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News briefs

Newcastle union leader quits Australian Manufacturing Workers Union organiser Mary McGill has refused to comment publicly on her reasons for resigning as president of Newcastle Trades Hall Council. McGill was elected president in 1997. According

US has another kind of drug problem

By Peter Montague A report in the Journal of the American Medical Association in April 1998 estimated that adverse reactions to prescription drugs kill about 106,000 people in the USA each year — roughly three times as many as are killed by

Loose cannons

Tough if you're not in business "Addressing a conference of all Labor candidates and campaign directors ... [NSW Labor Premier Bob] Carr painted the Labor Government as a tough law enforcer ... and a keen promoter of business interests." — Sydney

Action updates

Newcastle dockworkers strike For the first time in many years, workers employed by Forgacs at the Hexham Engineering Works and at the Carrington Dry Dock have made common cause around negotiations for a new agreement. In the past, the workers,

You can't leave it to parliament

You can't leave it to parliament @box text int = When the Kennett government was first elected in Victoria, it announced a series of cutbacks and attacks in rapid succession, hoping that any potential opposition would be stunned into inaction.

Victory at Australian Dyeing Company

Victory at Australian Dyeing Company By Maurice Sibelle MELBOURNE — After 67 days on the picket line, 80 locked-out workers at the Australian Dyeing Company won a major victory on February 5. ADC management agreed to a 10% wage rise over two

Russian teachers stage national protests

By Renfrey Clarke MOSCOW — For the head of administration in the Bykovsky region of Volgograd province on January 28, there could be no doubt that local teachers were angry at having been denied their pay since August. The teachers barricaded him

On the box

Actively Radical TV — Sydney community television's progressive current affairs producers tackle the hard issues from the activist's point of view. CTS Sydney (UHF 31), every Thursday, 10pm and Saturday, 7pm. Ph 9565 5522. Access News —

NSW Labor fails the forests

By Steve Ryan SYDNEY — Despite decades of attempts to convince governments of the public's will to save our remaining forests and wilderness areas, and the need to preserve biodiversity, the dollar has won the debate. Woodchips are evidently more

How progressive is multiculturalism?

How progressive is multiculturalism? Does multiculturalism defend migrant rights? By Iggy Kim In spite of a quarter century of multiculturalism as ideology and official policy, the conditions of life for most non-English-speaking immigrants

Nigerian military kills 19 near Shell terminal

By Norm Dixon Nigerian newspapers reported on February 1 that as many as 19 young people opposed to the operations of western oil companies in the Niger River delta, in Nigeria's south, were killed by federal troops in the preceding days. Troops

NOWSA: setting the agenda

By Emma Murphyand Virginia Brown MELBOURNE — On February 22, the Network Of Women Students Australia collective (NOWSA) decided that the plenary sessions for the July conference would be: Women and capitalism; Exploring different feminisms;