
Issue No 117		26 October 2001

LaborNET	Ask Neale	Tool of the Week

The Soapbox

Robbo's Labour Day Address

Labor Council secretary JohN Robertson looks at a year when tensions emerged between the political and industrial wings of the

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Labor Day is a tribute to the social and economic achievements of working men and women.

It is a tribute to the Labor Movement.

Neville Wran said at his tribute dinner last night that for him the labor movement was like a religion.

For many of us, it is a religion. It is a way of life. We are motivated by the desire to improve our community and to ensure that working people receive a fairer distribution of the wealth that is generated.

This desire to act in a selfless way for the betterment of working people is what distinguishes True Believers from those motivated by self-interests and a mere grab for power.

Frank Belan was a true believer. A person who always conducted himself with the interest of his members, first, second and third.

Frank's passing two weeks ago was a great loss for the labor movement.

At Labor Day dinners speakers regularly talk of the need for the industrial and political wings to work closely together. Never has this been more important.

In the lead up to the Federal Election, with John Howard focused on world issues and a campaign slogan "A Better War For Our Children",

Kim Beazley is focused on the issues that effect working people:

health

education

security of entitlements,

a balanced and strengthened Industrial Relations Commission

and the abolition of AWA's.

While Howard looks after the elite and big business,

Beazley is focused on the interests of all Australians.

Beazley offers leadership and vision for the future through harmony and cohesion, while Howard looks to divide and conquer.

That's always been the difference between Labor and its conservative components.

But it should never be forgotten that the political and industrial wings working closely together s a two way street.

The strength of the labor movement will only be maintained if there is mutual respect and a recognition that there will be tension on particular issues.

From time to time the political and industrial wings of the movement will have different priorities. The test is not whether there are tensions, but how they are managed.

Those tensions have surfaced in recent times over workers compensation and culminated in the picket outside parliament on Tuesday 19 June.

What ever your views of that day they highlighted a breakdown of the mutual respect required for a strong labor movement.

These types of breakdowns are a negative both for the industrial and political wings and we should collectively work to avoid them.

There is no easy solution to dealing with these tensions, although I would suggest a few things we can do:

First, we can recognize the benefit of getting people with an understanding of the union movement into Parliament.

The modern union official has a complex skills set:

- on the ground campaigning

- dealing with complex technological change issues

- and managing significant service-based businesses

Some within the ALP's fears of union ties is misguided - what they should be fearing is the lack of union ties.

Secondly, the political wing must recognize that when they talk to unions, they are - perhaps more than ever before - talking to their core constituents.

The union movement has been reforming itself and part of that process has been to devolve power back to the shop floor.

This shift in emphasis to an organiser and activist base means that unions are focused more on activitating their members.

But there are benefits for the political wing in this shift as well

In an active and activated union membership, the Party has at its disposal a focus of group of some two million Australians who can really tell them what is going on out there in the real world.

They are not just blue-collar workers - more white-collar professionals and service workers - a very under demographic.

An active union movement gives Labor a great indication of the priorities of the Australian electorate.

But, as I mentioned before, the key to navigating our sometimes difficult relationship, lies in mutual respect:

For government that means consulting with union because we have something to contribute, not viewing it as an irritating process that frustrates some bureaucrat's reform agenda.

Just on workers compensation, it would be remiss of me not to speak briefly on the issue.

The Governments next round of reforms are currently be discussed and at some point will be introduced with or without alteration depending on the success of our negotiations and lobbying.

The next real challenge in workers compensation is for the government to demonstrate it is serious about dealing with the issues effecting the actuarial deficit of the scheme.

Our judgment on their seriousness will be reserved until we see:

� if they improve compliance with the payment of workers compensation premiums,

� do more to improve workplace safety, and

� most importantly increase premiums to a level that will reduce the actuarial deficit.

Reforms that reduce access to Common Law reduce the role of Lawyers and Doctors may make some difference but, it is adequate premiums that will reduce the deficit.

A Labor Government should not place all the burden of the reforms on working men and women.

Now, the workers compensation legislation will be revisited within these walls sometime before Christmas and I think it is incumbent on all of us involved in the process to work our issues through with a focus on the people we are here to represent.

