012. A copy of the application can be found here. The new Award increases the lump sum benefits for Death and Total and Permanent Incapacity in line with firefighter wage movements and it inserts a process for the assessment of fitness for duty and for entitlements to benefits. This process also includes an appeal process where a firefighter does not agree with the Brigade Medical Officer’s opinion. Over the coming weeks the Union will file its submissions in support of the application and the Department are required to respond by 29 May. If the parties do not reach agreement then the Industrial Relations Commission will arbitrate the matter. In the meantime the 2009 Award continues to operate.
Regional Hazmat and Comms Selection Procedures
Commissioner’s Orders last week advertised a vacancy at Hazmat Shellharbour inviting firefighters above the rank of QF to apply. Similarly the internal job board on the intranet has advertised a vacancy at the Newcastle Comms Centre. However, neither the Commissioner’s Order or the advertisement clearly set out the staged process for filling Regional Hazmat and Comm Centre positions as outlined in Clause 28 of the Permanent Award. These vacancies are offered in the following order:
Firstly, to members stationed in the relevant Transfer Area who meet the agreed essential criteria;
then if the vacancy is not filled, it is offered to members who meet the agreed essential criteria on the Residential Transfer Register for the relevant Transfer Area in order of the list; then
if the vacancy is not filled, the vacancy shall then be offered to all employees on the relevant General Transfer Register, with the first offer to be made to the highest placed applicant who meets the essential criteria and, if declined, to the next highest placed applicant who meets the essential criteria and so on until such time as the vacancy is filled;
In the event that all employees on that area’s General Transfer Register decline the offer of transfer, or that none of the General Transfer Register applicants meet the essential criteria the vacancy shall then be advertised by way of internal memo to all Comm Centre or Hazmat employees (as the case may be). Where there are more suitable applicants than positions, interviews shall be held to determine the successful applicant.
In the event that all Comm Centre or Hazmat employees (as the case may be) decline the offer of transfer, the vacancy shall then be advertised to all eligible employees through In Orders.
This process was the subject of a dispute in 2010/2011 when the Department did not correctly apply the procedures in Clause 28. Following that dispute the parties clarified the process and a Commissioner’s Order was issued to reflect that agreed process (see SITREP 31/2011 “Regional Comms transfer win”). Members applying should ensure they are aware of the Award selection process and if there are any concerns they should raise them with the Union as soon as possible.
Jim Casey
State Secretary
End business entitlements instead, Hockey
http://enpassant.com.au/2012/04/19/end-business-entitlements-instead-hockey/
Do we need a second one? ... Sydney Domestic Airport / Pic: Ross Schultz Source: The Daily Telegraph
A DRAFT report from the O'Farrell government's Visitor Economy Taskforce recommended a second airport for Sydney - but the reference has been deleted before the final report is presented to the government.
The Daily Telegraph can reveal that by the time the taskforce report, aimed at doubling tourism numbers by 2020, is given to the state government next month an original recommendation that there be a second airport will have been dumped.
This will fit neatly with the position of Premier Barry O'Farrell, who has publicly stated his opposition to a second airport and said his preference is for Canberra Airport to be upgraded and a high-speed rail link built.
Taskforce chair Russell Balding, a former CEO of Sydney Airports Corporation, refused to comment on what was in the report but said: "The government has not asked us to take it (the second airport) out of the report."
Start of sidebar. Skip to end of sidebar.
Recommended Coverage
OUTRAGED regional NSW has slammed recommendations for Sydney's aviation future - saying it would be easier to fly to Sydney from overseas than from the bush.IT might not endear them to their neighbours but Austral couple Sam and Maria Lipari aren't afraid to stand up for what they believe in - an airport at Badgerys Creek.
ANGER in Barry O'Farrell's cabinet over his dismissal of a second Sydney airport; he's at odds with his own infrastructure experts.End of sidebar. Return to start of sidebar.
He was unable to say who had made the decision to take the airport out but Geoff Buckley, the KPMG consultant who worked on the report with the taskforce, confirmed the airport recommendation was in the original report drafts, as have several other sources close to the taskforce.
Mr Balding made the comments after talking to Tourism Minister George Souris's office yesterday.
Mr Souris is to receive the report by the end of May.
