BRISBANE — On April 5, about 130 delegates attended two combined union delegates’ meetings organised by the Queensland Council of Unions to discuss the campaign against the Howard government’s Work Choices laws.

At each meeting, QCU general-secretary Grace Grace outlined the meaning of the new laws and revealed polling that indicated strong public opposition to them. However, the emphasis in the QCU strategy on marginal seats campaigning and electing the ALP did not impress many of the delegates present. “When are we going to fight?”, asked Bernie Neville, a leader of the SEQEB strike and a member of the Socialist Alliance. “We give our dues to the union to fight, not to the ALP.”

Other speakers echoed Neville’s frustration and Electrical Trades Union state secretary Dick Williams encouraged delegates to put a motion for action. When people started to put a motion, however, Grace said that the meeting “was only for giving out information, not for motions”. A delegate replied: “You're big on polling Grace, how about polling the meeting?” However, Grace ruled the motion out of order and closed down the meeting.

Paul Benedek

From Green Left Weekly, April 12, 2006.
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