A meeting of about 200 union delegates and activists, organised by Unions NSW on September 17, unanimously supported a call for statewide action against the federal budget to defend jobs, workers’ rights and services.
Unionists concerned that Unions NSW was failing to lead a campaign against the budget attacks drafted the motion, which was moved from the floor. Initially, Unions NSW Secretary Mark Lennon told the group there would not be time to move the motion.
However, just before the meeting closed the motion was put to the vote and unanimously supported.
Most of the hour-long meeting was spent listening to activists speak about the consequences of the federal and state government’s attacks on services and rights at work.
NSW Nurses and Midwives Association member Lyn Hopper described the campaign to stop the NSW government from privatising the new Northern Beaches Hospital through a public-private partnership in which the NSW state government intends to hand over the running of it to a private company. Hopper also talked about the threat to universal health care through the proposed Medicare co-payment.
Electrical Trades Union member and electricity line worker Ben Lister encouraged delegates to support the campaign against the privatisation of the poles and wires as it would lead to job losses and put people’s lives at risk. He said the Victorian experience of electricity privatisation led to the loss of 80% of jobs in the sector.
Delegates watched a video about David, an injured worker struggling to make ends meet following the cuts to Workers Compensation.
Teisa Tuitupou, a young job seeker, spoke about how hard it was for young people to find employment. Rayanne Li, a retail worker, talked about the need to defend public holidays so that workers could spend time with their families.
Narelle Sinclair, a bus driver and Rail Tram and Bus Union member spoke about the Northern Beaches Union Community Alliance, which has brought together unionists.
Executive Director of The Australia Institute Richard Denniss also addressed the meeting and argued that the union movement had “lost the economic argument”, and there needed to be a fight between “the people in this room” and “the captains of industry”.
Lennon encouraged delegates to distribute the Jobs, Rights and Services Campaign materials, join the local union and community action groups and campaign hard in the lead up to the NSW state elections.
He also urged unionists to attend the Save Medicare rally, organised by a network of union and community activists, held on September 20.
The motion, moved by National Tertiary Education Union delegate Sam Russell and seconded by Construction Forestry Mining Energy Union delegate Denis McNamara, called on Unions NSW to undertake a campaign of mass union and community action — including industrial action — against the federal budget.
It called on the Australian Council of Trade Unions to reverse its decision to cancel the scheduled October 23 national day of action.
The motion also called on Unions NSW to organise a statewide day of action on or around October 23 “and include significant union stop work action” as well as “organising a combined delegates meeting within a month of that NDA to call for further stop work action to oppose all aspects of the budget”.
Speakers from the floor, including from the NTEU and the Public Service Association, strongly argued against the officials’ plan to derail the “Bust the Budget” campaign in favour of a “re-elect the NSW ALP” campaign.
Network member and Socialist Alliance spokesperson Susan Price told Green Left Weekly that it was a good result.
“Having the motion raised, discussed and voted on at the meeting, with unanimous support, is very encouraging. Now the challenge is to ensure that it is not filed away in the back room — but acted on.
“We know that workers are very angry about [Prime Minister Tony] Abbott’s proposed cuts — even though these unjust anti-worker attacks have disappeared from the front pages.
“As one PSA delegate put it, Unions NSW shouldn’t think that we’ll be pacified by re-electing Labor at a state level. NSW Labor started the sell-offs and privatisations. In government, Labor is hardly distinguishable from the Coalition.
“Leadership has to come from union delegates, and that means maintaining the fight in a collective and public way against the budget cuts and the threats to our rights at work”, said Price.
The next steps in implementing the motion — including a day of action against the budget — will now be discussed in an open forum on September 25 at Trades Hall Auditorium at 12.30pm.
Following that, resolutions will be put to the Unions NSW Council meeting that night.
The union activists network will meet again on September 27 at 3pm at the Gaelic Club.
[Email unionfightbacknsw@gmail.com for more information, or get in touch with Susan Price on 0400 320 602, James Supple 0438 718 348 or Sam Russell on 0422 354 226.]
Like the article? Subscribe to Green Left now! You can also like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.