written and compiled by Ross Rieder

Ross Rieder is the president of the Pacific Northwest Labor History Association and a union trainer. Subscribe to Urban Work free email news at rossr241@aol.com. Type "subscription request" in the body of the message. To unsubscribe, type "unsubscribe urbanwork."

RECOMMENDED READING

On the Edge of the New Century, is by Eric Hobsbawm, renowned historian, interviewed by one Antonio Polito. I just finished it. It's a combination of the hopelessness brought us by the recently finished century and Hobsbawm's enlightened optimism. The chapters on "What's Left of the Left" and "Hopes for the Future" are my favorites, if you're in a hurry. One other thing I found amusing while reading this short book (167pp) was the deja-vu of reading books by Noam Chomsky as well as Hobsbawm. This book is an interview and is much easier reading (nice for those of us who have trouble with Leviticus) than either writer's other thick prose. There are others like me, I'm sure. Next in Line: Stupid White Men by Michael Moore and Harvest Wobblies by Greg Hall.

INDONESIAN THREAT TO UNIONS

The Australian Council of Trade Unions has taken up the case of 67,000 striking forestry workers in Indonesia who are being denied a legally agreed pay rise that would bring their minimum wage to the equivalent of (Australian) $34 per week.

Members of the forestry union SP KahutIndo began industrial action in East Kalimantan last month when timber employers refused to pass on the wage increase for 2002 mandated under a two-year collective agreement signed in November 2000. Employers have attempted to circumvent the agreement by pressuring the Governor of East Kalimantan to order an inferior wage increase, even though the regional parliament of East Kalimantan has backed the union.

ACTU President Sharan Burrow said the dispute threatened the emergence of democratic unions in Indonesia, the rule of Indonesian industrial law and breached international conventions on collective bargaining. Ms Burrow has written to the Governor of East Kalimantan asking him to reconsider his position and urge employers in the region to honor the collective agreement in full. The ACTU initiative is backed by the powerful International Federation of Building and Wood Workers (IFBWW), with over 12 million members in 124 countries worldwide.

BLAIR LOSES KEY UNION ALLY

(By Christine Buckley and Tom Baldwin) John Monks is to quit as leader of the Trades Union Congress in Britain, depriving Prime Minister Tony Blair of his closest union ally at a critical moment in relations between the Government and the labor movement. After almost 10 years as General Secretary of the Trades Union Congress, Mr. Monks will seek a role on the international stage and is expected to stand for election as general secretary of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) early next year. His decision, disclosed in an interview with the Times, will be greeted with dismay in Downing Street, which has relied on him to keep the peace between trade unions and the Government. However, in recent weeks Mr Monks has been increasingly critical of the Government, telling the Times in an earlier interview this month that Mr. Blair had been "bloody stupid" to ally himself with Silvio Berlusconi, the Italian Prime Minister, over workers' rights. One Whitehall source said last night: "I think part of the problem is that John's vision of a real social partnership between the unions and the Government has not received the reception in Downing Street that it deserved." Mr Monks' departure comes as a wave of strikes threatens to derail the Government's public service reforms, while a number of unions have either cut their donations to the Labour Party or are threatening to do so. (London Times, 27 March 2002)

YOUNG WORKERS AND THE LABOR MOVEMENT

The 34th Annual Pacific Northwest Labour History Association Conference will be presented in partnership with the BC Federation of Labour Youth Committee and will be held at the University of British Columbia at Robson Square, Vancouver, BC, Canada, June 6-8.

Attacks on labor, poor bashing, fear mongering over new immigrants; these familiar tactics have been used for hundreds of years. Labor's collective efforts to improve rights, wages and conditions have always met resistance and oppression. Young workers and youth have often been at the forefront of the struggle. This year's annual PNLHA conference is being held in partnership with the BC Federation of Labour Youth Committee. It offers a unique opportunity for young workers, students, scholars and labor activists to meet together and explore the rich heritage of working class solidarity in our region and to examine how these traditions affect the struggles workers face today and tomorrow.

In addition to presentations about labor history, there will be a series of workshops and presentations by and for young workers. For additional information about the conference or alternative accommodation, please contact Joey Hartman at (604) 540-0245 or E-mail: pnlha@shaw.ca

NOBEL COMMITTEE SAYS UNION RIGHTS 'SUBORDINATE'

The Nobel Committee is defending its peace award to South Korean president, Kim Dae Jung, arguing human and trade union rights are lesser considerations. As dozens of Korean union leaders languish in prisons and thousands of workers strike against Kim's privatization programme, the Nobel Committee refused to review its award. The decision was conveyed to Norwegian union, NKF, which approached the committee on behalf of the Public Service International. The committee informed NKF, by letter, that it did not meet with outside groups. It said it considered human and trade union rights to be subordinate to Kim's efforts for democracy and the work he had done to establish closer relationships between North and South Korea. The committee enclosed a copy of the speech made when Kim received the peace prize in which "awareness" of human and trade union rights were recognized. PSI general secretary, Hans Engelberts, declined a meeting with the Nobel Committee secretary on the basis of the response. He will discuss the issue with Korean affilitates later this month. (Workers Online/NSWLC)