Union Solidarity: Network

Past News

On the Picket Line

The On the Picketline Show will be celebrating 20 years on the air next year. There is very few union shows in the world that have survived that long. The show came about from Defend Our Unions and Defend the BLF committee, mainly due to the timeless effort for many years of Joan Doyle and other people especially Jill.
We will be having a big fundraiser on Friday February 17th, at Trades Hall bar from 4.00pm until late. There will be entertainment and raffles all night.
We will keep you posted as the date gets closer.

On The Picketline Show can be heard on 3CR 855 on your am radio dial at 10.00am every Sunday morning.

Sacked for having an opinion

RMIT lecturer, Dr Robert Austin, has been told his position will be terminated because he encouraged students to attend a political rally. The administration of RMIT took action against the long-time union member after rightwing media reports criticised his political activities. There are two extremely worrying issues that the action against Dr Austin raises.

That a worker will be given the arse because he dared to take political action around issues that concerned him.
The administration of a public university are allowing their industrial relations to be run by an anti-union rag such as the HearldSun.

Please get involved to stop the sacking of Robert Austin.

Public Debate | Defend Robert Austin Website | Defend Robert Austin Meeting

Labels: Community Protest, Robert Austin

Summing up the 15 Nov protest.

Workers Online Editorial:
As for the unions, the key message that the laws will be resisted - and that this is only the beginning of the campaign cut through. If there is still uncertainty about where the campaign will actually go; at least there is a real sense that this is just a step on a longer march - which can only end with a change in federal government.

In this context, November 15 was not just a set piece, but the culmination of six months of grass roots organising, at a workplace and a community level. And behind Tuesday's glitz, tens of thousands of workers were giving their emails and mobile numbers to a central database, what could be the most potent political weapon this country has seen.

There is no denying that once the laws pass the Federal Parliament there will be significant challenges for the union movement. But in building a broad alliance with the community to fight these changes on a cultural level, unions are giving themselves every chance of winning the long-term battle.

Full editorial | Workers Online

Colebatch spits the dummy

Richard Colebatch, the boss of Kemalex Plastic in Dangenong, explained to The Australian why the company recently closed the Melbourne plant transferring his operations to Adelaide. The National Union of Workers was involved in a bitter 10-week strike to try and prevent Colebatch forcing workers becoming individual contractors. At the time many believed the dispute was a foretaste of life after Howard's IR laws were passed. Under the proposed legislation a simular strike to protect basic conditions would be illegal. Colebatch's rant in The Australian will anger you but gives an insight into how bosses could try and use the new IR laws to break union resolve.

Read more | Colebatch abuses workers

Over Half a million workers tell Howard to back off

At rallies across Australia today over half a millions workers have rallied or attended meetings to protest the Howard government's draconian workplace laws. In Melbourne official union estimates put the crowd of the huge rally at over 260,000; significantly larger than the June 30 IR protest. The mood of the crowd was calm but determined as many workers attended the rally in spite of legal threats from their employers and moves to stop workers taking leave. An estimated 100 schools were closed and the major streets in the central CBD were effectively closed to traffic for 5 hours.

What is the next step forward? Are the fighting words of the ACTU a portent of a serious industrial and community action to take on Howard or an extended launch to elect an ALP federal government? At a debate sponsored by the ETU after the rally officials from three major unions expressed doubt on the wisdom of relying on the Labor party. A plan was outlined to reform the ALP from within to make elected ALP parliamentarians more accountable to workers needs. Others at the meeting stated that this plan has been tried and failed in the past. Whatever the merits of the different ideas in the movement three things remain clear.

The desperate need to keep the momentum of the campaign
Building real rank & file union strength
Forging solidarity with sections of the community who are also under attack.

Union Solidarity would like to thank Indymedia Melbourne and Workers Online for their wonderful coverage and photos.

National Community Day of Protest

Tuesday 15 November 2005
9am Federation Square, 10am March up Swanston St then right at Latrobe St to, 11am Exhibition Gardens - Join the fight against Howard's industrial rampage.

