DISGRUNTLED WORKERS BRING TRAFFIC TO A HALT

Over 400 local workers took to the streets last Thursday to express their concerns over the federal governments new industrial relations legislation.

TRAFFIC was brought to a halt in Terralong Street last Thursday as over 350 Kiama residents turned out to voice their displeasure at the federal governments new industrial relations

legislation.

Joining the national day of protest workers from a cross range of vocations including local teachers, firemen and public servants met at the Kiama Leagues to hear an address from Kiama MP Matt Brown before marching to the Post Office in Manning Street.

TRAFFIC was brought to a halt in Terralong Street last Thursday as over 350 Kiama residents turned out to voice their displeasure at the federal governments new industrial relations legislation.

Joining the national day of protest workers from a cross range of vocations including local teachers, firemen and public servants met at the Kiama Leagues to hear an address from Kiama MP Matt Brown before marching to the Post Office in Manning Street.

The protestors held a brief rally at the Post Office before sending a signed letter to Prime Minister John Howard outlining their concerns.

Protest convenor Anna Watson from the United Services Union was very happy with the local turnout describing the whole day as a massive success.

The general feeling amongst the crowd was that to make a change in the Work Choices legislation we will have to vote the government out, she said.

The basis of the whole campaign was to make the government and the ministers accountable for what the legislation they have brought in.

The Work Choices legislation is having a huge effect on local families. There were a lot of people that were at the rally who were there purely for their kids and the next generation of workers because they are the ones who are going to suffer. We even had retired pensioners who had voted for John Howard in the last election turn up who are very concerned the way our labour laws are heading.

According to Mrs Watson the new Work Choice legislation combined with rising interest rates is set to have a massive effect on local families with many homeowners set to find it harder to make ends meet.

People are saying that in places like the Illawarra where you are used to seeing new houses going up, new cars and whitegoods purchased that this is all about to change, she said. People are starting to prepare themselves to be doing it a lot tougher on two counts.

Firstly there is no longer any security of employment and secondly wages are a lot less than what they were. If you couple this the fact that penalty rates are going down then you can begin to see why people are concerned about losing their homes.