Victorian Trades Hall Council. The voice of Victorian workers since 1856.Victorian Trades Hall Council. The voice of Victorian workers since 1856.

Victorian Union delegates endorses lifting anti-IR laws campaign

27 September 2006
By Brian Boyd, VTHC Secretary
 A mass meeting of all unions’ shop stewards and delegates at the Dallas Brooks Hall – East Melbourne, heard updated reports from the VTHC, ACTU, CFMEU and a range of rank and file delegates on the current state of play on the IR front.
VTHC Secretary, Brian Boyd, urges delegates to fight the IR laws
In particular, the delegates were asked to support the next National Day of Protest set down for November 30th. They were asked to maximise their efforts to ensure a mass turn out to fill the MCG on that day.
All speakers said the campaign to defeat John Howard’s IR Laws must continue at a high level. It was noted the next Federal election was still a year away and we should end 2006 with a big turn-out at the MCG on November 30th.  The reports particularly addressed the current industrial situation in the workplace and the need to campaign in Federal marginal seats.
The following comprehensive resolution was passed unanimously after discussion and contributions from the floor:


VTHC ALL UNIONS SHOP STEWARDS AND DELEGATES RALLY
WEDNESDAY 27 SEPTEMBER 2006
DALLAS BROOKS HALL
EAST MELBOURNE
FINAL RESOLUTION – ADOPTED UNANIMOUSLY

That this meeting of VTHC all affiliates delegates and shop stewards’ meeting agrees to continue and build the national trade union and community campaign against the vicious impact of the Federal Government’s industrial relations laws.

This meeting notes since the enacting of the so-called WorkChoices Act 2006 (27/3/06) the anti-worker intent of these and similar laws is becoming clearer day by day.

This meeting, in particular, calls on the ACTU and all the States and Territories Labour Councils, through their affiliated unions, to enhance and accelerate the ‘defend the unions’ campaign against Howard’s IR policies.

To this end, this meeting fully endorses the next National Day of Protest set down for Thursday 30 November 2006, with the Victorian contribution being a mass rally at the MCG starting at 7.00 am; including entertainment starting at 8.00am; an ACTU Sky Channel presentation, broadcast nationally between 9.00-10.00am and a march back to the city starting approximately 10.30am.

This meeting undertakes to put in a maximum effort to fill the MCG as part of demonstrating the campaign against the Federal IR laws is alive and well and will continue until the federal IR laws are totally repealed.

This meeting calls on all unions to shut down workplaces to allow the maximum number of union members to attend the November 30 protest and not just send delegations to the protest.

The Welfare to Work laws have been used by the government to force people on the pension and Newstart allowance to accept jobs with AWA’s or be cut off all payments for eight weeks.  Welfare to Work laws have been designed to work with WorkChoices to undermine union pay and conditions.

This meeting recommends that the November 30 protest calls for the repeal of the Welfare to Work legislation as well as the repeal of WorkChoices.

This meeting recognises that the Australian Building and Construction Commission’s legal action to fine 107 Western Australian construction workers for a strike in early 2006 sets a dangerous precedent for all workers.  We recognise that the right to strike is the main weapon that workers have and it must be defended.

This meeting calls on the union movement throughout Australia to campaign for the legal action to be dropped.

As the first step in the campaign, we call on the VTHC to initiate discussions with the ACTU and other State Trades and Labour Councils for a national day of solidarity with WA 107 construction workers and that a speaker from the WA 107 be organised to speak at union, workplace and public meetings across Victoria to build awareness about this issue.

This meeting endorses the ACTU marginal seats campaign and encourages all union members to:
a) join their local ‘Your Rights at Work’ Committee,
b) and work hard to remove from Parliament, the Liberal MPs that voted for this legislation.
Furthermore this meeting condemns:
Stewart Macarthur – Liberal Member for Corangamite
Jason Wood – Liberal Member for La Trobe
Phil Baressi – Liberal Member for Deakin
Russell Broadbent – Liberal Member for McMillan

Along with all other Liberal and National MPs for their support of John Howard’s WorkChoices laws.

This meeting recommends that the union movement take the following steps to incorporate the issue of wages and conditions for workers in poorer countries into the IR campaign:
1. educate Australian workers about the issue.
2. seek action from corporations, government and political parties.
3. (subject to approval from ACTU and VTHC Executive) spend 3% of the funds raised for the IR campaign on it.

More Archive

Powered By three squares