Stolen wages issue "far from settled" - indigenous coalition
Tomorrow's Queensland Council of Unions Stolen Wages Rally along with a joint national public awareness campaign launch should send a clear message to the Beattie Government that the stolen wages issue is far from settled say members of the Queensland coalition of Indigenous organisations.
The rally and launch will be held in King George Square from 12-2pm tomorrow with the official launch of a national postcard campaign planned for 1pm.
Union and community groups including the Australian Council of Trade Unions, Queensland Council of Unions, Victoria Trades Hall Council and Australians for Native Title and Reconciliation (ANTaR)have generated and endorsed the campaign with an undertaking to help with distribution of up to 50,000 of the postcards.
The set of three cards tells the story of the missing, unpaid and underpaid wages belonging to Aboriginal people who were forced to work over the past century.
One card is in support of the union's backing of the campaign, one will go to Premier Peter Beattie and the third will have details of a fighting fund to be set up for a longer term campaign.
After a 20-year battle for wages and savings owed to the former workers, coalition member and Aboriginal Coordinating Council Deputy Chair Alf Lacey said the current offer for reparations from the Beattie Government remained an insult.
In November last year the government formalised an offer of just $4000 or $2000 to Aboriginal people who were denied wages paid directly from their employers to the government at the time.
"We always said this offer was not good enough for our workers and we're pleased to see the unions and community groups are backing our old people on this," Mr Lacey said.
"Many of our people have already taken this money out of necessity but that doesn't mean it's good enough and that doesn't mean they are happy about it."
FAIRA Project Officer Bob Weatherall said Aboriginal people had been denied due process for settling the long-running dispute.
"Our workers were never afforded the same due processes in regards to their wage claims as whitefellas so the solidarity and support we now have from other workers on this issue is very welcome," he said.
"The discriminatory acts being practised by Beattie are the same as those which created this situation - he has deliberately denied Aboriginal people a fair and just outcome and all workers should be outraged about this."
Brisbane elder Aunty Ruth Hegarty said she hoped the campaign would target the Beattie Government where it hurt.
"The unions and social justice groups such as ANTaR have always been the bedrock of the Labor Party's vote and I hope they realise that by going ahead with this offer our people and other workers may now seriously reconsider their options in the polling booth," she said.