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June 2003   
F E A T U R E S

History: Nest of Traitors
Rowan Cahill uncovers a ripping yarn that could redefine the way we look at Australian involvement in World War II.

Interview: A Nation of Hope
Former PM Bob Hawke bemoans the demise of industrial relations but takes heart from the prospect of peace in the Middle East

Unions: National Focus
Noel Hester reports on a soap star rebellion, Howard’s plans to renuclearise South Australia, more historical atrocities in the north, the redundancy test case plus more in the monthly national wrap.

Safety: The Shocking Truth
It’s every power worker’s worst nightmare – and it happened to Adrian Ware. In a flash of voltage, his life changed forever, as Jim Marr reports.

Tribute: A Comrade Departed
From Prime Ministers to wharfies, the labour movement paid tribute to Tas Bull this week. Jim Marr was among them.

History: Working Bees
Neale Towart looks at a group of workers who got sacked so their boss could keep making the Bomb.

Education: The Big Picture
The NTEU’s Dr Mike Donaldson and Tony Brown join all the dots in the current debate around higher eduction.

International: Static Labour
Ray Marcelo argues there’s another side to the recent furore over Telstra’s use of cheap Indian IT contractors.

Economics: Budget And Fudge It
Frank Stilwell argues that Peter Costello’s latest budget plumbs fiscal policy to new depths.

Technology: Google and Campaigning
Labourstart’s Eric Lee argues the latest weapon for campaigning could be the humble search engine.

Review: Secretary With A Difference
Looking for a new job can be hard enough, without having to worry about sadomasochistic bosses and the threat of being spanked for forgetting to cross your ‘t’s, says Tara de Boehmler.

Poetry: The Minimale
The Labor Party leadership is in the news again, inspiring our resident bard David Peetz to song

Satire: Howard Calls for Senate to be Replaced by Clap-O-Meter
John Howard released a controversial policy statement today, arguing that the Senate be abolished in favour of a device measuring noise from the gallery of the House of Representatives.

C O L U M N S

Politics
It’s Our Party
Long time union watcher Nicholas Way looks at the changing dynamics between the industrial and political wings of the labour movement.

The Soapbox
Grass Roots
In his Maiden Speech, new MP Tony Burke argues that the ALP’s union links are nothing to be ashamed of.

Media
Opinion Forming Down Under
Evan Jones condemns the mainstream’s media coverage of the War on Iraq and the damage it is doing to our national psyche.

The Locker Room
Location, Re-Location!
It’s all fun and games until someone loses a club, writes Phil Doyle

E D I T O R I A L

To the Victors The Spoils
Revelations that private American lawyers, rather than the ILO, will rewrite the labour laws of countries levelled by the American military vindicate the warnings of those concerned by US unilateralism.

N E W S

 Rail Chaos Looms

 Electrolux Blows Fuse at Fundraiser

 ACM Loosens Handcuff on Democracy

 Sick Call on Mum’s Job

 Now For Industrial Shock and Awe

 Brian Miller – Working Class Hero

 Dynamite: Howard Handout for Rorters

 Family Case to Nurture Mothers

 Militants Lock Out Another 600

 Tipping the Turtle – Fijian Style

 Carr Goes Private

 Wages Blemish Sound Budget

 Westie Takes On Westfield ‘Hypocrisy’

 Eleventh Hour Reprieve for Women's Centre

 Activist Notebook

L E T T E R S
 In Defence of Cuba
 The Story in General
 Thinking of America
WHAT YOU CAN DO
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Politics

It’s Our Party


Long time union watcher Nicholas Way looks at the changing dynamics between the industrial and political wings of the labour movement.

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The union movement is angry, but this time not with the Howard Government or employers. Its anger is directed at seven of the eight state and territory Labor Governments, which are in its collective sights for either opposing the ACTU or standing on the sideline as the peak union body runs a test case in the Industrial Relations Commission (IRC) to extend redundancy rights to casual workers and employees of small businesses. Only the Queensland Government is a supporter - and then only as it affects casual workers. Small business remains sacrosanct.

It is not the first time Labor states and territories have stood by as unions have mounted important cases in the IRC. It took the ACTU three years to persuade the states to present detailed submissions, including a specific amount, to the annual safety-net wage review. Finally, this year, they did so, recommending an $18-a-week wage rise - a decision unions believe was a factor in the IRC awarding $17 to the low-paid.

The unions' anger with Labor State Governments on industrial relations issues reflects a deep-seated disillusionment, anger and frustration with the party. There is a strongly held belief among union activists - as distinct from union officials intimately involved in factional infighting - that its political wing has no sense of core labor values from which policies, strategies and tactics evolve.

Although unions have developed a core set of beliefs (outlined in Future Strategies - Unions Working for a Fairer Australia, released at a union conference in Sydney on May 8) the union movement regards the federal Labor Party as still vainly searching for values since losing government in 1996.

For the unions, bitter frustration with their political brethren leaves them two options: use their institutional links with Labor to implement change, or begin to withdraw from the party. For Labor, the latter option would have dire financial, organisational and electoral consequences.

The ACTU secretary, Greg Combet, was circumspect in a speech at the Sydney conference - a three-day event to which no Labor politician was invited - but he did put the political wing on notice: 'There is widespread frustration in union ranks about politicians and political parties [read Labor]. There is a justifiable feeling that much could be done to assist working people and union organisations, particularly by Labor Governments.'

Judging by later comments in his speech, Combet is not attracted to the option of political withdrawal. He wants to take union values and instil them in the Labor Party. In other words, he wants to make a reverse takeover. 'Are we effectively making the case in the Labor Party for improvements for casual workers, for collective bargaining rights, for improved safety and workers' compensation, for low-paid workers? Are the candidates supported by unions for parliamentary elections genuinely committed to social and economic justice?'

The implicit answer is obvious: no. And the explicit response: 'The objective ... should be to broaden the opportunities for members to be involved in political activity - to be involved in setting the goals within the union and broader labor movement.' What the unions now believe (or at least hope) is that the federal Labor Party, largely devoid of a set of beliefs, is finally prepared to listen - for two important reasons.

· First, the Opposition Leader, Simon Crean - and any possible successor - realises that the federal Labor Party must reconnect with the broader labor movement. For now, it is far more crucial that Labor does this rather than focus on swinging voters and marginal seats. Re-galvanising the heartland must be the first priority. Unions are taking heart from Crean's reply to the budget speech, in which a core Labor policy, Medicare, was upheld. Although union arguments for the Federal Government's tax cuts to be directed to the low-paid did not make it into Crean's final draft, much of his speech was regarded as a step in the right direction.

· Second, in union eyes, Crean's timing could not be better. They argue that there is a huge philosophical divide between the main political parties. It is not about economics (few in the union movement now question the need for a free-market economy); it is about how the dividends of that economy are distributed in terms of policies on health, education, welfare and workers' rights. These are issues of genuine policy difference.

Unions believe that they have changed course, the focus now being on the workplace, on members, on organising. All of this has been achieved in the face of a belligerent Federal Government, largely non-committed state and territory Labor Governments, and emboldened employers.

The unions know that their task is far from finished, but they now expect their political wing at least to embark on the same journey.

This article first appeared in Business Review Weekly


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