Issue No 9 | 16 April 1999 | |
NewsBlow for Reith's Anti-UnionismBy Bernadette Moloney
Building workers are joining the CFMEU in droves as the Howard Government plans its assault on the union.
Membership of the Construction Forestry Mining and Energy Union's Construction Division has reached its highest level for the past seven years, according to figures released today for the year to March 30, 1999. The CFMEU Construction Division had a total of over 109,000 active members in 1998/1999. Membership in the two largest CFMEU branches, NSW and Victoria, has grown, respectively, by 8% and 7%, in the past six months alone. All the major branches are filing financial surpluses. "Those who've pronounced the death of the trade union movement should clearly think again," said CFMEU National Construction Secretary John Sutton. "All the efforts of Workplace Relations Minister Peter Reith to talk down union membership have been in vain, as far as the construction industry is concerned. "The CFMEU's record membership levels prove that construction workers are keen to belong to a strong trade union with a reputation for achieving good wages and conditions through collective agreements." "With its highest membership levels in over seven years, the CFMEU has defied the death knell widely proclaimed by Minister Reith and his conservative colleagues. High membership levels also strengthen the union's capacity to continue to fight for better conditions for construction workers across Australia," Mr Sutton said.
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Interview: Ms Plibersek Goes To Canberra The new MP for Sydney talks about her new job, new ideas and why she won�t be writing a book about them. Unions: More Jobs, Better Pay? Peter Reith shears the Pastoral Industry Award, making a mockery of his election rhetoric. History: Work and Community This is the story of a little corrugated iron factory. In a lane. In Rozelle. Review: Tailing Out When BHP left Newcastle steelworks, it also left a rich working culture. A ground-breaking project is now honouring what has been lost. International: ILO Warns Danger Evolving With Technology The ILO estimates over 1 million work-related fatalities each year -- and the danger spots are changing. Labour Review: What's New at the Information Centre View the latest issue of Labour Review, Labor Council's fortnightly IR newsletter for unions.
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