Peter Boyle, Melbourne
The June 11 National Trade Union Fightback Conference fired the spirits of the 200-plus delegates and observers at the fourth national conference of the Socialist Alliance, held at the Victorian Trades Hall over the two days following the historic gathering of militant unionists.
Militant trade unionist Craig Johnston (recently freed from jail and former Australian Manufacturing Workers Union Victorian secretary) told Green Left Weekly: "The fight-back conference was the most significant and important development in the last few years in the unions' fight against the Howard government. It wouldn't have been possible without the involvement of the Socialist Alliance, of which I am proud to be a member."
Johnston was one of several prominent movement leaders elected to the incoming Socialist Alliance national executive. The others included Geelong Trades and Labour Council secretary Tim Gooden and Indigenous leader and film-maker Sam Watson.
Western Australian Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) secretary, and outgoing alliance national executive member Chris Cain, agreed with Johnston's assessment: "These were two well-organised and well-timed conferences. The Socialist Alliance did a good job getting the militant unions from around the country in one place for the first time at the fight-back conference. The Socialist Alliance conference was a success, there was a lot of debate and now we have to pull together and fight Howard's attacks on the working class."
The 113 delegates from around the country resolved to prioritise the industrial and community campaign against the federal Coalition's attacks on unions. They also endorsed the action resolutions from the fight-back conference.
The key trade union resolution noted: "The draconian nature of the new anti-union legislation means that the major focus of SA's union work over the next period will be:
- building cross-union resistance against the Howard government's anti-union laws;
- building up the strength of our unions and workplaces in order to resist the increased attacks on unions;
- providing solidarity to any group of unionists that is being specifically targeted;
- putting pressure on the ALP to vote against the proposed anti-union legislation, but also to commit to repealing all of the anti-union legislation, including the Workplace Relations Act, when next in office."
The conference also resolved to continue to build the anti-war movement through the broadest possible unity around the "troops out" demand.
"Maintaining the focus on this critical demand is a way of keeping the pressure on the Howard government, which is using Australia's troops in Iraq to signal its support for US unilateralist and global neoliberal economic plunder plans", noted the unanimously adopted resolution.
After vigorous debate, the conference adopted a new method of electing the national executive through proportional representation. It also resolved to put the Green Left Weekly-Socialist Alliance partnership on an "ongoing footing", endorsing protocols that guarantee the alliance a "pluralist" access to the independent newspaper.
The new national executive elected comprises: Alex Miller, Alison Thorne, Craig Johnston, Dave Riley, David Glanz, Dick Nichols, Kieran Latty, Lisa Macdonald, Mark Lockett, Melanie Sjoberg, Peter Boyle, Pip Hinman, Sam Watson, Sue Bolton and Tim Gooden.
In addition, any Socialist Alliance state or territory executive/committee that does not have a member from their state on the national body will have the right to send a delegate with voice and vote to all NE meetings.
The conference ratified the affiliation of the Chilean Popular and Indigenous Network and the establishment of a second branch in Melbourne's western suburbs.
Two special international guests, Mike Treen, from the Unite union in New Zealand and Grant Morgan from New Zealand's Socialist Worker Organisation, addressed the conference on the lessons from the similar attacks on unions across the Tasman.
Greetings were received from Craig Johnston, Chris Cain (also bringing greetings from Western Australia's MUA, Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union and Electrical Trades Union branches), the Communist Party of Sudan, the Kurdish Independent Labour Party and the Freedom Socialist Party of the USA.
From Green Left Weekly, June 22, 2005.
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