Mr Souris's office yesterday denied anyone in government had asked that the recommendation be taken out. A spokeswoman for the Premier said the Premier's Office had not asked for it to be removed.
"A draft report is still being prepared and the government is yet to receive it," the spokeswoman said.
Asked if he understood that the airport recommendation was to be taken out for political reasons, Mr Buckley said: "No, not at all."
The taskforce includes Mr Balding, former transport minister Bruce Baird, Australian Tourism Export Council head John King and Destination NSW chief executive Sandra Chipchase. One of the terms of references was to attract more airlines and flights into Sydney.
A source said there was no need for a comment on a second airport because the goal was to double visitor numbers by 2020 and a new airport could not be built by then.
The airport issue has blown up after federal Transport Minister Anthony Albanese released a 3000-page report recommending a second airport at Badgerys Creek or Wilton. Federal shadow treasurer Joe Hockey has backed the call.
Tourism Transport Forum chief executive John Lee said both sides of politics needed to stop squabbling: "My fear is we'll see Halley's comet in 2062 before we see a second airport in Sydney."
A DRAFT report from the O'Farrell government's Visitor Economy Taskforce recommended a second airport for Sydney - but the reference has been deleted before the final report is presented to the government.
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/sydney-nsw/backing-for-second-sydney-ai...
http://fbeu.net/2012/04/media-release-firefighters-back-sarah-group-to-streng...
Media Release – Road Safety
April 19, 2012
Firefighters back SARAH Group to strengthen road safety around accidents
The Fire Brigade Employees’ Union has backed a family-led campaign to strengthen road safety around breakdown sites, following two tragic and unnecessary deaths on the Hume Highway in February.
The SARAH (Safer Australian Roads and Highways) Group has collected well over the 10,000 signatures necessary for a petition to be discussed as an order of the day in NSW Parliament following the roadside deaths of student Sarah Frazer and tow truck driver Geoff Clark.
Ms Frazer had broken down on a dangerous section of the Hume with inadequate breakdown lanes when Mr Clark came to her aid. Both were killed when Ms Frazer’s car was side-swiped by a passing truck.
The SARAH Group is calling on the NSW Government to
1. introduce legislation requiring that all major Roads, Highways and Freeways have a continuity of 2.5m breakdown lanes in order to provide a safe breakdown space for drivers and passengers;
2. introduce legislation requiring drivers who see flashing hazard or emergency lights to slow down to half the posted speed limit and when safe to do so, move into an adjacent lane away from the vehicle/s displaying the flashing lights.
FBEU President Darin Sullivan said firefighters have been fighting a long-standing campaign for 40km/h speed zones around emergency flashing lights and were therefore happy to support the broad push of the SARAH Group’s proposal.
“Every day firefighters and others put themselves at risk by assisting in roadside accidents,” Mr Sullivan said.
“Firefighters have long campaigned for compulsory 40km/h zones around emergency flashing lights at accident sites, and we back the SARAH Group’s proposal to introduce legislation to improve breakdown lanes on major highways and to force drivers to slow down around accident scenes. Such legislation would go a long way to ensuring more lives aren’t lost in the tragic circumstances that took Sarah Frazer and Geoff Clark.
“Firefighters and others who respond to roadside accidents already put their safety on their line to help the community. It is only right that our state’s laws do everything possible to lessen the risk they face.
“The FBEU wishes Sarah’s father, Peter Frazer well in his campaign and we urge the NSW Government to consider the SARAH Group’s proposals carefully.”
Darin Sullivan (FBEU) 0422 436 044, Anil Lambert (media) 0416 426 722
Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better, it is not.
“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better, it is not.”
Vic Parly President referred to Fair Work Australia
The union representing parliamentary staff taking on Ted Baillieu over a new pay deal has referred Liberal Legislative Council President Bruce Atkinson to Fair Work Australia.
In extraordinary scenes prior to the commencement of Question Time today, Atkinson, citing a standing order prohibiting visual political slogans in the chamber, made it clear to Labor Members that they were to remove badges worn in support of the attendants’ industrial action, who have been offered a paltry 2.5% rise.
Labor MPs reluctantly complied and the attendants — also wearing the badges — then removed themselves from the chamber.
The Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU) issued a statement this evening condemning Atkinson and co-Parliament CEO, Legislative Assembly Speaker Ken Smith, for the “cajoling, intimidation and personal attacks” of management and “urgently requested that Parliament respect Employees’ legal right to take or not take Protected Industrial Action.”
“CPSU Members have been asked not to take Industrial Action, have had their normal patterns of work altered to their detriment, and in some cases refused entry to or kicked out of the Chambers,” the union said.
Under the Fair Work Act, employees have the right to take protected industrial action — anyone who interferes with this right, after the tactics have been approved by FWA, has effectively broken the law. This afternoon, the CPSU lodged an application with the workplace regulator to ensure the action — which includes removing ties and failing to open doors for MPs — remains protected. It will be interesting test case given Parliament’s “exclusive cognisance” to deal with its own affairs under privilege.
Greens Upper House MP Colleen Hartland, who was present in the chamber during Atkinson’s intervention, told Crikey that she had “no idea why the government is doing this to these people.”
“Bruce spoke directly to them,” Hartland said. “He directed members of the ALP to remove the badges…the attendants then left the chamber — in effect they were removing themselves.”
“I think it’s more than just the buttons…it’s the fact the government doesn’t negotiate with these people. The attendants work incredibly hard and there’s an enormous lack of respect that for people that work in the chamber day in day out.”
MPs inside the Legislative Assembly did not report any similar action when contacted by Crikey — it is believed the more aggressive tactics were limited to Atkinson’s upper house.
Earlier today, Crikey reported that 80 staff looming action against the government, noting that the long hours and low pay had been weighing on the minds of the attendants and other support staff for years. The government is awaiting a broader dispute with the Victorian Public Service to be arbitrated by FWA before deciding whether to continue negotiations.
Atkinson declined to comment when contacted by Crikey. A message left with Ken Smith’s office was not returned.
Read the full CPSU statement:
CPSU regards the cajoling, intimidation and personal attacks today by Parliamentary management abhorrent and urgently requests that Parliament respect Employees’ legal right to take or not take Protected Industrial Action.
CPSU Members have been asked not to take Industrial Action, have had their normal patterns of work altered to their detriment, and in some cases refused entry to or kicked out of the Chambers.
I call on the Presiding Officers and the Premier to condemn these activities and ensure that Fair Work law is upheld.
CPSU has been in discussions with our lawyers and has now lodged an application to deal with a general protections dispute with Fair Work Australia because of this behaviour.
I believe this is the only way to ensure that Parliament management respect our members’ legal rights.
I congratulate our members for their discipline and for continuing to wear their campaign badges.
The behaviour is even more repugnant coming from senior officers who work for an Institution that convenes our elected representatives and formulates laws.
The last negotiation meeting between CPSU reps and Parliament was cancelled by management.
CPSU is seeking another meeting to progress our claims.
CPSU members are taking Protected Industrial Action to resolve an impasse in negotiating our new Enterprise Agreement.
The presiding officers advised Members last week of our protected action and the alternative arrangements and the over reaction today is a win for our campaign for a just outcome.
Fire brigade hoses down claims
BY NADINE MORTON
16 Apr, 2012 04:00 AM
CLAIMS the closure of an emergency triple-0 call centre in Katoomba will impact the central west have been denied by Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW).
Set to close for good on May 31, 2012 the call centre currently receives emergency fire calls from across western NSW and the closure will result in the loss of local knowledge a union representative said.
Following the closure all emergency fire calls will be diverted to centres in Sydney or Newcastle.
Fire Brigade Employees’ Union (FBEU) country sub branch secretary Tim Anderson said the region will lose phone operators with more than 20 years’ experience of fires in western parts of the state.
“They know the station, the distances to cross streets ... they know the area and buildings,” Mr Anderson.
“Local knowledge assists you to allocate resources adequately.”
Mr Anderson said the FBEU is also concerned about a new phone system to be introduced once the Katoomba call centre closes next month.
“The operator is relying on the cloud [phone system] having all the correct information in it,” he said.
“The more you rely on systems and remove the human element, you’re removing the checks and balancing from the system.”
Mr Anderson said people in regional areas are familiar with many locations and can interpret people who are not providing adequate information for firefighters to respond to an incident rather than just rely on computer generated information.
