Thousands of public servants from around the country attended stop-work meetings of the Community and Public Sector Union on May 9 to decide on strategies to fight the Howard government's attacks on the public service.
From Sydney, Sarah Harris reports that the meeting was the largest for at least a decade, with more than 3300 members attending the central meeting and another 400 gathering in Parramatta. More than 6500 members attended meetings across NSW. So many members attended the Sydney central meeting that an overflow meeting had to held outside the main hall.
The overall sentiment of NSW members was for unity and industrial action. The CPSU National Executive's three motions — which were put to all meetings around the country — condemning the attacks on the public sector and calling for campaigns and rallies to be organised at a local level, were overwhelmingly supported. There was also some support for supplementary motions that called for service-wide work bans and a 24-hour strike.
In response to being asked if the National Executive was going to propose a date for a national day of action, Sally O'Loughlan, assistant national secretary, said it was up to branches to call their own actions.
After the voting on the National Executive's motions, NSW branch secretary Vicki Telfer called on members to sing happy birthday for a staff member. Immediately after, around 2000 members left the meeting, leaving fewer than 1500 to discuss and vote on the supplementary motions, an earlier discussion of which had been blocked by the union leadership.
Under the direction of the chairperson, four motions put by the Internationalist Socialist Organisation were combined into one and taken first. This motion called for a 24-hour strike in a week's time and for an additional levy for a strike fund. Only 15% of the remaining members voted for this. When the supplementary motion of Rank and File Action — which called for service-wide bans on certain tasks, a national day of action, more mass meetings to decide campaign priorities and a walkout from work duties for the rest of the day — was finally discussed and voted on, only about 200 members remained at the meeting, and the motion was lost.
From Brisbane, Bill Mason writes that 650 public servants, more than twice the number who met a week before, voted almost unanimously for a campaign of industrial action.
After reports by CPSU national president Marg Sexton and state secretary Claire Moore, the meeting strongly supported the National Executive resolution for rallies and other public campaign activities against the cuts; for action to reduce workloads to match staffing; and that "should there be any move to implement compulsory redundancy, membership meetings will be convened to authorise a 24-hour strike and other action".
Further motions to establish a fighting fund and to condemn the government's industrial legislation were also carried overwhelmingly. After considerable debate, an additional motion to set a 24-hour strike for May 15 was defeated, mainly on the grounds that it was too soon to be effective.
Finally, a motion moved by Department of Social Security delegate Jim McIlroy was carried overwhelmingly. After amendment, the motion called for a more specific series of bans to begin to "affect the operations of the government". It recommended the immediate implementation of bans, including "A ban on provision of information and services to government ministers and MPs; any processing of pay reductions for staff engaging in industrial action; and any actioning of over-payments of government funds". It also called on national delegates' committees to develop proposals for bans to be applied on a union-wide basis wherever possible.
From the central Darwin meeting, Tom Flanagan reports that members voted 72 to 18 to impose a series of bans, including a ban on overtime and on all work associated with unfilled positions.
The meeting also resolved not to cooperate with changes to services which have the effect of cutting staff numbers. The Northern Territory CPSU secretary, Janet Crews, did not oppose the motion proposing bans.
From Melbourne, Tony Green reports that more than 1000 members attended the meeting and voted almost unanimously to support the three official motions, moved by CPSU joint national secretary Wendy Caird.
They also voted overwhelmingly to support three supplementary motions moved by Chris Slee, a Tax Office delegate, aimed at strengthening the campaign.
The supplementary motions, seconded by Caird, called for public service-wide work bans, including on the collection of revenue; a national day of action involving stop-work or strike action and rallies in all states around the theme "defending and extending the public sector"; and further mass meetings to decide campaign priorities and tactics.
Ben Courtice reports from Hobart that 260 CPSU members attended the stop-work meeting and adopted the National Executive's motions almost unanimously. There was some debate over the motion to establish a fighting fund, with some members querying why the union had no money saved already. Branch president Matthew Reynolds explained that this motion anticipated the shortage of funds which would result from the government's cancelling of payroll deductions of union dues.
A large majority of the meeting then passed a supplementary motion calling for bans on overtime, provision of information to parliamentarians, processing of pay adjustments for staff engaging in industrial action, work associated with the devolution of Commonwealth functions to states and with unfilled positions, and on processing information for the federal budget. The motion also authorised delegates' committees to place agency-specific bans.
The supplementary motion further called for rolling stoppages with minimum notice and for the fighting fund to be extended to enable full wage payments to striking members.
Julia Perkins relates that the meeting in Perth was attended by more than 600 public servants representing all departments. Because union officials had underestimated the attendance, people spilled out into the downstairs area of the hall.
Union secretary Ian Thompson outlined the number of jobs likely to be cut, first from the Department of Employment, Education, Training and Youth Affairs, then CES as it is fully privatised and so on.
The meeting voted unanimously for the National Executive's motion. Then, after some debate over process, a supplementary motion put by PSU Challenge was also voted on. After its amendment to call on the National Executive to encourage all workplaces to implement a range of bans, the supplementary motion was carried almost unanimously.
In a related action by CPSU members, Sue Bull reports from Canberra, 4000 angry public servants rallied outside Parliament House on May 8 to protest against the Howard government's dismantling of the Australian public service.
CPSU ACT branch secretary Cath Garvan introduced a procession of speakers including Wendy Caird, ALP member for Canberra Bob McMullan and Democrat leader Cheryl Kernot. There were also speakers from the Evatt Foundation, the Trades and Labour Council and the Australian Council of Social Services.
Protesters heard how the cuts will affect the Canberra community in particular, with the possible loss of 7000 local jobs. This is at a time when the unemployment rate in Canberra has taken a turn for the worse.
As the lunchtime rally closed with Garvan and Nina Churchward from the Australian Metal Workers Union singing along to Queen's "We are the champions", some protesters were left to wonder just how this display was going to help defeat Howard's attacks. Not one rank and file worker was included on the platform, and Bob McMullan was a member of the previous ALP government which cut 15,000 public service jobs from 1986.
Union members hope that a more militant winning strategy will be put to members at the stop-work meeting on May 13.
[Time for leaders to lead]