Stolen Wages an industrial issue

BY TERRICA STRUDWICK

BRISBANE — On August 8, 300 protesters defied rain to hear Aboriginal leaders and union representatives launch the stolen wages postcard campaign. Chair of the rally, 4AAA Aboriginal community radio manager Tiger Bayles set the scene by stating, "Stolen wages in an industrial issue not a welfare issue".

In line with this sentiment, several unions, including the Queensland Nurses Union, the Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous Workers Union, and the National Tertiary Education Union were present. The Queensland Council of Unions, the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU), the Victorian Trades Hall and Australia-Asia Worker Links are also supporting the campaign, as are the Australians for Native Title and Reconciliation and the Grassroots Murri Action Group.

The campaign has been launched in response to the state government's "Without Prejudice" stolen wages repatriation offer, in which successful claimants will only be entitled between $2000 and $4000 as compensation for wages taken by the government between the 1890s and 1972.

As of July 31, the minister responsible for Indigenous affairs, Judy Spence, accepted that only 701 claims out of a possible 20,000 were eligible for compensation. As of July 15, only six claimants out of 4506 lodged claims had received any money at all.

ACTU president Sharan Burrow told the Queensland Council of Indigenous Organisations that the ACTU will be building a broad campaign so all unions whether state or federal "understand the seriousness of the issue".

From Green Left Weekly, August 13, 2003.

Visit the Green Left Weekly home page.

From GLW issue 549