Newsletter update

1. Weekly Meetings
Next meeting will be held this Wednesday, 8 February, 6.00 pm. Meeting Room 2, first floor, Maribyrnong Town Hall - entry via rear of Town Hall from Hyde Street.

The group will be meeting weekly for next two months in preparation for the Workers and Communities Solidarity Picnic on Sunday, 2 April, 1.00 pm, Yarraville Gardens, Footscray. All Welcome. See details on Picnic below. Draft leaflet attached - waiting on more endorsements.

2. IR Community Information Stalls - West festivals
WSCUC will have IR Community Information Stalls at the following major Community Festivals in the West. We need help at the stalls to distribute Picnic Publicity through the festivals. If you can help for an hour or more please contact us on 0417456001.

(i) Saturday, 11 February - Yarraville Festival
Anderson and Ballarat Streets, Yarraville - 8.30 am - 4.00 pm
(ii) Sunday, 26 February, - Bayside Community Festival,
AltonaCherry Lake - Altona - 9.00 am - 4.00 pm
(iii) Sunday, 26 February - Mooney Valley Community Festival
Queens Park - Alexandra and Pascoe Vale Roads - 9.00 am - 4.00 pm

3. Workers and Communities Solidarity Picnic
Sunday, 2 April, 1.00 pm, Yarraville Gardens, Hyde Street, Footscray.
The theme of the broad based picnic is: Defend Workers' Rights and Conditions, Defend Community Living Standards; A rich and proud history of struggles and achievements by communities and unions standing together in solidarity.

This type of broad based activity on the ground will help consolidate and build on the 15th November mass rally and continue widening and strengthening the campaign. It also assists in building unity, co-operation and mutual support between communities and the union movement for a more just and fairer society.

Main speakers will be: Sharan Burrows (ACTU President), Anglican Bishop Phillip Huggins, Cath Smith (Victorian Council of Social Services) and Kevin Bracken (MUA State Secretary). Other speakers are yet to be finalised and will include representatives from ethnic and community groups, religious organizations, unions and ordinary workers and members of the community.

Corinne Grant (Glasshouse) has kindly accepted our invitation to compere the picnic. Other national and local performers and artists have also been approached to contribute to the picnic.

Unions and community groups are being invited to set up IR information stalls. We are also working with unions and the community on a visual display highlighting 150 years of struggles and achievements by unions and communities standing together.

Endorsements and Financial Support for the Picnic
The solidarity picnic has been endorsed by the Victorian Trades Hall Council, most unions (including Firefighters and Ambulance Employees Unions), Victorian Council of Churches, Victorian Council of Social Services, Job Watch, Federation of Community Legal Centres and other community groups. All endorsees will be listed on the final leaflet.

To cover costs of this large event we are seeking financial support and contributions from sympathetic organizations, unions and individuals. As a grass roots community organization we have no funds or assets. To date our costs have been covered mainly by our own members' contributions and donations collected at IR Community Information stalls.

We call on our supporters to approach their unions and organizations to contribute generously towards this important community and unions solidarity activity that will have lasting benefits in the united campaign to defeat the IR laws.

The leaflets will be ready for wide distribution by mid February. Please help with distribution, publicity and fund raising for the picnic in your workplace, union, community and neighbourhood.
We welcome everyone able to assist in the preparations for the picnic in whatever way.

More Info : 0417 456 001, 0417 896 297

In unity
Shirley, Justin and Wendy