Palestinian trade unions call to action
On October 16, trade unionists in Palestine issued an urgent call for workers around the world to stop work in relevant industries that aid Israel’s siege and bombardment of Gaza and the occupied West Bank, creating a mass humanitarian
catastrophe.
The unionists asked for workers to refuse to build or transport weapons destined for Israel, to take action against companies who are involved in Israel’s siege, and to pressure governments to stop all military trade with Israel.
Workers around the world are responding to the call – on
November 8, a Melbourne shipyard was forced to stop work after unionists and protestors blocked the road, preventing entry to supply trucks carrying weapons bound for Israel.
Demonstrations across the globe continue as workers call for a ceasefire, and the end to Israel’s siege.
WGA + SAG-AFTRA strikes
Lasting from May 2 to September 27, 2023, the Writers Guild of America (WGA) went on strike, in protest of the use of AI, low streaming residuals, and unsustainable working conditions.
The agreement that ended the strike, ratified on October 9, holds several concessions in favour of the writers – average pay increases for writers and editors working on made-for-streaming projects and multi-episode TV series, “success-based” residual payments, and protections from AI.
The Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) began their strike parallel to the writers on July 14, with much of the same concessions being asked of the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) – protections from AI likeness replication, wage increases and better working conditions.
At the time of writing, SAG-AFTRA have suspended the strike and are working through a tentative deal with the AMPTP.
Voice to Parliament referendum fails
On October 14, the Voice to Parliament referendum in Australia was defeated, with the public returning a majority No result in all six states and nationally.
If passed, the referendum would ‘alter the Constitution to recognise the First Peoples of Australia by establishing an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice.’
The referendum was introduced by the Albanese government after being proposed through the Uluru Statement from the Heart. The Statement was created following the First Nations Dialogues, an extensive six-month consultation with Indigenous communities across Australia, to ascertain how constitutional recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples may be best accomplished.
The Australian Capital Territory jurisdiction is the only territory to have voted Yes, and areas with larger Indigenous populations returned an overwhelming Yes majority.
Some Indigenous communities and leaders became galvanized to build on the groundswell of Yes voters following the result, and some called for, and observed, a national week of silence to mourn the result.
Opposition MPs accused the government of prioritising the referendum over more pressing issues like the cost-of-living crisis, alleging this to be why the referendum failed.
The referendum result has ultimately highlighted that there is still much work to do to gain constitutional representation and recognition for the Indigenous peoples of Australia.
