Category Archives: News

More from Don’s autumn calendar

Posted on by

More events to keep you busy:

April 2nd to 25th: Palace Cinema, Seniors’ Film Festival.

Fri. & Sat. 13-13 April: Canberra History Bookfair, Curtin shops.

Tues. 17 April: National Film & Sound Archive, 12.30, the Beatles in “Yellow Submarine” (1968).

Wed. 18 April: Hellenic Club Comedy Night, “Straight out of Compo”.

Wed. 18 April: National Film & Sound Archive, 12.30, “Storm Boy” (1976).

Thurs. 19 April: National Film & Sound Archive, 12.30, “Singin’ in the Rain” (1952).

Fri. 20 April: National Film & Sound Archive, 12.30, “Fantasia” (1940).

27 April to 6 May: Canberra International Music Festival.

Continue reading →

New Vintage Reds flags

Posted on by

2018-3-29_new_VR_flag.jpg

Vintage Reds are building a flag stockpile; here is a new one making its debut recently at a picnic by the lake.  It goes nicely with the “Change the Rules” T-shirt.

Photo: Penny Lockwood

Canberra Hospital cleaners win pay increase

Posted on by

2018-3-7_hospital_cleaners_win.jpgFor six years, while the demands at work steadily increased, wages for cleaners at the Canberra Hospital were essentially frozen.

But after a long struggle, the hospital cleaners have won a pay rise from the contractor, ISS.

ISS, a global multi-national, claims to have made a profit last year of almost half a billion Australian dollars.*

2017-11-23_Rowlings_2a.jpg

The size of the cleaners’ pay rise is under a dollar, and the union is still working to bring their wages up to the ACT public service minimum of $24 per hard-working hour. But even this small pay rise couldn’t have happened without the solidarity of cleaning staff and their union. Cleaners have been active and noisy and have run campaign after campaign to get their voices heard. The photo at right shows a “Let them eat cake” stall in November last year outside the hospital.                                                    Photos: United Voice; Bill Rowlings.

*www.au.issworld.com/news/2018/02/22…

Japan Airlines picket at Narita Airport

Posted on by

At the end of a family holiday we reached Narita airport in Tokyo looking forward to a trip home under the care of JAL, a reputable airline. Or so we thought. But that was before we met a group of sacked JAL employees distributing leaflets in front of the departure gate.

Photo: “JAL’s unfair dismissals: Not good! Bad for air safety!”

JAL went bankrupt in 2010. But Japan’s corporate support system protected JAL and helped it to reorganise; staff were persuaded to take pay cuts, and pension payouts were halved. JAL was able to make a profit in the same year it had gone bankrupt. Despite this, on New Year’s eve, 2011, JAL sacked 165 people. A year later, its profit margin reached 17%. Of the cabin crew fired, a large majority were union members. And having fired 165 people in 2010, JAL then hired 940 new employees in 2012. 

Continue reading →

Penalty Rates at Southern Cross Club

Posted on by

Photo: Kasey Tomkins, United Voice.

Vintage Reds members joined United Voice in protesting outside the Southern Cross Club in Woden recently.

The club has managed to procure a new agreement which will cut Sunday penalty rates for some of its lowest paid workers from next year.

A Canberra Times reporter quoted Lyndal Ryan, United Voice union secretary: “We think clubs that hold themselves up as virtuous and community bastions should start making a decent commitment to those workers who don’t deserve to have their wages cut.” (9 June 2017)

It was also noted that the Southern Cross Club made over a million dollars profit in the financial year 2015-16.

Don’s October Guide

Posted on by

Don Dwyer’s pick of what is on offer in Canberra this month is the National Film and Sound Archive’s film, “My Year with Helen“, which details Helen Clark’s gallant campaign for the position of UN Secretary-General. Part of the Canberra International Film Festival, which has a wide range of films to suit most tastes!

Continue reading →

ICAN wins the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize

Posted on by

The Vintage Reds congratulate the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons on being awarded the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize.

The prize is for ICAN’s “work to draw attention to the catastrophic humanitarian consequences of any use of nuclear weapons and for its ground-breaking efforts to achieve a treaty-based prohibition of such weapons”.

ICAN has worked for over a decade to get to this remarkable victory. Here’s a link toThe Conversation‘s short article on the organisation’s history.

ICAN_2017_in_Melbourne.jpg

ICAN members photographed at Trades Hall, Melbourne (photo: Chris Hopkins, The Age)

September 2017 Camino report

Posted on by

20170512_Camino_group_crop.jpgWe had no speaker for the September meeting, and were instead treated to a slide show of photos with commentary, from the successful Caministas who are safely returned from their adventures.

The route chosen by Penny (an experienced tour guide on the Camino) took them through south-western France and then across the top of Spain to Santiago de Compostela, though some of the trip was taken on wheels. It’s a very long and demanding trip; the group walked all the nicest bits and clocked an impressive number of kilometres. [photos: Jude Dodd]

Continue reading →

VR Camino walkers oppose French anti-labour laws

Posted on by

2017-9-11_French_embassy.jpgThree Vintage Reds members, who recently returned from walking the Camino to Santiago de Compostela through France and Spain, delivered a letter to the Embassy of France in Canberra to protest against Emmanuel Macron’s plan to bring in new labour laws.

The new measures have been fast-tracked by decree with limited debate, and will cut back workers’ labour rights and protections.

Photo by Jude.