The Financial Review claimed the recent ACTU Congress in Wollongong was a "shift to the Left". Congress delegate Jacqui Armani says that was a tad optimistic.

The new kids on the block, ACTU Secretary Greg Combet and President Sharon Burrows are just as manipulative and uninspiring as their predecessors. The four-day Congress held in the industrial town of Wollongong in southern NSW was predicted to be a new dawn for the trade union movement, led by fresh youthful leadership.

Unfortunately for workers the well-orchestrated Congress proved to be more of the same. As Combet and Burrows walked into a standing ovation by a 700-strong or so crowd, Combet stopped and gave his old mate John Combes, leader of the MUA, a big hug.

Combet then went onto give a long speech about how militancy should be used when needed, and peppered his speech with the example of the now three year old wharfies dispute. While it might be OK to talk about the use of militancy, the fact is that since the wharfies dispute, there have been many other disputes around the country that were more vicious, longer, but not as well heard of.

There have been disputes that have set a dangerous precedent where unions, their leaders and now maybe even workers are facing fines, and/or the possibility of jail terms. The miners for examples have had their agreements torn up and have been put back on Award wages and conditions. This has seen mass wage cuts and many conditions lost.

The David's workers lost their 36-hour week amongst other conditions and were awarded a wage rise which was actually a wage cut when averaged over a 38-hour week. Many other workers have lost and continued to lose their jobs as they are retrenched and their work contracted out with wages and conditions of the new workforce attacked.

Whilst some of these issues were raised at Congress, the so-called debate was so well organised that no real debate took place. Many resolutions opposing this or that were passed but no plans were made on how to fight off the on-going attacks on workers and their organisations. One of the biggest threats faced by the union movement is the fines and/or jail terms for trade unionists. This wasn't even raised in any serious way. This is despite the fact that at least 28 trade unionists and some unions are now facing court action for what seems to be trade union activity of one kind or another.

It appears that as a result of this inactiveness that the unions and their members will continue to be left to fight their battles on their own. With the ACTU leadership keeping their heads buried in the sands, then it will be left to individual unions to show the way forward. Those unions who are facing court action or whose officials or members are, should form a Pact and prepare to act together as a union force in order to make big business back off. Congress wasn't all about unions.

The so-called political wing in the form of Kim Beazley, ALP leader, graced Congress with his presence. In yet another pre-organised entrance Kim entered to a standing ovation and spoke for a long time. We all got to hear how the ALP are better managers of the system than the Liberals.

Just to ensure that everyone who wasn't asleep would soon be, we got to hear about superannuation from Bernie Fraser and after that the benefits of cheap computers. Any real debates that took place happened in the pubs and clubs of Wollongong. While some leaders took the opportunity to meet each other and discuss the burning issues facing unions, others felt fearless after a few beers in their bellies, took one further step down the ladder and let their frustrations out on each other as grudges amongst themselves came to the fore. It's a pity that those people don't use more of that energy trying to build links and solidarity thereby making their unions stronger.

By far the most stirring event to happen was the resignation of NSW Industrial Relations Minister, the ALP's Jeff Shaw. No sooner had Shaw announced his resignation than phones started ringing. Some Congress delegates started disappearing. People were running around like chooks with their heads cut off. It seemed that everyone who was anyone was looking for a chance to seize the moment and attempt to get a new job. Deals or attempts at deals were all some were concerned with.

Anyone at Congress who witnessed this swift reaction would have been forgiven if they thought some disaster had occurred. But this is exactly the problem with the ACTU. So many leaders' main mission is to get a cozy job elsewhere, via the ALP. While people like this are allowed to lead our union movement, things will never change.

The Socialist Party says:

• No official on more than the average wage of a skilled worker
• Break the link with Labor, give support to political parties and candidates on the basis of their support for union policy
• The new militant unions breaking through in Victoria should link up with the NSW NUW and form a Pact to defend each other
• Full support for industry-wide bargaining and pattern bargaining

The Globalisation bandwagon reaches Melbourne's Crown Casino. For the next three days the World Economic Forum will hold the Asia-Pacific Economic Summit, "Asia/Pacific in the 21st Century: Leveraging the new drivers of growth."

The summit is jointly sponsored by the Business Council of Australia and the Australian Davos Connection (the Australian arm of the World Economic Forum). Every leading capitalist and politician from Bill Gates to John Howard will be there, ready for a pleasant meeting before enjoying choice seats at the Olympics days later. The attendees include arms manufacturers, job cutters and neo-liberal ideologues. Their policies have kept the Third World in chains, led to millions of job cuts in West and destroyed whole swathes of the environment.

Outside to greet them will be thousands of workers, students and community members organised by S11 (the protest co-ordinating body) and the trade union movement itself. The Socialist Party is calling a school student strike for this first day. School students will meet at 9am at Flinders St Station to rally and march down to the Crown Casino.

Contact us now for leaflets for your school! (Email: sp@mira.net or post to: SP, PO Box 1015, Collingwood 3066 or phone: 9417 0805 or 0417 121741)

The trade union movement is expected to call a rally to protest against the effects of free trade and globalisation. The previous day is a rostered day off in the building industry, so this will be the day where workers really show their opposition to the direction of the past 20 years. As in Seattle, workers will join young people and other members of the community in a united force against globalisation.

The final day of the World Economic Forum. Time to give the capitalists and right-wing politicians a good send off.

Join the Socialist Party's Red Bus to the Olympic Games Opening Ceremony. Leaving Melbourne's Trades Hall at 6pm, cnr Lygon and Victoria Sts, Carlton South. About $50 a seat.

