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  Issue No 40 Official Organ of LaborNet 19 November 1999  

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Unions

Organising With A Mission


Entries are beginning to trickle in for the Labor Council Organiser of the Year. With just two weeks to deadline, we look at the TWU's nominee.

Candidate: Bruce Penton

Bruce Penton joined the TWU as an Organiser in September 1998. Bruce had previously worked in the transport industry since leaving school back in 1958. He was a Delegate for ten years and had voluntarily served on the Union's Executive for over six years.

Despite his years of experience, from the day he first walked into the office as an Organiser Bruce has been the most enthusiastic, innovative and open-minded of unionists.

As an Organiser, Bruce covers a geographical region starting from the Northern Suburbs of Sydney up through the Central Coast to Wyong.

To highlight Bruce's effectiveness as an Organiser a brief look at three campaigns he has run over the past year demonstrates his range of skills, successes and initiatives.

Bus Industry

The private bus industry on the Central Coast was stagnant from a Union membership point of view. To tackle the problem Bruce set up a Regional Private Bus Committee. The Committee was comprised of Delegates and activists. The role of the Committee was not to address wages but localised, day-to-day issues.

The Committee developed a number of issues such as the lack of toilet facilities - on some runs both male and female drivers were forced to use bushland, and problems with bus access at railway stations. The committee coordinated campaigns in which activists held meetings with community groups and various levels of Government, developed and circulated petitions and conducted safety audits. As a result drivers now have access to keys and toilet facilities and structural changes have been made at some railway stations to improve access and parking for buses.

Membership in those bus yards has grown from between 6 to 60 percent and is now around 80 to 90 percent. Membership of casuals has grown from zero to 70%. The level of union activists has grown by almost 70%.

The additional Organising benefit of the Regional Committee was that it educated Delegates and activists about the importance of being involved. Under Bruce's guidance they took control and ownership of the issues and developed solutions. The membership is now much more active and enthusiastic about what they can achieve as part of the TWU team.

Waste industry

The TWU covers contracted waste collectors - garbos. As you can imagine there are a multitude of issues outside wages that would effect these guys. As an organising campaign Bruce got the members to focus on these concerns. The long list of issues they came up with included:

� Councils and contractors refusing to pay for Hepatitis B shots for workers; and

� Wyong Council providing residents with only one bin for both recycling and garbage which has led to almost daily abuse of workers as they can't pick up the bin if an apple core falls into the recycling section of the bin.

Again Bruce formed yard and industry committees to resolve the issues. In the case of the Hep B shots, Bruce and his team of activists went to the media and put direct pressure on the various Councils over their Duty of Care. The contractors have now provided the serum. This activity alone saw membership in one yard soar from 50% to 90% while in another it went from no membership to 95% overnight. At the same time the level of activism has again increased by about 70%.

With the issue of the single bin in Wyong, Bruce has coordinated the members and Delegates to get heavy local media attention. Members are currently walking the streets and visiting pubs and clubs with a customer survey on the issue.

Once again through initiative and resourcefulness Bruce has not only radically increased the membership he has activated them to take control of their issue and do something collectively about it.

Central Coast Convoy

The final campaign is not really a campaign at all, it's an event that gives a real insight into Bruce's character. While a TWU Delegate employed at Linfox Transport Bruce approached the TWU about starting a TWU truck convoy on the Central Coast to raise money for the Children's Ward at Gosford Hospital, the Child Abuse Prevention Society and Life Education.

Bruce coordinated activists to motivate much of the Central Coast community behind this very family-orientated activity. Media sponsorship and promotion, Council support and numerous approvals, Police and RTA permission, rides, stalls, entertainment and activities for families. In 1997 the TWU Central Coast Convoy had 100 trucks and raised $15,000. This year with Bruce still at the helm there were 210 trucks and over $36,000 was donated to the children's charities.

Not only is this a great community effort, Bruce has also used it as an organising tool. The Union gets headline local media coverage for months leading up to the event due to the media sponsorship arrangements that Bruce has negotiated. For the twelve months leading up to the convoy schools and sporting clubs run TWU Convoy raffles (the schools and clubs keep 50% of proceeds), effectively promoting the union amongst the children of the area.

These campaigns are just an insight into the work Bruce puts in. What they show is not only how hard he works but also how effectively he operates with activists, the community, non unionists and employers. Bruce focuses on issues-based organising which is essential to getting members actively involved in resolving their own problems and ultimately leads to greater membership levels. By encouraging activists and getting results Bruce has taken many of the issues beyond the workplace and into the wider community, making the Union an important focal and relevant part of society - something the union movement needs to achieve if we are to survive the challenges ahead.


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*   Issue 40 contents

In this issue
Features
*  Interview: No Quick Fix
Online pioneer Marc Belanger explains why the Internet, on its own, will not save the union movement.
*
*  Unions: Organising With A Mission
Entries are beginning to trickle in for the Labor Council Organiser of the Year. With just two weeks to deadline, we look at the TWU's nominee.
*
*  History: Rhyme and Reason
Poems written by workers provide us with an insight into their experiences and also how they felt about their work and working conditions.
*
*  Health: The Food Police
Three times a day you take your life in your hands. How? When you sit down to eat a meal.
*
*  Politics: East Timor: Defeat or Victory for the Left?
John Passant's "Requiem for the Left" advances some rather extravagant charges regarding the left and East Timor.
*
*  International: Kiwi Unions Rebuild from Ground Up
After fifteen years as a right wing laboratory New Zealand is about to change tack. New NZCTU chief Paul Goulter outlines the challenge ahead.
*
*  Satire: Australian Democrats Revealed as Student Hoax
The Chaser has obtained an exclusive background report on the extraordinary story which reveals how and why Cheryl Kernot defected from the Democrats.
*
*  Review: The Best of the Best
Once again Channel Nine has out done itself with it�s new Ray Martin program �Simply the Best�.
*
*  Labour Review: What's New at the Information Centre
View the latest issue of Labour review, our resource for officials and students.
*
*  Deface a Face: 25,000 Teachers Can�t Be Wrong!
Angry teachers yesterday voted overwhelmingly for Education minister John Aquilina to take the mantle of this week�s face to deface.
*

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»  Geeks Claim 400 Per Cent for Millennium Bug Patrol
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»  Hospital Crisis Looms as Nurses Set Deadline
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»  Pre-Fab Shelter Wins UN Support in East Timor
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»  Rail Authorities Back Down on Surveillance.
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»  Rio Tinto Black List Exposed at Blair Athol
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»  Needle Stick Fears Spark Industrial Action
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»  Round One to the Cleaners
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»  Telstra's Greed Puts Service at Risk
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»  Tragic Death Leads to Lift in Contractor Safety Standards
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»  Oldfield in the Pub
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Columns
»  Guest Report
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»  Sport
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»  Trades Hall
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»  Piers Watch
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Letters to the editor
»  Letter of the Week
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»  Republican Post Mortem
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»  Aquilina's Horror Award
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»  CCT - Destroying Rural Communities
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»  Timor Pride Not Cause for Requiem
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