Category: Workers Political Organisations

Unions, Rank and File & Workers Political Groups

Jewel Towers over Moving Sands

'All that glitters is not gold' - 'The Merchant of Venice' by Shakespeare. On that stretch of beach known for decades as Surfers by the locals and badged as the Gold Coast for international consumption hump back and western wright whales pass by every year in winter, more than in living memory. Sea mullet migrate … Continue reading Jewel Towers over Moving Sands

When Joh went to Uni

In 1980 or 1981, Bjelke-Petersen went to University of Queensland guarded by Qld Special Branch. Joh’s visit was controversial as the questions from the news media suggest. We have secured historic footage of the event. Standing behind Joh during the interview was Constable Gary Hannigan, previously from Sandgate CIB and the youngest ever undercover detective … Continue reading When Joh went to Uni

Wretched of the Earth

Europeans, you must open this book and enter into it. After a few steps in the darkness you will see strangers gathered around a fire; come close, and listen, for they are talking of the destiny they will mete out to your trading-centres and to the hired soldiers who defend them. --- Jean-Paul Sartre [Editor's … Continue reading Wretched of the Earth

The Blood House: BHP sacks thousands in the West

Mining company BHP Billiton is looking at cutting thousands of jobs from its iron ore operations in WA. The miner has already announced the loss of 500 jobs in recent months, including 100 at its headquarters in Perth. The ABC reports up to 3,000 jobs could go from BHP's iron ore division, which currently employs … Continue reading The Blood House: BHP sacks thousands in the West

Dawn to Dusk – reminisences of a rebel: childhood and youth

Dawn To Dusk, E. H. Lane 1939 PART I Childhood and Youth Chapter I. Early Influences It is a far cry from the old worn-out beliefs of the conservativism and reactionary political policies of 50 years ago, to the virile working class movement that is to-day insistently smashing down the gates of capitalist imperialism and … Continue reading Dawn to Dusk – reminisences of a rebel: childhood and youth

Dawn to Dusk – reminiscences of a rebel

The wiles of Labour politicians – the futility of fearful and reactionary Labour leaders have been revealed in this record, and the lessons I and others so bitterly learned should preclude any further waste of time and enthusiasm in vainly endeavouring to make figs blossom and fruit on barren trees. — Ernie Lane in Dawn … Continue reading Dawn to Dusk – reminiscences of a rebel

May Day

May Day – Workers Have the Power On 1st May workers around the world gather to show solidarity with people’s struggles and hopes for a better life. We put forward our own independent working class vision of struggle and a future that’s not tied to the interests of capitalist and imperialist exploitation. On this May … Continue reading May Day

Oligarchs of Ukraine

Oligarchical topography of Ukraine. Andrei Fursov - Sociologist, Historian - 14 April 2014 Many domestic and foreign interests coincided to create the Banderite coup d'état in Ukraine. Andrei Fursov, historian and sociologist, explains who needed what out of Ukraine and how the events of 2014 had been in the making for years. Also how Russia … Continue reading Oligarchs of Ukraine

The (Ex)Secretary’s Speech: Jobs Plans, Unemployment And Illusions of the Future.

Thus capital presupposes wage labour; wage labour presupposes capital. They reciprocally condition the existence of each other; they reciprocally bring forth each other.(Marx 1978, 33)  To my friends in the union movement I say this: Every worker needs a successful company. To the business community I say this: No company is successful without an engaged, … Continue reading The (Ex)Secretary’s Speech: Jobs Plans, Unemployment And Illusions of the Future.

Interesting forum on working lives for May 3rd

The May Day Group has organised a "workers inquiry" in association with the May Day celebrations. It is to be held on Saturday May 3rd, and should be a new direction for those of us interested in developing the working class movement and struggles during the coming few years - which look like being some … Continue reading Interesting forum on working lives for May 3rd

Cloudland Collective on the Queensland Doctors’ Dispute

The Newman government’s attempts to push public hospital doctors onto unfair individual contracts is an attack on our public hospitals and on the rights of all those who work in the Queensland public sector. The proposed contracts will replace existing awards and certified agreements for 3000 Senior Medical Officers and the existing agreement for 800 … Continue reading Cloudland Collective on the Queensland Doctors’ Dispute

The Cloudland Collective: G20 is neoliberal and dangerous

The G20 may not make decisions that can be imposed on member states. It may not have a public service working for it that can monitor to what extent member states have implemented G20 recommendations. Yet it is the most significant economic forum in the world. It serves to streamline neoliberal policies across the 20 … Continue reading The Cloudland Collective: G20 is neoliberal and dangerous

More jobs gone at Telstra plus … at QANTAS

Telecom / Telstra First they corporatised it — 1982 (Fraser) then they did a partial sale — 1993-96  (Keating) then they privatised it — 1996 (Howard) then they sacked the workers — 2014 (Abbott) ... and the Labor Party-in-government sold QANTAS which is going to sack .... workers in maintenance, in call-centres, in baggage handling. … Continue reading More jobs gone at Telstra plus … at QANTAS

