Facts-

• Human rights abuses continue to occur un-investigated in the Philippines.
• Since President Gloria Arroyo took power in 2001 over 700 politically motivated killings appear to have been executed by Filipino security forces.
• The common link between those targeted: all have spoken out against human rights abuses and corruption in the Philippines.
• In the last two years 15 members and ministers of the United Church of Christ of the Philippines have been murdered in circumstances suggesting the involvement of the security forces of the Philippines.
• None of these 15 cases have been fully investigated and the perpetrators brought to justice!

For more information and cases, download the Uniting Church in Australia's report Getting Away with Murder - Impunity for those Targeting Church Workers in the Philippines launched on August 16th at Parliament House, Canberra.

Our challenge to you
Send a sympathy card to the President of the Philippines, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, expressing your deepest sympathies towards the unresolved killings of 15 church workers. Feel free to make or purchase your sympathy card, be as creative as you like! There is also a sympathy card available to be downloaded here, for you to print off and write your own message in.

Send your card to Kerryn Clarke and we will send them all together to Minister Downer. Please post all cards to

Kerryn Clarke
JustAct
130 Little Collins Street
Melbourne VIC 3000
by Monday 4th September.

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Downloads: Sympathy Card to Filipino President | Sympathy Card to Filipino President (Large)

more info: Uniting Church Just Actions website | Union Solidarity statement about killings

Join the campaign
We are still requesting support for this campaign to ensure that GTS know their actions are just not on! You can join the LabourStart email campaign here:

ASU campaign against unfair AWAs at GTS

Since the release of the report by the Victorian Workplace Rights Advocate, Tony Lawrence, there has been a great deal of interest and support for the struggle against the unfair AWA offered by Global Tele Sales (GTS). The offering of the AWAs has also been a hot topic of debate in Federal Parliament.

In question time on 10 August the Federal Minister for Workplace Relations, Kevin Andrews, sought to discredit the role of the ASU and the ACTU in exposing the unfair nature of the GTS AWA.

However ASU Secretary Ingrid Stitt said the complaint was made to the Advocate on behalf of 80 workers when they were offered an Australian Workplace Agreement (AWA) by GTS who had obviously taken full advantage of John Howard's cruel and vicious IR laws.

"Here we have a company that has used John Howard's industrial laws to blatantly cut the wages and conditions of its workforce in an arrogant and callous fashion.

"In light findings of the independent watchdog the ASU has written to GTS today calling on them to withdraw the AWA and negotiate a collective agreement with staff and their union that:

• Protects wages and conditions available under the collective agreement;
• Offers a fair wage increase in recognition of staff's contribution to productivity;
• Removes the unfair bonus scheme and replaces it with transparent and fair processes

full story.

ASU campaign against unfair AWAs at GTS

Shame on Hawker De Havilland for their action in sacking workers representatives.

Abuses like this have to be responded to by all people who believe that heavy handed tactics of this sort are anti-worker and have no place in Australia.

I urge anybody who can attend the community assembly to do so, the people there are gathered on everybody's behalf so step up and show your support.

Gavan Swayn
Mt Martha

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Send a message of support to Boeing strikers email: contact@unionsolidarity.org
Background to dispute

Stay strong, your fight is not only for yourselves, but for all members of unions.

Yours in solidarity
David Turnbull CFMEU (pulp and paper workers branch)

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gday,

A friendly message of support to all at the Amcor picket. Recently dropped by. Stay strong!

Anything we can do to assist: i.e use our 2000 strong mailing list, or raise funds with a gig - just say the word.

The Go Set
www.thegoset.com.au

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The Australian Institute of Employment Rights supports the rights of workers to take peaceful industrial action without harassment or penalties in the form of fines or damages.

If you have information which the Institute could disseminate to its contacts and members about the dispute at AMCOR, or any written reports on the nature of the dispute, please feel free to send them to us.

All the best,

Rob Durbridge
Executive Director

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Your comrades at the Victorian Branch of the Australian Nursing Federation send you this message of solidarity and support in your struggle with Amcor management and for a just outcome.

We salute your determination.
Lisa Fitzpatrick
Secretary - ANF (Vic Branch)

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As retired workers we are sending you this message of solidarity. Good luck
with your struggle, our hearts are with you.

Best regards
John Wood / Ingeborg Fina

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Western Australian-based Total Corrosion Control (TCC), one of the contractors engaged by ALCOA in Pinjarra to erect scaffolding has served writs on the 40 metalworkers it employs. The workers face $28,600 in fines plus unspecified damages — for a union meeting that allegedly went 15 minutes over time. The workers’ union, the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union (AMWU), also faces fines, totalling $220,000 plus unspecified damages.

On July 28, all 40 workers and the union were served with applications to the federal court for fines under both the Building and Construction Industry Improvement (BCII) legislation and the Workplace Relations Act (WRA), plus unspecified damages for the loss of production. The employer’s application also says that money paid to cover any fines imposed will be passed directly on to them.

The 40 workers and the WA branch of the AMWU appear in court on August 29, the same day as the 107 WA construction workers facing similar fines. more details

Messages of support can be emailed to amwuwa@amwu.asn.au