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| Issue No 121 |  |
30 November 2001 |
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Letters to the EditorUnion Democracy
Chris Christodoulou made a number of suggestions for reforming the ALP in WO119. Two of them were "rank and file election of conference delegates" and "electorate policy conventions in the lead up to conference." What about applying these not only to branches but to affiliated unions? Imagine if affiliated unions were to hold rank and file elections for ALP conference delegates, and to hold ALP policy conventions in the lead up to ALP conferences. How in touch with the grassroots would that be? How hard would it be for any faction to 'stack' the membership of a union? A number of the factional operators are now from their own positions of power, talking about the need to get rid of factions and the union connection. What are the benefits which motivate the factions? Positions on the ladder of power and influence, well-paid jobs as politicians (including outrageous super schemes) or senior union officials, that are accompanied by seats on boards with extra perks. The main incentives for factionalising would go if we got rid of this factional largesse. Leadership positions could be paid at an average rate for the workers being represented, and be temporary with the expectation of returning to the ranks of the people being represented, rather than part of a career structure. I think that this would be a great start for putting the ALP and the union links onto a highly democratic footing, and with it would come much better prospects for policy based on principle versus populism, as Peter Lewis argued is required. Janet Burstall
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   Interview: Back to the BattleFederal Labor's new industrial relations spokesman Robert McClelland outlines the challenges for the next three years. Politics: The Baby and the Bath WaterACTU secretary Greg Combet gives his take on the debate over the ALP's relations with the union movement. Unions: We're SolidBradon Ellem charts the history of the Pilbara dispute, and finds a revitalised grass-roots unionism challenging BHP's individual contracts bulldozer Organising: Benidgo Pioneer Comes Up TrumpsACTU Delegate of the Year, Leonie Saunders, is living proof of the way unions are adapting to life under the strictures of a hostile Government. Technology: India: Cricket, Computers and CorruptionRussell Lansbury cuts through the hype to look out the so-called hi-tech revolution on the sub-continent. International: Soul SearchingThe party of labour in Canada � the NDP - is right now undergoing a massive struggle for its heart and soul. History: A Timeless DebateThe ALP and unions - it's a debate that's raged for years as this extract from a 1947 Lloyd Ross pamplet shows. Review: In Fear of SecurityLaunching his new book, Anthony Burke argues that the cry of "security" is the last refuge of the political scoundrel
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