BY STUART MARTIN
CANBERRA — Members First, the rank-and-file group challenging the incumbents in the Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU), believes it is ready for the union's national office bearer election, which opened on May 5 and run until May 25.
The group has full-scale plans for campaigning in the weeks ahead, which include attempts to recruit scores of new members to the union.
The group is challenging the pro-ALP incumbents, led by national secretary Wendy Caird, for the positions of president, secretary, assistant secretary and deputy president, as well as for two positions on the national executive.
Since its foundation last year, Members First has sought to shift the union back to an industry-wide approach to issues that affect all public servants and rebuild a democratic membership structure based on informing and educating members and encouraging their participation.
Its call for a return to public sector-wide campaigns has generated considerable interests in the ACT, where many members are bitter about the lack of union action against the outsourcing of information technology and plans to do the same with corporate services.
In contrast to Caird's record, Members First has a long and demonstrated commitment to opposing privatisation and outsourcing. Many of its activists, including its candidate for national secretary, Susan Carcary, were themselves active in the successful campaign to prevent the privatisation of the ACT's electricity service.
The Members First team standing in the election comprises Marcus Banks (running for president), Susan Carcary (secretary), Jim McIlroy (assistant secretary), Sarah Harris and Greg Brown (deputy presidents), and Jen Crothers and Mick Burnside (for the national executive).
If you want to get involved in the Members First Campaign, email <membersfirst@bigpond.com>, or phone Stuart Martin in the ACT on (02) 6248 2077(w).