The emergency services computer aided dispatch (ESCAD) system is computer operated and allows any phone operator across the state to access information according to FRNSW assistant commissioner Mark Brown.
“If a call goes to another call centre at the moment they don’t have that information at their fingertips,” he said.
Assistant commissioner Brown said the Katoomba call centre only receives around four per cent of all emergency fire calls and the closure of the office will not affect response times for firefighters.
“It’s better to have local knowledge in the heads of people in the trucks.”
Assistant commissioner Brown said the 17 call centre staff will be absorbed into other areas of FRNSW with some to return to active duties.
Please help my lovely wife Vanessa raise money for the NSW cancer council. Cancer touches us all unfortunately, and like many of you, our family is facing it at present. Please donate if you can.
DS
UNTIL recently the O'Farrell government threatened to go through its first term completely unnoticed.
After 16 years in opposition it was hardly bursting at the seams with plans for NSW.
The Coalition just drifted into office like a makeshift raft on the flood tide of discontent which swept Labor from office.
For 12 months we heard nothing from an administration seemingly content to let the public's fresh memories of Labor's last dysfunctional years do its work for it. An opposition with just 20 members in the lower house was always going to struggle. But now Labor has an issue: The Star Casino scandal. Barry O'Farrell looks vulnerable. Just how much he knew of - or was involved in - the events surrounding the dismissal of Star Casino executive Sid Vaikunta, will play out in the coming days.
Regardless of what is established, when allegations of impropriety reach deep into a leader's office the entire business of government becomes sidelined. All the resources of the Premier's team become focussed on dealing with that one issue.
Other ministers and their offices can do little other than look on and hope.
I know from my own time in a premier's office how completely diverting such events are. The ICAC inquiry into the so called Semple affair was a case in point and years before that I was a staffer in the Wran government and saw how preoccupied the premier's office became when Neville Wran was forced to stand aside for several months. Those ministerial offices untouched by the inquiry were powerless spectators of the events engulfing the premier's office. This, I strongly suspect, is precisely what is happening to the O'Farrell ministry.
So, if O'Farrell survives the current inquiry, the big question will be how he and his government bounce back.
Having set a rather relaxed pace in his first year, it will be very hard for him to come up with a circuit breaker to get back on the front foot.
Before the Star inquiry he really wasn't under much pressure to do anything too dramatic. But now the dynamic has changed - the honeymoon is over and the public and media will be viewing the government and O'Farrell himself though more jaundiced eyes. This is the price he will pay for his casual approach to his first year.
Possibly the only real option for O'Farrell is to have a major reshuffle in order to create some kind of momentum. The government is already top heavy with 20-year veterans of the Greiner era: Hartcher, Page, Hazzard, Souris, Gay and Skinner were all there when I was a youngish opposition staffer. A reshuffle would also give the Premier the excuse he needs to rid himself of Environment Minister Robyn Parker.
If O'Farrell survives without making sweeping changes to his ministry he will be seen by the next generation of Coalition hopefuls as part of the problem - the chief protector of the old guard. If that happens he will be vulnerable as the Bairds and the Berejiklians start circling.
Bruce Hawker is a political strategist and former chief of staff to Bob Carr
Barry O'Farrell's first major political move was to trip over
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/opinion/barry-ofarrells-first-major-pol...
Meal and Refreshment Allowances – Union to prosecute for award breaches
The Union instruction given in SITREP 12/2012 that all meal and refreshment allowances are to continue to be paid out of petty cash remains in force. Indeed, the IRC’s Justice Haylen on Tuesday expressly refused a Department request to order that it be withdrawn.
So how did management respond to that set back? By instructing Area Commanders to issue an even more provocative memo to stations on 11 April which again directly contravened the Awards.
Justice Haylen was highly critical of the Department’s latest antics, leading him to this morning make a “strong recommendation” that the Department suspend its 11 April memo and hold discussions with the Union. The Department’s HR section this afternoon wrote to all Area Commanders advising “If you have recently issued a written communication regarding claims for refreshment and meal allowances, you are encouraged to consider withdrawing that communication, consistent with the Recommendation of the IRC” – which might be fair enough if not for the fact that HR wrote the offending memo for them to issue in the first place.
