To the long list of sneaky and dishonorable ways of doing business in the corporate world, we can now add Caltex. You may remember that the Australian Workers Union was trying to engage the company in a dialogue about the future of the Kurnell refinery in Sydney. And, then, boom, the axe comes down and, poof, 630 people will lost their jobs in a bolt from the blue announcement. Read more

We are in a world where people are being taken out and economically shot, executed by the terror of the balance sheet. Turn to Europe and you’ll see the plan: a troika — the International Monetary Fund, European Central Bank and European Commission — keep thinking that the path to a stable world is by making their balance sheets work, no matter how many people must suffer. Read more

Here’s one thing you can place a bet on and never lose: every fire-breathing “free market” ideologue will wave his arms wildly demanding that we all bow down and worship the “free market”, except when those same ideologues have to actually pay for costs in the “free market”. Then, they become true hard-core lovers of…the public domain. Which brings us today to employee entitlements and, specifically, to the General Employee Entitlements and Redundancy Scheme. Read more

Q. Which of the following statements is closer to your own view?   Total Vote Labor Vote Lib/Nat Vote Greens The economic and financial crisis in Europe may have some impact on […] Read more

Here is an undisputed truth: All of life can be explained either via The Godfather or Star Trek. Period. Full stop. Which brings me, logically, to the soaring Aussie stock market. Read more

Mark Twain once said, perhaps borrowing from others, “A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes”. And you can only think: Tony Abbott and the business p.r. machine must have that branded on their arms as a guide because every time they open their mouths to talk about the economy, jobs and workers what escapes are lies on top of lies. Read more

Q. How much trust do you have in the following institutions and organisations?   Total trust 26 Sep 11 Total trust 12 Jun 12 A lot of trust Some trust A little […] Read more

Peter Jennings is the Executive Officer of Union Aid Abroad-APHEDA, the overseas humanitarian aid agency of the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU). Peter has been involved in the development sector since 1972 when he started working on community development projects in the southern Philippines. He has been with Union Aid Abroad-APHEDA since 1988. Read more