ALP no future for workers

ALP no future for workers

Anna Pha

Delegates at the triennial Congress of the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) in Brisbane from June 2-4 were in for a rude shock when Workplace Relations Minister Julia Gillard addressed them. Gillard treated delegates and the unions they represent with utter contempt, telling them there would be no more reforms to the industrial relations system and that they were not welcome in the corridors of Parliament. Adding insult to injury, she attempted to justify the continuation of the work of the Australian Building and Construction Commission (ABCC) under another name, implying workers in that industry are violent, balaclava-wearing thugs.

On July 1, “we will be able to proudly say to each other we have cleansed the stain of WorkChoices from the history or modern Australia”, she told delegates. July 1 is the date that Labor’s Fair Work Act comes into operation. The Act removes WorkChoices from the books, but not all of the Howard government’s other repressive laws. The Act and earlier legislation to phase out Australian Workplace Agreements (individual employment contracts) fall far short of providing basic trade union rights and restoring a centralised system for negotiating and protecting wages and working conditions.

Trade unions are particularly angry that the ABCC, the repressive, secretive building industry police force, will be transferred to the new Fair Work Australia umbrella with a few largely cosmetic changes.

The ABCC has been as busy as ever under Labor, pursuing trade unions and officials in the courts and workers on the job, as evidenced by the most recent allegations against a construction worker in South Australia. Ark Tribe was due to go before the Magistrate’s Court in Adelaide as The Guardian went to press for allegedly failing to attend interrogation by the ABCC. If found guilty Arc faces a six-month jail sentence (see story below).

In his speech on the first day of Congress ACTU secretary Jeff Lawrence told delegates: “In recent years we have achieved a lot but there is so much more to do. Unionists and activists should be proud.”



“We have fought a hard fight….

“Unions must continue to campaign to improve the rights of workers and their families.”

Lawrence outlined the achievements so far under Labor and went on to say: “I believe that further improvements to IR legislation and workers’ rights are necessary, and that it is our job to make sure they are on the federal government’s agenda for the remainder of this term, and into their next.

“Improvements to workers’ rights should ALWAYS be on a Labor government’s agenda,” Lawrence said, and went on to list a number of actions required from government. Amongst these important demands, was “equal rights for construction workers”. This, Lawrence said, “is our number one industrial issue.”

“We cannot allow laws to continue that can jail a unionist for refusing to discuss a union meeting. Or fine workers $22,000 for taking industrial action,” Lawrence warned.

Gillard in her address to Congress responded to such concerns: “I read that some are asking what next in relation to further legislative reform.

“My reply is to ask, what now? … What will this Congress [do] to ensure Australia working people enjoy the full benefits of the new Fair Work system?

“Pacing the corridors of Parliament House in Canberra is no substitute for pounding the pavements bringing the Fair Work Act to life for working people. The future of Australian trade unionism will not be determined by further lobbying in Canberra, it will be determined by bringing Fair Work to working people in their workplaces,” said Gillard.

In other words, “Nick off, make what you can out of what we have given you, that’s all you are getting from us”.

Gillard’s contempt did not stop there. She raised the question of the ABCC, and shamelessly attempted to justify the transfer of its functions to a new body under Fair Work Australia. The Act setting up the ABCC was arguably the most repressive of all the anti-worker, anti-union pieces of the Howard government legislation.

“Like me, I am sure you were appalled to read of dangerous car chases across Melbourne City involving carloads of balaclava wearing people, criminal damage to vehicles resulting in arrests, threats of physical violence and intimidation of individuals, including damage to a private residence,” Gillard said.

“Balaclavas, violence and intimidation must be unreservedly condemned as wrong by every unionist, every ALP member, every decent Australian.

“And the Rudd Labor government will do everything necessary to ensure that we do not see this appalling conduct again.”

What has that got to do with the thousands of hardworking, law abiding building and construction workers around Australia? They are no different to workers in any other industry. Yet, they have been singled out and subjected to a form of collective punishment for the alleged behaviour of a handful of workers. They are not balaclava-wearing, violent thugs who can be dealt with by the police and courts.

Their only “crime”, in the eyes of the government and employers, is that they are unionised, militant and not afraid to stand up for their rights and protect the health and safety of workers in an industry with an appalling rate of workplace-related deaths and injuries and employers who run off with their entitlements.

The real criminals are the employers who cheat workers of wages and other entitlements and take the short cuts that cost lives. This is not the focus of the ABCC, nor was it ever intended to be. It is not the focus of the Rudd/Gillard government with its plans to keep the industry police force and its powers of interrogation of innocent workers.

Another source of union anger is the government’s failure to consult with the movement. It had no place on the Henry Taxation Review panel which recommended the raising of the pension eligibility age to 67. The employers are represented by Heather Ridout from the Australian Industry Group. Heather Ridout, in particular, seems to have a chair at almost every policy discussion table with the government, but workers are denied a voice.

The Rudd government is not pursuing the tripartite ,“togetherness” model of the Hawke/Keating days where the ACTU had a voice at the government table alongside the employers. The extent to which this really gave the ACTU more power and influenced policy direction is questionable. In practice, the ACTU became bound to government policy and the conveyor and enforcer of government decisions. This was particularly the case in regard to restraining wages, accepting Labor’s program of privatisations, economic deregulation, and decentralisation of wages and working conditions, etc.

PM Kevin Rudd addressed the Congress dinner at the Brisbane Convention Centre. He concluded his long speech by saying, “we value our partnership with the Australian trade union movement” in developing and implementing its reforms.

“As Australians, we’re all in this together.

“In this together – as business and unions; as communities right across our vast land,” Rudd said.

Not all delegates were convinced about partnership or togetherness with Rudd or Gillard.

Gillard’s blunt rebuttal of demands for further reforms made it clear to the movement that its future does not lie with being tied to Labor.

In his address to Congress Jeff Lawrence, which preceded Gillard’s contribution, raised the question of the union movement’s relationship to the Labor government.

“On our relationship with the Labor government, I assert that we must be strong and we must be independent…

“We must continue to vigorously engage with the government and to be activist in our outlook and to campaign and lead the debate for what is right.

“We have differences of view with Labor on a number of issues, including OHS and the ABCC and we must continue to strongly prosecute our case on behalf of our members…

“If we are to succeed however in ensuring our voice is heard by government we must be unified and disciplined in our approach”, Lawrence said. “We must never retreat from the need for growth and activism.”

The ACTU secretary spoke about the importance of building the trade union movement and building consensus around a new union agenda. “We cannot forget our strength comes from the workplace and our delegates.”

When militant action was replaced by sitting around the table during the Hawke days, the trade union movement was seriously weakened. Employers upped their attack on the working class and trade unions. Trade union membership declined, working conditions went backwards and real wages fell. The Howard government followed with its anti-union offensive.

The power of the trade union movement lies in its work on the ground, its level of organisation, its unity and preparedness to take action, and on retaining an independent position that puts the interests of its members first.