Lobbying Family First not the answer

Alison Thorne

The Melbourne group of Members First — a caucus of activists seeking to rebuild the Community and Public Sector Union as a fighting union — has criticised the national leadership of the union for calling on members to lobby Steve Fielding, the Victorian Family First senator. In CPSU E-News #34, distributed to members, the union urged its members to send Fielding "a message of support encouraging the new senator to keep the government accountable".

Members First argues that this is poor advice, as Family First cannot possibly be considered an ally of working people. Greg Platt, a delegate at the Australian Bureau of Statistics, says, "Under no circumstances should CPSU members be encouraged to give any support whatsoever to sectarian or religious parties like Family First. While it is certainly welcome that they are not on board with the government's industrial relations agenda, we should not mistake dissension within the ranks of the right-wing and reactionary forces with finding an actual ally."

Members First believes that fighting the Coalition government's industrial relations agenda is a key priority for the CPSU. Platt explains, "Instead of vainly searching for allies amongst the right, CPSU should be working on mobilising support from amongst the mass of working people. About 85% of people in Australia would be either workers, retired workers, dependants of workers or social security beneficiaries."

Members First also believes attempting to build an alliance with Family First is divisive as it will harm women, and gay men and lesbians, who make up a sizeable proportion of CPSU members.

In contrast to lobbying Family First, Members First calls for the CPSU to not only actively support the ACTU November 15 national day of action, but mobilise its members to stop work to take part.

Members First will be running candidates in the November CPSU elections. For more information, phone (03)9388 0062.

[Alison Thorne is a Members First activist and CPSU workplace delegate in a government call centre.]

From Green Left Weekly, September 7, 2005.

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From GLW issue 641