[Muanet] Media reports of May Day in Australia

[Chris Latham]

Below are some media reports on the Fremantle, Sydney and Melbourne May
Day rallies

WA: Mayday rally in Fremantle 
221 words 
1 May 2005
 English
(c) 2005 Australian Associated Press Pty Ltd. All Rights Reserved 
MAYDAY PERTH, May 1 AAP - Workers, students and community groups in
Fremantle have used the annual May Day rally to call for the protection
of workers' rights from the "arrogance and hubris" of Prime Minister
John Howard. 
The May Day march through Fremantle was also a chance to celebrate
working conditions and remember the workers who helped establish the
eight-hour working day more than 100 years ago, Unions WA secretary Dave
Robinson said. 
"Without their selfless efforts on behalf of future generations, we
would not have prospered as a country, if they had not prevailed over
the opposition of governments and employers of the day, we would not
today have a minimum living wage and standards of employment," Mr
Robinson said. 
The May Day rally was also a chance to defend current working conditions
and protest against industrial relations reforms, Mr Robinson said. 
"On May Day in 2005, we stand together once again to protect our
Australian inheritance from the arrogance and hubris of John Howard," Mr
Robinson said. 
"None of us will stand idly by and allow John Howard and a very small
handful of silvertail politicians and CEOs to carpet-bomb our proud
history, our Australian identity and run roughshod over 100 years of
successful social institutions," he said. 

Planned IR changes bring thousands to May Day rallies 
525 words 
1 May 2005
 English
(c) 2005 Australian Associated Press Pty Ltd. All Rights Reserved 
MAY SYDNEY, May 1 AAP - Thousands of workers flocked to May Day rallies
across Australia today to protest against the Howard government's
planned industrial relations reforms. 
The demonstrations marked International Workers Day and followed in the
tradition of the first May Day rally in London in 1890. 
ACTU president Sharan Burrow used her May Day address in Brisbane to
warn Australians that many of the basic rights at work they currently
take for granted will be threatened if the federal government goes ahead
with its plan for reform. 
The federal government intends to use the Senate majority it will gain
in July to set up a single national industrial relations system which
will override state systems. 
The plan is being opposed by state and territory governments, the
federal opposition and unions, who claim it will leave workers worse
off. 
"May Day is a time to reflect on the great achievements and contribution
that working people have made to our nation," Ms Burrow said. 
"But this year May Day is also a time for Australia to reflect on what
we have to lose if the Howard government goes ahead with its plans to
Australian workers of many of their basic rights." 
In Sydney, several thousand unionists massed at Hyde Park for a march
through the city's central business district. 
Waving union banners and wearing the traditional May Day red, the
protestors returned to the park for a rally to show solidarity against
the flagged industrial relations changes. 
Sydney May Day Committee secretary Warren Smith said the rally sent a
clear message to Prime Minister John Howard that working people would
not accept the reforms. 
"There is no doubt that working people are faced with the greatest
assault on their lives, on their families, on their wages and on their
conditions in the 150 years that the trade union movement has existed in
this county," Mr Smith told the rally. 
"And today with the massive turnout we've had here we're sending a
message to John Howard that we're not going to cop it, we're going to
fight." 
Unions NSW secretary John Roberston said it was up to the union-faithful
to get out into the community and talk about the changes. 
"It's time for us to take up the challenge, leave here and actually go
and have a conversation with people you wouldn't normally have a
conversation with this about," Mr Robertson said. 
"Engage them in the campaign, engage them in the process ... actually
tell them how serious this attack is on their working lives." 
Federal opposition industrial relations spokesman Stephen Smith used May
Day to call on the federal government to reveal the exact nature of
their proposed changes. 
"The Howard Costello government refuses to provide further detail of the
proposed changes," Mr Smith said. 
"But whatever detail emerges, Australian employees can be reliably
assured that it will be unfair, it will be divisive, it will be extreme,
it will create disharmony and it will be an attack on the living
standards of Australian employees and their families." 

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://lists.murdoch.edu.au/pipermail/muanet/attachments/20050502/02a44f2c/attachment.html