BY JEREMY SMITH
BALLARAT — When I heard of plans for an action outside the World Economic Forum summit on September 11, I was anxious to find a way for unionists and activists in Ballarat and regional Victoria to be a part of the event.
It also seemed an important way of uniting students and staff at Ballarat University, where I work, in a wider political campaign.
I contacted John Morgan from the Shearers and Rural Workers Union (SRWU) about two months before S11. He was supportive but a little overwhelmed by work as September is in the midst of the shearing season. His attitude was a healthy contrast to the lack of interest shown by all the other unions in Ballarat, even though the local Trades Hall did manage to provide a room for our meetings.
Mike Lawrence, an ex-shearer and ALP member who was loyal to the SRWU, was one of the main people who got involved when we established the S11 committee in Ballarat. The union then participated in the committee over the last couple of weeks before S11 and played a good role in helping to motivate the protest. The SRWU took a couple of carloads of members down to the protest.
The sentiment and levels of activity here have been boosted enormously since participation in S11. The initial post-S11 barbecue in Ballarat attracted some 25 activists, including five from the SRWU. We discussed plans for ongoing activity, including the establishment of a "Global Action" club on campus and Resistance members holding weekly stalls there. There will also be a showing of the S11 video This is What Democracy Looks Like.
I certainly think that we need to continue to raise the issues of corporate globalisation in regional areas, just as much as in the city.
A union like mine, the National Tertiary Education Industry Union (NTEU), that has an extensive presence around the country should be at the forefront of building this unity. As president of the NTEU at Ballarat I plan to ensure that we keep the S11 flame alive and promote the call for a global strike on May 1 next year.
[Jeremy Smith is the president of the Ballarat University branch of the NTEU and is a member of the Democratic Socialist Party.]