BY JUDY McVEY & ANDREW HALL
The positive results for the opposition Members First candidates in the Community and Public Sector Union elections for national officers, held May 2-21, "show that large numbers of members want to mobilise the potential power of our large membership", said Jonathan Sherlock, Members First candidate for national secretary.
"It's time to bring the union back together, all agencies under one banner, to fight for one service-wide agreement, rather than separate agency agreements", Sherlock added.
The rank-and-file militants in the Members First team won around a third of the vote (up to 33.4%) with vastly less resources than the Progressive Caucus, which sent all CPSU members a glossy leaflet.
Members First relied mostly on emailing its networks and leafleting outside workplaces.
The highest vote, an amazing 42%, was achieved in the division of the union that includes Centrelink, in which members had just been through a certified agreement process. The officials had rammed the agreement down members' throats at union meetings and isolated militants who wanted to fight.
"Even though the elections are over, we will still be campaigning to re-empower the thousands of disillusioned members and delegates to take up the fight for broad-based campaigns for better wages and conditions — via the "pattern bargaining" that has revitalised the National Tertiary Education Union and some Victorian unions — the defence of our vital community services like Medicare and public education, and opposition to war and the May federal budget", said Paul Oboohov, candidate for a deputy national president position.
Mick Burnside, the other Members First candidate for a deputy national president, added: "For example, we support the motion initiated by Socialist Alliance activists in the CPSU to fight the recent federal budget", which was "carried unanimously by the Family and Community Services section council on May 21. This motion is part of building pressure for a strong union and community campaign to save Medicare and stop the attacks on education."
A CPSU/Civil Service Association delegates' conference in Western Australia has also unanimously passed a motion moved by higher education delegates that condemns the education "reforms" in the federal budget and directs the union to seek alliances with student organisations, community groups, and other unions to fight the changes.
The real need to democratise and revitalise the CPSU was shown by the 20% participation rate in the elections, down from 26% in 2000 and 38.5% in the 1993 ballot, when the union was also much larger.
Members First supports the traditional union values of solidarity and active campaigning. Beyond these elections the grassroots group remains committed to pattern bargaining, publishing details of the salaries and expenses of union officials and holding members' meetings to direct campaigns for better wages, conditions and shorter hours.
Members First is campaigning for the following motion to be put to meetings of CPSU members:
"For a union and community campaign to save Medicare and stop the attacks on education.
1. This meeting of the CPSU national council is outraged at the federal budget which will mean more money for the military at the expense of Medicare, welfare and higher education. We support publicly funded health care, including bulk-billing, as well as education, welfare and other services, and we oppose privatisation.
This budget is a continuation of the attack by the Coalition government on Australian unions and workers, which includes the anti-union royal commission into the building industry. We oppose the attack on NTEU members and the attempt by the government to force tertiary education workers onto AWAs.
2. We welcome the decision by Labor and the Greens to block attacks on Medicare and university education in the Senate. We recognise there are sufficient funds for universal healthcare and repair of the public health system if the government scrapped the private health insurance rebate, worth $2.5 billion.
3. We congratulate the community action groups, like the Medicare Action Group, for their role in starting campaigns and pledge to work with them.
National Council directs the CPSU leadership to organise an industrial, community and political campaign which will fight the federal government's proposed destruction of Medicare and tertiary education. This campaign could include but not be limited to the following actions: (a) meetings of delegates; (b) meetings of members; ( c) the establishment of Action Groups in workplaces; (d) relevant industrial action as agreed by members; (e) participation in stop work rallies with other sections of the union movement."
If CPSU members adopt this motion please let the CPSU national council officials know by emailing: <theworks@cpsu.org>, send it to the section secretary in the CPSU agency you work in and let Members First know at <membersfirst@bigpond.com>.
To get in touch with Members First, phone Andrew on 0438 624744 or Judy on 0418 347 374.
[Judy McVey was Members First candidate for assistant national secretary and Andrew Hall for national president. Both are members of the Socialist Alliance.]
From Green Left Weekly, June 4, 2003.
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