City glimpses/From the vault

CITY GLIMPSES

STANLEY LANE, DARLINGHURST

Tim Ritchie — urban photographer whose daily ritual has him on his bicycle every morning scouting out Sydney’s hidden delights. @timritchie

In times gone by, Stanley Lane was a hub of activity as busy Italian restaurant workers ran to and fro behind the scenes of the buzzing Stanley Street. It was a place of very cheap eats and free cordial with a bowl of spaghetti for a dollar or two.

FROM THE VAULT

Spring 2005

FIFTEEN YEARS AGO, INNER SYDNEY VOICE REPORTED ON THE HOWARD GOVERNMENT’S ATTACK ON WORKERS’ RIGHTS.

The battle to protect workers’ pay and conditions is in full swing across Australia. From out back Western Australia to under the Harbour Bridge, workers have rallied to voice their defiance to the Howard government’s at tempt to wind back awards and the protection they provide.

The first round has gone to us, with Howard’s approval rating plummeting as Australians are informed of how their hard-won pay and conditions will be up for grabs if the PM has his way. And there’s growing opposition in his own ranks, with some National Party senators and Family First’s Steve Fielding expressing disquiet with the proposed changes.

The Australian Services Union represents some of the lowest paid workers in NSW and is deter mined not to let their members lose the modest increases they gained with the new Social and Community Services Award (SACS), in November 2001. Reducing the pay and conditions of those who care for the elderly, people with disabilities, occupants of refuges and others who are disadvantaged or marginalised could see good workers leave the sector and the standards of service drop. Apart from being unfair to workers, the proposed changes could affect the lives of hundreds of thousands of community service recipients in NSW.

Howard’s proposed changes would abolish the SACS Award and reduce the 60 rights workers now have down to 16. The Indus trial Relations Commission would no longer set the minimum wage; instead a body appointed by the government would set the mini mum hourly rate. As Howard has opposed every increase granted by the commission, his appointees are sure to reflect his hostility to workers getting a fair wage. These attacks on organised labour is the most ferocious of any government in nearly 100 years.

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