Call centre company TeleTech has rejected a claim by a Sydney employee for leave following the death of his grandmother.
The company refused to let him use either accumulated sick pay, leave without pay or annual leave, to allow him to observe a traditional Jewish seven day mourning period. The company refused a similar request from another employee in Victoria. TeleTech workers in New South Wales and Victoria stopped work on Monday February 16 over the company's refusal to negotiate with the USU and the Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU). Paul Morris from the USU said "these are young workers aged 20 to 25 who up until 6 months ago didn't even know a union existed...the statement that young people think unions are dinosaurs is simply not the case". (Source: Workers Online website) Melbourne Nazis may be behind an arson attack which gutted a suburban home on the weekend. Robert Cecala's house in Greensborough was broken into and set alight at about 11.15pm on Saturday. Mr Cecala and his family were out. The words "back off" and "or die" were spraypainted on his garage and car. The attack might have been motivated by comments Mr Cecala made on a community radio program. He was commenting on a series of arson attacks in Perth against Chinese shops, where swastikas were painted on the scene. Mr Cecala said that left wing people had run Nazis out of town in the 1970s, and may do so again. (Source: news.com.au) A chief inspector and two other officers have been removed from their positions at the Victoria Police Academy after an enquiy into allegations of widespread bullying. A staff member reported a series of incidents to Chief Commissioner Christine Nixon, and was victimised afterwards. The enquiry investigated allegations of bullying of a policeman's son, apparently as payback for going over his immediate superior's head in order to get time off to visit a critically ill family friend in hospital; the bullying of a gay recruit and another Greek-Australian recruit; and a recruit being intimidated over needing to take time off due to an illness. The enquiry was based on six months of research, using interviews and submissions from more than 100 staff and former recruits, including recruits who had resigned before completing the course. It referred to managers who had "been party to inappropriate behaviour and to fostering cultural norms that reinforce bullying and discriminatory modes of behaviour". The report also noted the existence of cronyism, with friendships unduly affecting management style and decision-making. (Source: The Age) The cost of paying private operators to run Melbourne's trains and trams for the next five years has almost doubled to $2.3 billion under new public transport deals announced by the State government. Train company Connex will be receive an average of $345 million of public money per year for five years to run Melbourne's train system. This is an increase of $165 million a year. Yarra Trams will be paid an average of $112 million a year for five years to run Melbourne's trams - a $36 million a year rise. No competitive bidding was allowed for the contracts. The Government has also released Connex from its obligation to redevelop Flinders Street Station. (Source: The Age) More than 60 of the United States' leading scientists have accused the United States government of systematically distorting scientific facts to fit policies on everything from climate change to whether Iraq had been trying to make nuclear weapons. In an open letter, the independent Union of Concerned Scientists said: "When scientific knowledge has been found to be in conflict with its political goals, the Administration has often manipulated the process through which science enters into its decisions. "This has been done by placing people who are professionally unqualified or who have clear conflicts of interest in official posts and on scientific advisory committees; by disbanding existing advisory committees; by censoring and suppressing reports by the Government's own scientists; and by simply not seeking independent scientific advice." According to a 38-page report detailing its accusations, the government has misrepresented scientific consensus on global warming, censored at least one report on climate change, manipulated scientific findings on the emissions of mercury from power plants and suppressed information on condom use. Quote of the Moment: "There is no need for the threats of punitive punishment". (A recruit to the Victoria Police Academy complains about the culture of bullying that exists there, and also sums up the anarchist case against having a police force...) 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