BODIES FOR HIRE
There have been many industrial disputes which have effectively, brought the mining of coal at individual mines or indeed, the entire Australian coal industry to a halt.
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The greater majority of those stoppages, apart from those involving mining disasters; was in pursuit of the much needed improvements in coal mine safety and, in conditions of employment.
My family has four generations of coal mining experience, so I can say without any fear of contradiction, never once have coal companies ever, willingly gifted improved working conditions to their employees.
If I am wrong about this, I invite evidence to the contrary.
If the Wollongong Coal dispute over “body-hire” proves anything, it is that the hard won conditions of coal industry workers continue to be in terminal decline. Unfortunately, it must also be acknowledged the coal mining union itself is not blameless for the expansion of “body-hire” labour.
Several decades ago, the then leadership of the union, with some exceptions, let the “body-hire genie out of the bottle”.
They effectively conned the membership into endorsing the use of a union owned “body-hire” outfit.
Barry Swan, Drive Balgownie
COOLING OFF PERIOD
We love our tennis and cricket during the summer months but it is about time sporting bodies moved the tournaments etc to a time of the year when there was less heat impact on the players.
The heat build up in tennis stadiums must be life sapping and detrimental to skill.
Find a more suitable time.
Peter Corkish, Wollongong
GOING TO WATER
In response to the letter by John Macleod, ‘Promotion of Inequality’ (Illawarra Mercury, Monday January 14, 2019), I wish to address two issues from Mr Macleod's correspondence.
Firstly, to build infrastructure whether freeways, airports or desalination plants you can either borrow the money putting the State into debt or encourage private enterprise to make big investments.
Say what you like about privatisation, but the project usually is completed much quicker and more efficiently.
Secondly, the $534,000 a day desalination plant in NSW is the product of the "then" State Labor government listening to Professor Tim Flannery who made claims in 2007 about how Sydney's dams would never fill again.
The claims by Flannery proved to be a total exaggeration and farce.
Adrian Devlin, Fairy Meadow
LEAVE IT ALONE
So there you have it,the exclusive polling data showed that over 75 per cent of people want Australia Day to stay where it is despite attempts to change it by various cults.
Correct me if I'm wrong but i thought council’s worked for their state government respectively.
Even now our country was not like it was 20 odd years ago but as a fifth generation Australian i am still proud of my nation.
So to the nutters and rogue councils sorry to tell you Australia Day is the 26th of January.
Full stop.
Matty Ryan, Fairy Meadow