And that is not the lawyers, the doctors, the insurance companies or even the employers - it is the injured workers.

That said, the book "Brothers" authored by Marilyn Dodkin, was launched on Wednesday night and parts of its conclusions are worth quoting:

"History shows that the relationship is not a guarantee against industrial disputes when Labor is in Government. Conflicts have always arisen from time to time and it is a measure of the relationship that disputes are eventually resolved. And when dust settles following a period of industrial action and election time nears both the left and right factions at the Council support the ALP at election by giving organisation and monetary support".

The text is something that we would all agree with. Except I'm not sure about the reference to left and right factions.

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We all know the effects of a conservative Government and many in the room have directly suffered the consequences of the Howard Government.

The stripping back of awards to 20 allowable matters,

The MUA with the government's collusion with Patricks,

The corporate collapses and the lost of entitlements.

The most recent of these has been Ansett.

The Howard Government has done nothing to see Ansett fly again. In fact, they have gone out of their way to ensure that it does not fly in its previous form.

My view on this, which many of you have heard me state previously, is that John Howard is using Ansett as a means of breaking the unions strength in the Airline industry.

This is an industry that has historically been well organised and well paid. The Government sees the collapse of Ansett as an opportunity to drive wages and conditions down and commence the spiral downward for those conditions.

It is their view that if they succeed with this they will also succeed in de-unionising an industry where workers are not only members of unions but also, strong supporters of those unions.

We must ensure that the public is made aware of this strategy and the Government is stopped from using the Ansett workers to continue its ideological attack on unions.

It is only a Beazley Government that will address this issue and the other issues important to working people, like employee entitlements,

a balanced and strengthen industrial relations commission,

health

education

and the abolition of AWA's.

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This year has been a year of many low points. Not only with the events of September 11th on a global scale but, also in relation to the number of corporate collapses that have occurred causing workers to suffer, HIH, One Tel and Ansett just to name a few.

It would be nice to finish the year on a positive note with Kim Beazely as Prime Minister, and John Howard treated by the Australian community in the manner he and his Government have treated refugees. Put on a slow boat to nowhere and told to find somewhere else to reside.

Thank you.

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Issue 117 contents

Interview: Brothers In Arms
Labour historian Marilyn Dodkin explains how she exposed ASIO ties with Labor Council's Cold War leadership.

Politics: Defending the Faith
Launching 'Brothers', Premier Bob Carr gave his own take on the allegations that union leaders worked with security agencies during the Cold War.

History: Surviving the Split
In this extract from 'Brothers' Marilyn Dodkin, looks at the manouverings around the establishment of the DLP.

International: Viral Attack
Postal unions in the USA are mobilizing to protect their members from the widening repercussions of an apparent bio-terrorist attack.

Unions: A Living Wage
The ACTU this week unveiled its claim for the 2002 Living Wage Case. Here's what they'll be arguing.

Campaign Diary: Week Three: Wave Them Goodbye
In a week when our boys and girls went off to war, Labor fought a desperate battle to fight the election on the home front.

Human Rights: Colombia's 'Dirty War' Against Unions
It might be tough being an organiser in Australia under the Howard Government, but spare a thought for Colombian trade unionists.

Review: Red Rag Unfurls
Ian Syson is an upfront, knockabout bloke. He heads up a new, small, independent publishing outfit called Red Rag Publications.

Satire: New Hope for Labor: Mackerras Tips Liberal Win
The electoral hopes of the Labor party have revived dramatically, after the perennially unreliable analyst Malcolm Mackerras forecast a huge victory for the Liberals.

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» NIDA Tax Rorts Embarrass Howard

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» Veil of Silence on Public Sector Outsourcing

» False Start for Race Day

» Union Proxy Campaign Gets A Boost

» Nauru Guards Claim Back-Pay

» Unions Await Final Triumph

» PM Claims No Aged Care Nursing Home Crisis!

» Eighty Woolies Cleaners About To Lose Jobs

» CFMEU Gets Disabled Athlete A Start

» Malaysian Solidarity Action in Sydney

» Activists Notebook