Our advice to all members is to ignore the memo and to our Area Commander members, to ignore the advice from HR and leave it to them to clean up their own mistakes.
Any order from the Commissioner that is contrary to our Awards is an unlawful order, and the Union is now prosecuting the Department for breaches of the meal and/or refreshment allowances at subclauses 10.3.1 and 10.4.1 of the Permanent Award, and subclause 8.3.1 of the Retained Award.
In the meantime, members are advised that Station Commanders are not required to keep safe any monies withheld as tax when making incident allowance payments. It is money they can continue to use as petty cash. Station Commanders have fulfilled their obligations if they simply keep a record, using the proforma attached to last weeks SITREP, of the totals of tax withheld. The Department will then forward all tax withheld to the ATO by electronic means, utilising their normal PAYG processes, leaving the petty cash remaining at stations available to pay further claims.
Incident Management Teams
The Union has been advised that some members below the rank of Superintendent have been placed on call, outside of their rostered hours of work, as an Incident Management Team (IMT) member. Members below the rank of Superintendent are hereby instructed that they are not to be considered part of an IMT, or placed on call for an IMT, unless they are either:
a) placed on call during their rostered hours of work, or
b) being paid overtime for any and all such time.
Qualification allowances – is the sky really falling?
The rumour mill went into overtime this last week, ably assisted by yet another gutless, anonymous fax to stations from the same disgruntled former official this time claiming that qualification allowances (eg, rescue, hazmat, aerials and comms) are about to be sold off, or worse.
Nothing could be further from the truth. The State Committee has approved the exploration of a possible consolidation of allowances and/or extending some or all of these allowances to members currently not receiving an allowance via, for example, an expansion of FRNSW rescue stations. But there is no formal proposal and before there can be, it will first have to be approved by the State Committee and then voted on by all members at a General Meeting.
Read more: http://fbeu.net/2012/04/sitrep-152012/
UNION and employer groups have backed an ambitious overhaul of the superannuation system that could increase savings for millions of workers by putting more pressure on funds to lift their performance.
The ACTU and the Australian Industry Group endorsed the approach yesterday, adding momentum to proposals that could exclude poor-performing funds from the system that sets the default savings for about 1.7 million workers under industrial awards.
The reform plan is being resisted by some funds and unions that question whether a super fund's past returns can be used to predict its future performance.
The emerging proposals set the scene for a policy tussle when Financial Services Minister Bill Shorten considers the recommendations of a Productivity Commission inquiry currently taking public submissions.
The Australian revealed yesterday that Industry Super Network, which represents industry funds holding about $250 billion, was proposing a sweeping change to choose default funds by their performance.
read more: http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/industrial-relations/unions-...
Indonesia Aceh quake triggers Indian Ocean tsunami alert
Indonesian TV showed pictures of people running from buildings in panic
History of deadly earthquakes
The Pacific 'Ring of Fire'
An earthquake with an magnitude of 8.7 has struck under the sea off Indonesia's northern Aceh province.
The quake triggered a tsunami watch alert across the Indian Ocean region.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC) said it was not yet known whether a tsunami had been generated, but advised authorities to "take appropriate action".
The region is regularly hit by earthquakes. The Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004 killed 170,000 people in Aceh.
The US Geological Survey (USGS), which documents quakes worldwide, said the Aceh quake was centred 33km (20 miles) under the sea about 495km from Banda Aceh, the provincial capital.
Continue reading the main story
“
Start Quote
Sirens and Koran recitals from mosques are everywhere”
Sutopo
Indonesian emergency official
It was initially reported as 8.9 magnitude but was later revised down to 8.7 by the USGS. Strong aftershocks were also reported.
The PTWC alert said quakes of such a magnitude "have the potential to generate a widespread destructive tsunami that can affect coastlines across the entire Indian Ocean basin".
But Bruce Presgrave of the USGS later told the BBC that the nature of this quake made it less likely a tsunami would be generated, as the earth had moved horizontally, rather than vertically, therefore had not displaced large volumes of water.
"We can't rule out the possibility, but horizontal motion is less likely to produce a destructive tsunami," he said.
