Issue 108 - Nov

University bosses out to strip pay and conditions

In the wake of the cancellation of the union agreement at Murdoch University by the Fair Work Commission, the NTEU is bargaining with confident and aggressive university managements.

Termination—bosses going for the ‘nuclear option’

Train drivers, coal miners, university staff, power workers and ice cream makers—just some of the workers who have fallen foul of a new employers’ tactic, cancelling enterprise bargaining agreements.

Inside the system

Racist vigilantes bash Aboriginal kids; Westfield using facial detection software; Push to entrench discrimination against equal marriage; Jobs growth all down to NDIS; Glencore’s miltiary-style spying on unionists

Turnbull abandons climate action to entrench coal power

Turnbull’s energy plan will entrench coal and delay the shift to renewable energy—while delivering next to nothing to cut power bills.

Toothless Indigenous referendum too much for Turnbull

Malcolm Turnbull has refused to support a referendum on enshrining an Indigenous “voice to parliament” in the Australian constitution.

Unions fight racist work for welfare scheme

Campaigners from the First Nations Workers Alliance, including three MUA members from Port Botany in Sydney, visited Central Australia in October to campaign against the exploitative Community Development Program.

Austria turns to the right as fascists join government

The Austrian election in October showed the dangerous growth of racism and the far right in Europe. The conservative People’s Party headed by Sebastian Kurz will form a coalition government with the fascist Freedom Party, which gained 26 per cent of the vote.

#MeToo exposes systemic problem of sexual assault

#MeToo shows how pervasive sexual harassment and abuse are in the lives of all women. The Weinstein case is just the tip of the iceberg in an industry where wealthy sexual predators operate with impunity.

US and regional powers crush Iraqi Kurds’ independence bid

In September, Iraqi Kurds voted by 93 per cent to support independence. The referendum result drew immediate opposition and threats from the neighbouring governments of Iraq, Iran, Turkey and Syria.

Trump, racism and the alt-right: Is fascism on the rise?

Racist populists and far right parties are breaking through in elections across the US and Europe. How do we drive them back, asks James Supple

Catalonia—national struggles, Marxism and class

Some on the left see battles for independence as dividing workers, while others back them as fights for liberation. Dave Sewell looks at how to judge national struggles

Lenin: Organising for revolution

The October Revolution is the only time so far in history where workers have taken power. This could not have happened with Lenin and the Bolshevik Party, writes Esme Choonara

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