Melbourne Rally Info | download flyers
What's On in Your Region > regional events & Skychannel hook-up
Gippsland buses to Melbourne

Debate

The Electrical Trades Union have taken the initiative of organising a great debate immediately after the mass rally on November 15th on the theme of 'Who represents Workers? - ALP? Greens? Independents? A New Party?'. Speakers will be from the ETU; Steve Jolly Socialist Party Councillor; Joan Doyle, the State Secretary of the posties division of the Communication Workers Union; and Lyn Dixon, the Chairperson of the residents association at the largest public housing estate in Victoria, the North Richmond estate.

The meeting will be held at the Comrades Bar in Swanston St, Carlton South (situated between the ETU and CFMEU offices) at 1.30pm on the afternoon of Tuesday, 15th November, that is immediately after the mass workers rally on that day.

Passing of Tommy Rice

Just recently staunch unionist and Irishman Tommy Rice passed away in his sleep at the age of 50.

Tommy was not scared of the bosses and authority and would stay on picketlines 24 hours a day for weeks on ends.

He was a Painter for the CFMEU and would spend weeks out of work as he was blacklisted for being such a good unionist. He always stood up what he believed right.

Tommy will be sadly missed especially at this time in history with the attack on the Trade Union movement. We need more comrades like him.

Western Branch

Please distribute widely to your contacts.

WESTERN SUBURBS UNIONS AND COMMUNITY COALITION

PUBLIC FORUM

New Workplace Laws & Democratic Rights

Defend our Living Standards, Unions, Welfare and Democrtic Rights

Thursday, 10 November
7.00 pm

The Church Hall, 10 Hyde Street, Footscray
(next to Maribyrnong Town Hall)

PANEL OF SPEAKERS:

Cath Smith Victorian Council of Social Services

Joan Doyle Secretary, Communications Union

Fr. Stuart Soley Braybrook/Sunshine Anglican Community

Rob Stary Civil Rights Lawyer

Contacts: Shirley 0417456001, Justin 0417896297, Billy 97489959

Join the Western Suburbs Unions and Community contingent and our banner travelling by train to the:

National Day of Community Protest

Tuesday, 15 November,
9.00am Federation Square

We encourage residents and members of the community not in a union to join the western suburbs contingent and travel together by train to the rally. Meet 8.55 am, Platform 1, Footscray Station for 9.01 am train to Federation Square. Look out for our banner on platform 1.
We'll be travelling in the last carriage of the 9.01 am train.

http://www.unionsolidarity.org/western/

Draconian industrial laws

The Federal Government's Industrial Relations legislation has finally been released. It represents the some of the most draconian industrial provisions the country has seen in the past one hundred years. Unions face fines of up to $33,000 and individuals may be personally liable for up to $6,600 for merely asking for basic trade union protection and rights.

Read more.

IRON HEEL: AUSTRALIA

Rowan Cahill
"Critical responses to the Howard government's IR changes and anti-terrorist legislation, including the reworking of laws relating to sedition, tend to imply these changes are un-Australian. I beg to differ; anti-Australian certainly, but not un-Australian. Historically, the changes are in keeping with the political behaviour of Australian conservatism in government.

Back in 1926, and later in 1928, for example, conservative Prime Minister Stanley Melbourne Bruce variously and aggressively tried to transfer state industrial powers to the Commonwealth and abolish arbitration entirely. His plans were thwarted by the lack of public support, the strength of 'states rights' arguments, and political divisions within conservative ranks. But there are marked similarities between what Bruce set out to do, and what Howard is in the process of doing."
read more...

S.E. Group

The S.E Group of Union Solidarity is having our 4th stall on Saturday November 12th at 10.30am at Balaclava, meeting at Carlisle st, outside the Balaclava Railway Station.
Contact Gary
0402 560 844

Central Branch

The next organising meeting of the Central Branch of Union Solidarity will be held at the MUA Office, Ireland St, West Melbourne on 7th December, 6.00pm. It will be the last meeting for the year.

If you would like to do some leafleting for the Central Branch of Union Solidarity they meet opposite McDonalds at the Victoria Market at 11.ooam every Saturday morning.

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