Stick Together

The Rail, Bus & Tram Union (RBTU) were out on Friday over Metro rail refusal to negotiate their EBA. Christine Cummins talks about the difficulties of doing your job ethically as a health professional at detention camps since the Immigration Department became the Department of Border Security. Her on-line petition against the Border Force Act.

News and reports from the workers struggles and union actions! On our program, we will be discussing the latest union rallies and movements against the China Free Trade Agreement. Joining us for the show will be Samantha Castro, the co-founder of the Whistleblowers, Activists and Citizens Alliance, who will also discuss the current developments of the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement and its possible impact on the lives of working Australians.

The question of Commission Dyson Heydon's 'accidental' acceptance of speaking engagement at a Liberal Party fundraiser is inspected by Humphrey McQueen and Ged Kearney from the ACTU has something to say about the Senate rejection of two anti union bills.

The last few weeks have been sizzling with industrial disputes, strikes and workers' struggles right across Australia. We will be discussing the struggle and the outcome of the MLDC warehouse workers strike in Laverton and hearing from Bob Carnegie, the Queenlsand state secretary of the Maritime Union of Australia, about the continuous fight of the union members against Hutchinson Ports in Sydney and Brisbane.

In a month of Attacks on Workers we look at the charging of ACT CFMEU organiser Johnnie Lomax with Black mail with Loss by the Federal Police for negotiating an EBA with an employer; the Productivity Commission's interim report which calls for penalty rates being cut on Sundays for retail and hospitality workers; and we also look at the changes to Centrelink on July 1 from the point of view of the unemployed.

Swinburne University has been taken to court over industrial tactics and lost three times in the last 2 years. Now they're threatening to cut workers wages if they don't have a new agreement before Christmas. Later in the show we'll catch up with NTEU Victorian secretary Colin Long to discuss Swinburne's union -busting tactics. First up we hear from CPSU deputy national president Rupert Evans on the rolling work stoppages across Australia's international airports involving public sector workers. We spoke with Rupert on Monday morning after the first stoppage

Discussing the fight for dignity and fair treatment of hospitality workers with Kahlani Pyrah (United Voice, Socialist Alternative) and her case against the corporate management of Grilld. Also, talking about the latest developments in the cooperative sector with Rick Duke from the Fleurieu Poultry Assoication cooperative in South Australia, and discussing the progress of EarthWorker with Mark Tyler!

A talk with a long-time revolutionary socialist and trade unionist, Bob Carnegie, recently elected as state secretary of the Queensland branch of the Maritime Union of Australia. We will discuss the current issues facing maritime workers, the ongoing Caltex dispute and the need for a collective struggle against the insecure work and casualisation. We will also have a chat with Liz Turner, the community organiser of the National Union of Workers, about the need for a united community and union response to the rise of fascism and far-right extremism in light of Reclaim Australia Rallies!

Alexander Spirit crew refuse to budge after Caltex say they will be replaced in Singapore; Anthony Albanese talks about the latest Government attacks on cabotage; Kate Mitchell from Southern Cross University tells how NTEU influenced the no vote by general staff to insulting EBA offer.

Trade unions have been active in Timor Leste since 2001 when the Timor Leste Confederation of Trade Unions (KSTL) was formed with support from Australian unions. The major employer at the time was the United Nations and the young country was still under UN administration. Aside from very high unemployment and a government eager to attract foreign investment often at the expense of workers' rights, unions have also been at the forefront of struggles for oil and gas justice in the Timor Sea. Almerio Vila Nova is the General Secretary of the General Workers Union of Timor Leste and represents the younger generation of union activists trying to organise in very challenging economic and political conditions. He shares stories from current and historical industrial struggles as well as some experiences within the clandestine movement as a teenager. The interview has been translated from Tetum so the english translation is voiced by Mark Tyler.