Queensland CPSU president resigns

Queensland CPSU president resigns

By Graham Mathews

BRISBANE — The Community and Public Sector Union's Queensland president, Andrew Finegan, resigned on July 14 citing the union's poor leadership in the campaign to protect public sector jobs and conditions.

In a letter to branch secretary, Claire Moore, Finegan noted that the union's lack of leadership was demonstrated by the decision to "refocus" the campaign on to agency-by-agency negotiation, "to the detriment of members' unity and solidarity".

He argued that this "will reinforce the Coalition government's agenda to reduce wages, leading to different pay rates in different agencies for people doing the same work".

Finegan wrote that the national leadership provided little support for sections and branches of the union that have attempted to fight back and had failed to implement an effective recruiting strategy at a time when CPSU members' conditions and jobs are under attack. He added that his "energy is best spent where it is most important — in the workplace, where the members are".

Recently, Brisbane CPSU rank and file activists launched a committee to rebuild the union as an effective fighting force against the federal government's attacks on the public sector. The committee will be meeting regularly and is open to all interested CPSU members. To get involved, telephone Bob Bunnett on (07) 3223 1458.

From GLW issue 284