Workers First contests organiser elections
By Chris Spindler
The Workers First team, which won the leadership of the Victorian branch of the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union earlier this year, is standing candidates for seven organiser positions in the metal division of the AMWU. Voting opens on October 28.
In May, Workers First received 60% of the vote to defeat the incumbent Corsetti leadership. During that election, Workers First highlighted the need for a reinvigorated union that involves members at the shop floor level in the structures of the union.
It also campaigned for the defence of members' wages and conditions through industry-wide campaigns and industrial action in workplaces. AMWU general meetings are again being held.
Since May, the Workers First-led AMWU has launched an industry-wide "make-up pay" campaign, which aims to overturn the Kennett government's attack on workers' compensation by winning back the original entitlement of 52 weeks' pay at 100% of earnings for injured or sick workers.
As well, an industry-wide strategy to win wage rises and improved conditions was launched recently.
The union intends to group together all negotiations for enterprise agreements in all workplaces by July 2000. This will improve workers' bargaining power because all metalworkers will campaign together.
The AMWU has been involved in disputes over negotiations for improved enterprise agreements in the construction industry and for pay increases at Hawker de Havilland. The union has forced companies, such as Dorf, to make casual workers permanent and has supported Dorf workers in their opposition to the restructuring of their workplace.
Under Workers First, the AMWU has also supported community campaigns such as those against the toxic dumps in Werribee and Niddrie.
Four of the five organiser positions Workers First is contesting are unopposed. Workers First candidate Victor Jose, a shop steward at Hawker de Havilland, is running against candidates from the old "left" Corsetti leadership defeated in May.
The old leadership faction split into two over whether to directly oppose Workers First in these elections and are running against each other. Laurie Phelan, who split from the Corsetti ticket, and Peter Gibbons, who remained neutral in the last election, are opposing the old leadership.