The statement below is being circulated by Power to the People, a campaign group which formed during the fight against electricity privatisation in NSW and the newly formed NSW Union Activist Network, made up of left and green union activists.
The Activist Teachers Network — a rank and file activist group within the NSW Teachers Federation — and the Progressive PSA — a progressive rank and file grouping within the Public Sector Association — have endorsed the statement.
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We need strike action to defend wages, jobs and public services.
We demand:
• Union rights to pursue wage rises and improved working conditions.
• No redundancies — create more jobs for better public services.
• Keep our public services in public hands.
• Defend the right to take industrial action in defence of our public services.
Public sector workers and public services are under attack in NSW.
The O’Farrell government is threatening 80,000 public sector jobs and robbing NSW public sector workers of their industrial rights. It is intent on cutting pay and conditions, and ransacking services to the community.
Assets and services are under threat of privatisation. Sydney Ferries is already being leased to private interests. This is part of a global attack on workers that is dismantling the public sector and shifting costs onto working people. Community sector workers are fighting O’Farrell for equal pay.
If O’Farrell gets away with these attacks, no worker is safe.
If the campaign becomes one of simply re-electing the ALP in four or eight years’ time, it will fail.
We need a serious campaign of escalating industrial action beyond September 8, that is planned with maximum rank and file participation, and that unites all unions and sectors under attack.
We are a network of unionists and activists who believe our public services can and must be saved.
We aim to drive O'Farrell back by campaigning for our unions to:
• Take industrial action — strikes, stop works and bans to make O’Farrell’s laws unworkable.
• Involve public sector workers via local union branches, workplaces and delegates meetings in developing a strategy to win — with industrial action, joint union-community action and solidarity action with other unions.
• Unite with all unions and communities affected by O’Farrell’s attacks to defend jobs and services marked for closure or cuts.
• Support individual unions that take a lead, and commit to solidarity action if any unionist or trade union is penalised for defying the laws that limit union rights to industrial action.
What can you do in your workplace and union?
• Mobilise. Talk to your workmates and colleagues. Get our message out to the community.
• Call workplace meetings to discuss O’Farrell’s attacks and the campaign to defend our public services.
• Move motions for serious industrial action to stop the government and pass these on to your union’s executive.
• Organise your workplace to join industrial action, attend rallies and protests.
[For more details contact Wayne on 0401 155 245, Susan 0400 320 602 or Bron 0413 668 916. Email nswunionactivists@gmail.com to be added to our contact list.]