Ron Perkins, Perth
Perth's Unions-WA organised June 30 protest rally against the federal government's proposed anti-worker industrial laws looks set to be the largest since unions mobilised against the state Coalition government's infamous "second" and "third wave" IR legislation in 1995 and 1997.
As well as the 10,000-plus expected in Perth, many thousands will attend rallies in Albany, Karratha, Port Hedland, Bunbury and other regional centres during the week.
After a June 1 mass delegates' meeting voted unanimously for the June 30 rally, broadening union support has been met by increasingly vocal employer outrage. With Labor Premier Geoff Gallop's announcement that state public servants will be granted paid time off work to attend, the rabidly anti-worker West Australian has run daily front-page denunciations of the decision.
As well as questioning the validity of a protest attended by workers on paid time, the West Australian has attempted to further discourage state public servants from attending by publicly attacking them. On June 24, the West Australian's opinion column said the government's decision "is to encourage public servants to abandon their work to take part in a partisan political exercise", which would see "tax payers, regardless of their political views ... forced to pay for public servants who attend the rally in work time". A cartoon lampooning striking public servants was run beside the opinion column with the title: "Militant Public Servants". It depicted a protester saying "This could be a long and bitter campaign folks!", with a group of fellow public servants in the background cheering in jubilation: "Eureka! Overtime!! ... Hooray for John Howard!!"
The media's attempts to dampen the protest have not, however, been able to camouflage the obvious draconian nature of the proposed federal industrial laws. Both blue- and white-collar sectors of the union movement have committed to June 30, and many unions are taking up initiatives to build a wider campaign.
The State School Teachers Union has pledged to make the public aware of the damage the legislation will cause to the community, and has endorsed strike action if the legislation is passed. The construction division of the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union has thrown its weight behind the ACTU advertising campaign, is mobilising its membership for June 30 and will run full-page newspaper advertisements denouncing the legislation. The CFMEU's mining division announced that 300 miners from the Griffin and Worsley coal mines will strike for 24 hours in order to attend the June 30 protest.
On June 24, the WA branch of the Maritime Union of Australia launched its community defence campaign in Fremantle with mass leafleting by its members. Branch secretary Chris Cain explained: "Our union was on the receiving end of Howard's anti-union agenda in 1998 so we are well-acquainted with the type of treatment he wants to dish out to working people of Australia after July 1. In solidarity with the wider community who showed us such magnificent support during the Patrick dispute, we make the following pledge: The MUA will stand shoulder to shoulder with any section of the working community Howard targets for attack — be they fellow workers, those on welfare, the vulnerable, students or the unemployed. Touch one, touch all! We call upon the organised labour movement to unite in the defence of our communities."
From Green Left Weekly, June 29, 2005.
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