Tribute to Jono

Jonathan Ogden (1970-2014) By Jaime Mejia Jonathan Ogden - socialist, unionist and former member of the ISO and Socialist Alternative died of a sudden stroke in his New Farm home sometime between 6 and 10 February 2014. I have known Jonathan, or Jono as we used to call him affectionately, since I began my political … Continue reading Tribute to Jono

You’ve got to be Jo(h)king: History, the Left and Queensland

(This is a guest post from a friend of The Word From Struggle Street Jon) It was the 40th anniversary of the Athens Polytechnic uprising recently. On the 17th of November 1973, tanks rolled onto campus, and in a bloody orgy of violence unwittingly sealed the demise of the regime of the Colonels. The Polytechnic … Continue reading You’ve got to be Jo(h)king: History, the Left and Queensland

Construction capital – a crock of crooks

The press hounds are baying again about union corruption. The Coalition can spare its budget the expense of another Royal Commission. All that it needs to do is to summarise the findings of corrupt bosses from Reports across 100 years Nonetheless, some Reports show more than others. In mid-2004, the NSW ICAC found that corporations … Continue reading Construction capital – a crock of crooks

Labour calls on government to apologise over miners’ strike

[Editor's Note: It was claimed by a speaker at a recent civil liberties meeting [https://soundcloud.com/ian-curr/q-a#t=31:30] that  investigative journalism of the ABC's Kerry O'Brien stopped Abbott from wining the 2009 federal election and that papers like The Guardian brought down Margaret Thatcher. Well here's a story about the British Miners Strike. Unfortunately this piece is 30 … Continue reading Labour calls on government to apologise over miners’ strike

What about the workers?

Is anyone interested in the union member's perspective these days? ... there was no attempt in this article by Headless Thomas [The Australian] to find out what actually happened ... no attempt to contact the 23 union members suspended and disciplined by BHP @ http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/policy/union-official-blows-whistle-on-cfmeu/story-fn59noo3-1226811602443 More grist to the Murdoch mill ...

Reporting the Brisbane G20

I want to try to spend tonight inspiring some of you to become reporters. What’s in a name? I use reporter because the word, journalist, is a too lofty for me – a name popularised by the self-important – journalists! A tip. As a reporter I used my real name, Jim Beatson. Mistake. If you … Continue reading Reporting the Brisbane G20

Free and fair vote for all

[Editors Note: No one talks about workers democracy anymore ... why is that? Do people even know what it is? You know, going on strike, organising for better pay, conditions, for a better political system where workers have a say in what is produced ... ] Queensland's Attorney-General has put forward new laws that would … Continue reading Free and fair vote for all

Has Scargill sold out the workers?

[Editor's Note: As readers may know, there were many attempts by the Murdoch and Tory press to discredit Arthur Scargill when he was leader of the 1983 Miners Strike against Thatcher. Some were extravagant lies like the one by Robert Maxwell that Scargill and another NUM official had their flats paid for by Libyan leader … Continue reading Has Scargill sold out the workers?

PShift Retrospective 2013

History is an angel being blown backwards into the future He said: History is a pile of debris And the angel wants to go back and fix things To repair the things that have been broken But there is a storm blowing from Paradise And the storm keeps blowing the angel backwards into the future … Continue reading PShift Retrospective 2013

Mandela memorial: history from an a to an z, in a tea-cup.

what began, as i saw it, as an historical storm in a tea-cup became, due to the frantic efforts of a few people, a lesson and rebuttal on rewriting history or the attempt thereof.my following words and the articles that follow set out my beliefs most clearly.but like all good tales we need to begin … Continue reading Mandela memorial: history from an a to an z, in a tea-cup.

Towards Peace — a worker’s journey

Towards Peace - A workers Journey (PDF) by Phil O'Brien and Bernie Dowling [SHAPE - Social History Publishing Enterprise with LeftPress] Tunnelling through the night, the trains pass in a splendour of power, with a sound like thunder shaking the orchards, waking the young from a dream, scattering like glass the old men's sleep; laying … Continue reading Towards Peace — a worker’s journey

Unions without a Cosa?

On this week’s show Aaron Bastani and James Butler from Novara and Resonance fm discuss the ’3Cosas’ campaign and forthcoming strikes throughout UK higher education. Can the larger incumbent unions adapt and remain relevant? This program was sent around by Dave Eden who spoke the 17 group this week. “The End of the ‘High Wage, … Continue reading Unions without a Cosa?

Victory for Bob Carnegie

from Red Flag  | 04-Dec-2013 Prosecutors have dropped all charges against Queensland based rank and file unionist and community activist Bob Carnegie. Writing on Facebook, Bob said: “Just to let everyone know that I was advised by my lawyer tonight that AbiGroup has dropped all outstanding charges against me. “This brings to conclusion a 15 … Continue reading Victory for Bob Carnegie

G20, LNP and neoliberalism

'... in my view populism is what we need, roughly speaking hanging bankers from the lamposts ...' - prof john quigan speaking at the cloudland committee inaugural forum on 28 nov 2013 [1:07:37] in PShift recording below   Review of talk given by prof quigan and organised by the cloudland collective. about 60 people (i … Continue reading G20, LNP and neoliberalism