It looks as though, by Monday, both Greece and Italy will be ruled by so-called ‘technocratic’ governments. Even though both Greek prime minister George Papandreou and Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi were elected comfortably in parliamentary polls and were never defeated in any vote of confidence in parliament, they have been ousted – to be replaced by unelected ex-central bankers and former executives of hedge funds and investment banks. From now on, financial markets will rule directly over the lives of the Italian and Greek people. |
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A shadowy astroturf group led by two Liberal Party operatives has emerged to bend public opinion in the bitter Baiada Poultry workplace dispute. http://www.crikey.com.au/2011/11/17/liberals-exposed-as-kingmakers-in-bitter-chicken-spat/ |
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Despite Fair Work Australia putting in place an injunction banning National Union of Workers (NUW) officials from taking part in the Baiada poultry workers’ picket line, workers and community supporters were able to hold off an attempt by riot police to break the picket late on November 11. |
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The strike at the Baiada chicken factory in Laverton, which began on Wednesday November 9, is now almost six days old. On Sunday, a meeting between NUW officials and Baiada management failed to achieve a resolution to the dispute, and so a union and community picket at the factory at 17–19 Pipe Road continues. |
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Neoliberalism is about more than deregulation, it is also about the distribution of political and economic power. http://www.zcommunications.org/the-end-of-neoliberalism-by-damien-cahill |
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A friendly critique of the "Occupy" movements which urges the protesters to question their assumptions. http://libcom.org/library/occupy-wall-street-why-struggle-must-go-beyond-occupation |
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Indonesian security forces fired on striking workers at Freeport-McMoran's Grasberg gold and copper mine after a protest turned violent, killing one, officials say. http://myresources.com.au/news/27-breakingnews/4524-grasberg-strikers-shot-one-dead- |
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Qantas is a great Australian airline. But if we’re going to maintain our executive pay packets we’ll need to squeeze more money out of our operations and base most of the jobs in Asia
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Lebanon's unions are pushing ahead with a general strike on Wednesday despite last minute attempts by the government to broker a solution. The General Labour Confederation, Lebanon’s largest worker coalition, has spearheaded plans for the 12 October strike demanding a more than doubling of minimum wages in the public and private sectors. |
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When it comes to executive pay, the market is broken. The game, you might say, is rigged. Chief executives and their assorted lobby groups are fond of saying “That’s the market” when it comes to defending the massive salaries. “Look at America,” they cry. “You have to pay top dollar to attract the best talent!” Indeed, look at America. The Wall Street protests are now in their fourth week. And even though the protesters have struggled to identify, let alone voice a clear message, they know something is awry. http://www.theage.com.au/business/executive-pay-the-high-cost-of-market-failure-20111010-1lh2o.html |
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