Sutopo, a spokesman for Indonesia's disaster mitigation agency, said the quake had been felt "very strongly".
"Electricity is down, there's traffic jams to access higher ground. Sirens and Koran recitals from mosques are everywhere," he told Reuters.
'Minute of chaos'
The earthquake monitoring agency in Indonesia said the tsunami warning would remain in place for another few hours, but that there had been no reports so far of a low tide, which would indicate the water was receding before building into a tsunami.
The tremor was felt as far away as Singapore, Thailand, Sri Lanka and India.
"There was a tremor felt by all of us working in the building," a man called Vincent in Calcutta, India, told the BBC.
"All just ran out of the building and people were asked not to use the elevator. There was a minute of chaos where all started ringing up to their family and asking about their well-being."
The Thai office of disaster management said people along the coasts of Phuket, Phang Na and Andaman province should heed warnings and evacuate.
Tsunami warning sirens, set up in many vulnerable areas after the 2004 disaster, were heard in Phuket, where correspondents said people were calmly following evacuation routes to safe zones.
Indonesia straddles the Pacific Ring of Fire, a zone of major seismic activity.
The BBC's Karishma Vaswani in the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, says there were reports of the ground shaking for up to five minutes. Contact with people in the immediate area around the quake has not been possible so far, says our correspondent.
Afghan politican and human rights campaigner Malalai Joya ran secret schools for girls during the Taliban regime and is an outspoken critic of president Hamid Karzai and the US-led occupation.
“Eight hours of work, eight hours of rest and eight hours to do what we think best”
Eight-Hour Day Slogan (circa 1890)
In the 19th century, the workweek was 60 to 72 hours Monday through Saturday with Sunday off. The fight for the eight-hour day has been a rallying call for the working class since the early day of the union movement. An American Federation of Labor pamphlet in 1899 stated: “Rest cultivates, drudgery brutalizes.” While a shorter workday was viewed as a cure for unemployment, low wages and a host of social ills, it also meant more leisure time to enjoy life. It meant more time for one’s family. Shorter hours would also provide workers time for personal development to pursue their talents in art, music and other endeavors.
After a century of struggle, the eight-hour day and 40 hour week was generally realized for workers in 1938 with the passage of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). This was one of the greatest achievements of the labor movement. Even though the FLSA that provided 40 hour week and overtime pay is still intact today, the intent of the law has been seriously undermined over the last 30 years. The loss of millions of manufacturing jobs to low wage nations as a result of free trade, the aggressive campaign against unions and the ever increasing reliance on part-time and temporary employment have undermined wages in the U.S. The declining standard of living of the working families has forced many workers to take second and even third jobs to make ends meet. In effect, many wage earners are working more than the standard eight-hour day, 40 hour week.
Read more: http://talkingunion.wordpress.com/2012/04/09/working-longer-and-enjoying-it-l...
2 firefighters die in Philadelphia warehouse fireBy PATRICK WALTERS, Associated Press – 20 hours ago
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Two firefighters battling a massive blaze at a vacant warehouse on Monday were killed when an adjacent furniture store they were inspecting collapsed, burying them in a pile of debris, authorities said.
It took about two hours to extract the bodies of Lt. Robert Neary, 60, and firefighter Daniel Sweeney, 25, because of all the debris, fire Commissioner Lloyd Ayers said. Two other firefighters were rescued and taken to a hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.
"We are deeply saddened by the loss of these two firefighters," Mayor Michael Nutter said. "It just hurts a great, great deal."
The blaze, in the city's Kensington section, started around 3:15 a.m. and quickly spread. Dozens of nearby homes were evacuated, and the firefighters were trying to make sure that the blaze was out at the furniture store, where the flames had spread, when a wall and roof collapsed, Ayers said.
Both firefighters were respected members of the fire department and had been commended for a long list of rescues over the years, Ayers said.
Neary, a 37-year veteran of the fire department, served in the Army reserves from 1972 to 1982 and worked as a police officer before joining the fire department. He is survived by his wife, two grown sons and a grown daughter.
He was a mentor to young firefighters like Sweeney and had great instincts while fighting fires, said Timothy McShea, vice president of the firefighters union.
"He was just a great guy, knew the job very well," McShea said. "He's like one of these old-school guys. They just have a second sense about them."
