
Issue No 86		02 March 2001

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News

Workers Say: We Deserve Better

By Noel Hester

With the Howard Government - morally bankrupt and bereft of vision - tottering on its last legs a big space exists for the labour movement to inspire the public with a blueprint for fairness. Next week the ACTU steps up to the plate with a statement of values distilled from an ongoing dialogue with union members.

Our Future at Work sets out union policies for fairness in the workplace and in the broader community and is backed up by ACTU polling which shows widespread support by voters across the political spectrum for collective bargaining and an independent industrial court.

The poll also shows how deeply workers believe the Howard Government has betrayed them. Contrary to Howard's famous promise, many workers find themselves considerably worse off after five years of Coalition government.

Our Future at Work is the product of a debate among unions which started when more than 700 delegates from every industry sector and every region of Australia met last year in Wollongong for the triennial ACTU Congress. They brought with them ideas that were generated in workplaces and have been moulded into policies that will guide unions into the future.

ACTU President Sharan Burrow says the ACTU believes these policies are also relevant beyond the workplace.

''Our Future at Work' is an agenda for fairness in the workplace - for strength in bargaining, improvements in working hours, a Living Wage and the restoration of powers to the Australian Industrial Relations Commission. It's about better rights for women, young people and casual workers. Unions are committed to fair outcomes in these areas,' she says.

'But people are also telling us that they want a properly funded public health system, a public education system which delivers quality education and reconciliation between indigenous and non-indigenous Australians. They want a fully funded independent national broadcaster, a fair and accessible banking system, access to high-quality aged care, and a compassionate welfare system.'

ACTU Secretary Greg Combet says ACTU research shows that the majority of people believe the pendulum has swung too far in favour of employers.

'Community sentiment is rising against politicians who encourage employers to use aggressive industrial tactics against workers,' he says.

'Unions will make sure the voice of workers is heard in the months leading up to the Federal election. We do not accept the widening gap between rich and poor, between regions, and between social groups. Australia can do better.'

Sharan Burrow and Greg Combet will launch Our Future at Work at Tyco Electronics, 421 Victoria Street, Melbourne, Midday, Monday March 5, 2001.

The ACTU will also release the results of a nationwide polling survey that tracks attitudes to workplace issues and the role of the Howard Government over the last five years.

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  Issue 86 contents

Interview: Master of Opposition
Over the past five years, John Faulkner has turned the Senates Estimates structure into his own House of Pain. He explains the art of Opposition.

Politics: Beazley the Bridge Builder?
As the Howard Government flounders, Brett Evans looks at the challenges Kim Beazley faces as his hour of destiny approaches.

Unions: Lashing & Loathing at Patricks
Three years since one of the Howard Government�s most infamous episodes, the Waterfront War, Zoe Reynolds discovers how casuals are now doing the doing the dirty work on the docks.

Legal: Workers Without Rights
Mark Morey outlines the legal status and (lack of) rights for foreigners in Australia on working visas.

International: Dispatch from the Dispossessed
Mahendra Chaudhry, Leader of the People's Coalition and the Fiji Labour Party comments on this week�s court decision.

Economics: Business Power and Mobility
The US election season makes it patently clear how Big Business is able to transform its financial resources into political power via campaigncontributions.

History: The Spoilers and the Split
The Movement, Groupers, the DLP and The Doc. All have been blamed in various ways for the ALP split in the 1950s, ensuring the ALP was kept out of federal government until 1972. Can One Nation return the favour?

Review: The New Hard Politics
Dennis Glover argues that policy has taken over from spin as the political battleground of the new century.

Satire: Bradman Latest: Family In Dramatic Court Action
The family of the late Sir Donald Bradman yesterday sought a restraining order against Prime Minister John Howard after it became apparent that he wants to be involved in every single detail of the The Don's funeral.

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» Activists Notebook