Ben Courtice, Melbourne
PM John Howard is "Public Enemy No 1" and "we must get him out of office", Victorian Trades Hall Council (VTHC) secretary Brian Boyd told 1800 union delegates on March 29.
Boyd announced the next union protests against Howard's Work Choices legislation, on the 150th anniversary of the eight-hour day on April 21 and the May Day march on May 7. He was vigorously applauded when he announced the plans for the next national day of protest action on June 28. On that day in Melbourne, unionists will mobilise at four points around the perimeter of the CBD, then march into the city to gridlock the streets in a show of mass strength.
The delegates' meeting, which also heard from Australian Council of Trade Unions secretary Greg Combet, was dominated by a militant mood for action. The official motion from the VTHC executive called for a mass mobilisation on June 28, and for the state ALP government to "explore all legal avenues at its disposal to carry out its promise to protect Victorian workers".
Amendments were proposed from the floor to strengthen the motion. Mary Merkenich, a branch councillor from the Australian Education Union, put two amendments drafted by the Socialist Alliance. The first was to call another delegates' meeting in August because, as Merkenich said to applause, "it's not effective to have long pauses between actions" and union members need a forum to have input into the campaign.
The second amendment moved by Merkenich called on the ALP to drop its support for individual contracts (AWAs). She cited the conduct of the state ALP government, which came into office promising to abolish contract teaching, whereas the level of contract teaching is now as high as at the worst times during the previous Liberal government.
The meeting's VTHC chairperson accepted all amendments from the floor as part of the motion, including Merkenich's. Also accepted was an amendment from Howard Marosi of the Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance, calling on VTHC-affiliated unions to consult their members "about their willingness to hold a general strike against the new workplace laws".
Following the meeting, the delegates rallied in the street and marched to the Liberal Party offices. The march stopped at Australia Post headquarters to condemn its bullying of workers, including the victimisation of delegates and the frame-up and subsequent sacking of Fitzroy delivery centre delegate Peter Vining.
Outside the Liberal Party offices, Joe McDonald, assistant secretary of the WA construction union, spoke about the struggle with employers over the sacking of CFMEU delegate Peter Ballard. This has resulted in the union and striking workers being threatened with huge fines by the Australian Building and Construction Commission. McDonald related how ABCC inspectors even attended the funeral of a union member to record which unionists were there.
The WA CFMEU members have refused to be intimidated and have continually taken industrial action, even when union officials have advised them to return to work, McDonald said. He added that although there is some truth in the argument that unions need to find new ways to fight the Work Choices laws, there is "a time when you just have to decide which side of the fence you're on". He said his members had been very clear about that and that the state ALP government had shown that it lines up on the other side, with the Liberals and the ABCC.
Delegates also heard from ACTU president Sharan Burrow and Australian Manufacturing Workers Union state secretary Dave Oliver, who symbolically burned a copy of the Work Choices legislation.
Dave Kerin, convener of Union Solidarity, concluded the rally by encouraging everyone to forge the greatest unity between all unions and the broader community, which he explained is the role that Union Solidarity aims to play.
From Green Left Weekly, April 5, 2006.
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