Sweeney, who was single, is survived by his parents. His father is recently retired fire Capt. David Sweeney.
McShea called him "a good young lad."
"Danny was a young, aggressive firefighter," he said.
The cause of the blaze was not immediately determined.
City officials said the warehouse property's corporate owner, York Street Property Development, had been cited three times since November and a fourth citation was issued after a March 29 inspection following a community meeting. Officials said that the city was preparing to take the owner to court as required after the first three violations and that, separately, a sheriff's sale was expected this summer because of unpaid tax and water bills.
Fran Burns, commissioner of the city's Licenses & Inspections department, said York Street Property Development had a zoning permit good through July 2013 for an 81-unit development.
"This isn't a landowner or property owner we couldn't find; this is someone who had a very active interest in the property and has an active and open zoning permit for development," Burns said. "I don't understand, when you have a zoning permit for an 81-unit development, that you don't understand your responsibility to have a secure property."
The New York-based law firm Herrick, Feinstein, representing York Street Property Development, called the fire "an unspeakable tragedy."
"Our condolences and heartfelt prayers go out to the families of Lt. Neary and Firefighter Sweeney, and to their grieving colleagues at the Philadelphia Fire Department," attorney David Feuerstein said in a statement. "We are cooperating, and will continue to do so, with all law enforcement and government agencies as they investigate this fire."
Everett Gillison, deputy mayor for public safety, said he will be talking to the district attorney about whether a criminal negligence prosecution is warranted.
Gillison said city officials were to meet Tuesday with attorneys for the owners, whom they identified as Nahman Lichtenstein, along with Yechiel and Michael Lichtenstein. Burns said the owners, who through York Street Property Development and another firm, were linked to perhaps 34 other properties in the city. A message left for a Philadelphia law firm officials said represented them was not returned Monday evening, nor was a message left for Nahman Lichtenstein.
Michael Lichtenstein told the blog Hidden Daily Philadelphia last month that a development planned for the warehouse had stalled because of the economy. He said he wasn't sure who was responsible for managing and maintaining the property but "the building is being kept up."
Residents tried to seal up the building, cleaned litter around the premises and reported their concerns to the city over the past year, said Jeff Carpineta, president of the East Kensington Neighbors Association.
They also wrote a letter several months ago to an attorney listed in public records as the contact for the owners, Carpineta said. The structure was repeatedly left open and unsecure, he said.
"The building was becoming an anxiety because a lot of us were concerned about the building burning down," he said.
Carpineta blasted city officials for not taking the initiative to secure the premises. The cost would have been minuscule compared with the damage wrought by the blaze, he said.
"At what point does the city say, 'We need to do what's right'?" Carpineta said.
As the fire spread from the warehouse, flames poured from the windows as crews doused water on it from all sides. Hot embers from the main fire blew to nearby structures, causing small fires that damaged six homes.
Fire trucks lined the nearby streets for hours after the blaze was brought under control. Bricks and debris were scattered on the roads surrounding the fire scene, where much of the warehouse had collapsed. Many of its outer walls had crumpled to the ground by the time the fire was extinguished.
Police began banging on the doors of nearby homes shortly after the fire was reported. No injuries were reported among the displaced.
The Red Cross of Southeastern Pennsylvania set up a shelter and offered aid to about two dozen people who had been forced from their homes. By 10:30 a.m., most had left to see if their homes had been damaged.
Twenty-nine minutes after the fire was brought under control, an alarm went out for the trapped firefighters. Ayers said the department last lost a firefighter in 2006. The last time it lost multiple firefighters on a call was 2004. Nutter ordered flags in the city to be flown at half-staff for 30 days.
Ayers said the community was providing the fire department much support.
"Just as we give service to our citizens," Ayers said, "they're serving us right now."
Associated Press writers Kathy Matheson and Ron Todt contributed to this report.
Copyright © 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
FBEU medal presentation that ran in the Central Western Daily on Thursday April 5 2012 - PDF attached.
Darin Sullivan
President
1-7 Belmore St | Surry Hills | NSW | 2010
P 02 9218 3444 | M 0422436044 | W fbeu.net
Dapto Fire Stn | "C" Platoon | P 0242 611233