Arrive in Sydney to join up with the Aboriginal community and others to protest against the elitism of the Games and the restrictions on the democratic right to protest. Return to Melbourne the next day.

By the time we go to press, Federal Minister for Environment and Heritage, Senator Robert Hill would have most likely decided whether or not WA Minister for Justice, Peter Foss can desecrate an important registered sacred site in metropolitan Perth.

Foss wants to build a pre-release prison for women on the sacred land next to the Swan River in the working class suburb of Bassendean. The Swan Valley Nyungah Community resides right next door to the proposed prison. Local residents homes also butt up right next to the site.

A prison would have a devastating effect on Aboriginal inmates held there, increasing the risk of harm and deaths in custody. The appeal to the Federal Aboriginal Heritage legislation followed the WA Aboriginal Affairs Departments failure to protect the site from Foss. The WA Cultural Materials Committee (ACMC) couldn't protect the site and said that the State Aboriginal Heritage Act was too weak to protect it. Court Government Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Kim Hames had the final say and approved the prison proposal.

The Swan Valley Nyungah Community has called for Aboriginal people and anyone with a conscience to resign and not take part in the ACMC. This is not the only time it has been used as a cover for desecration of sacred sites. They have also called for a Royal Commission into the whole WA Aboriginal Affairs department in response to many examples of neglect and destruction of Aboriginal Heritage.

It will take more than these measures however to eliminate racism by governments against Aboriginal people. A profit orientated capitalist Australia is dependent on control of the land for mining, farming, and profiteering. Only a socialist society where the big companies are nationalised under democratic workers and community control will see land rights and self determination for Aboriginal people and the land cared for for future generations.

Mounting anger against the Court government selling off key land assets in the metro area for real estate ventures has seen community action groups band together to build a city wide protest movement in the preelection environment. This could have a decisive effect on the Court government and send a warning to the next State government Labor or Liberal.

Foss himself is facing growing pressure after 9 deaths in custody have occurred this year, 7 in 6 weeks recently. Revelations of a 'Purple circle' of prison officials covering up corruption and incompetence have occurred. Tougher sentences have seen prison numbers skyrocket, now double the national average per head of population. He could start to be seen as a liability for the government.

Desperate to appear determined, Foss has proceeded to refurbish the buildings at Pyrton even without the approval of the the Federal minister. The Federal Minister Senator Hill has been forced to condemn Foss' actions in Parliament. The Pyrton Action Group called a weekend on site meeting to discuss the building activity at Pyrton and map out a course of action.

There are still legal and administrative hurdles Foss has to overcome. But if Foss gets approval from Senator Hill and finds other ways to proceed with a prison, a strong community picket will have to be mounted to stop the facility being used. A high profile protest could see him ousted from the portfolio just as he was from the Arts portfolio following outrage at his arrogant handling of the Arts. That could spell the end of a prison at Pyrton and a campaign then being mounted for the community endorsed option of a Community and Environment Centre instead.

Even if Foss gets prisoners in, community pickets will continue, to make a prison unviable. Foss has met only one group of people more determined than him when it comes to the Pyrton Riverland - the people of Bassendean.

For more information or to get involved come down to the community picket held every Tuesday morning 7am - 12 noon, or call 9279 6781 or 9272 5549. We also need leaflets distributed in your suburb.

The seven years of the Kennett government drastically reduced both the amounts and eligibility criteria for injured workers. Kennett always claimed that these changes were necessary to reduce the cost to employers and to streamline the system in order to get a better outcome for the seriously injured.

Around 5,000 injured workers have lost the Common Law right to sue for damages from a negligent employer since the coalition withdrew this right in 1997. The Bracks' Government plans to restore this right to injured workers, but by not making it retrospective these 5,000 will miss out.

How can this be justified?! Why should one group of workers have less rights than another merely because of the date. An injury to one remains an injury to all. During the Kennett years the Trade Union movement in general and injured workers in particular campaigned long and hard against the greedy changes to WorkCover, inspired by the private insurance companies. Every rally ended at Parliament House. In one case workers were physically attacked by the Victorian police for standing up for their rights. At each rally first John Brumby, then Steve Bracks put their hand on their heart and promised that when the ALP was elected to power injured workers would be looked after. Everything that Kennett did would be reversed by a future ALP Government. Unions pumped hundreds of thousands of dollars into Labor's election campaign last September and many workers distributed leaflets and staffed polling booths to get Labor over the line and see work cover rights restored to pre-1992 level, as promised.

We have been sold out. Never again sahopuld we dish out money and resources willy-nilly to this party. Employer groups have consistently opposed the restoration on the grounds that it would be too expensive and therefore cost jobs. We believe that safety should not be compromised. Negligent employers should be fearful so that they take safety seriously, unfortunately good intentions often go out of the window in the drive for profits. The labor movement must maintain vigilance on Health and Safety, every worker must be trained in safe practice and union delegates should have the right too visit a workplace at the request of members without gaining management approval.

The campaign to improve compensation packages must continue, workers who are injured or the families of those killed should not be financially worse off. The current levels are a recipe for financial ruin for injured workers.

• The right to sue for compensation should be back dated to 1997.
• Injured workers should have access to lump sum payments.
• Weekly payments should be based on the actual rates of pay, ie, including overtime, shift allowances. These should contin ue for as long as the worker can not work.
• Give workers the choice of rehabilitation provider rather than insurance agencies.
• Raise the premium levels to fully provide for injured workers.