CEPU elections in WA

By Michael Bramwell

PERTH -- A group of left unionists is campaigning for election in the WA electrical division of the CEPU (Communications, Electrical and Plumbing Union). Vince George, Owen Wood and Ken Richards head the ticket, running for state secretary, assistant secretary and president respectively.

All three are long-term activists in the union, with many years' experience on the job, as organisers and as representatives on state and national council. George and Wood are currently serving as elected organisers.

The group is running on a platform that includes:

• Taking the fight to the bosses: a more active approach to cutbacks that are currently occurring in both the public and private sector. The union has members in areas that are the focus of attacks by the Court Liberal government -- hospitals, water authority, Westrail, Main Roads Department. All are being restructured or partly privatised, with many jobs disappearing. Fighting for redundancy payments is important, but jobs also need to be preserved, say the candidates.

• Maintaining electrical licence standards. There has been a push from employer groups and some sections of the union movement (notably the metal trades) to allow workers to gain a restricted electrical licence after only a few hours' training. This results in worsening of work and safety standards, and also undercuts the wages, conditions and training of electrical workers, with no extra benefit going to the worker with the “restricted” licence.

• Better state council and general membership meetings, and better communication between rank-and-file members and officials. Union officials need to spend more time in the field, particularly in regional areas like the Pilbara, Goldfields and south-west.

• Industry-wide campaigns where necessary, and not just relying on an enterprise-by-enterprise approach to advance wages and conditions.

The group is also standing people for two organiser positions, Tom Brady and Anthony Benbow, as well as a number of candidates for state council. Craig Griffiths, who nominated for the third organiser position, was ruled ineligible because of the way the union's current rules operate when members are unemployed.

The results of the election will be known at the end of August.

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