Write On: Letters to the Editor

April 26, 2006
Issue 

Work Choices I

Until the Work Choices legislation came into operation, Australian workers had similar conditions of employment to those existing before the unfortunate election of the Coalition government in March 1996.

During the last decade there was inadequate working-class opposition to the iniquitous policies of the Coalition government. Some of them were the GST, Tampa deception, the misleading reasons for the invasion of Iraq, the detention of refugees and their children, and the torture of prisoners in Iraq, Pakistan, Egypt and Guantanamo Bay. Other bad policies included the termination of $100 million for dental care for pensioners, the unlawful detention of Cornelia Rau, and the deportation to the Philippines of another Australian citizen, Vivian Solon.

Since the inception of the Work Choices legislation many workers have been sacked and re-employed for lower wages and worse conditions. This is what the Howard government regards as "reform". It has now started to arouse the anger of working people. Ultimately, a tidal wave of discontent will bring about the electoral defeat of the Coalition government.

Now is the time to revive the trade union movement by increasing its membership and selecting and re-electing only those officials who are prepared to put up a fight for their members.

A stronger union movement will have a better chance to ensure that a future Labor government repeals the Howard government's retrogressive industrial relations legislation. We must strive for a more democratic environment to replace the present one which places too many obstacles for the normal functioning of the trade union movement.

Bernie Rosen
Strathfield, NSW

Work Choices II

A Victorian trade union colleague sent me an envelope containing 50 leaflets for the June 28 Workers & Community National Day of Protest against the Work Choices legislation. The leaflets were produced by the Victorian Trades Hall Council, featuring the ACTU logo. The leaflet calls on workers and the community to assemble at one of four locations in Melbourne and march to the city centre. In inspiring bold red print it reads, "Together we are unbreakable!"

Once again, our Victorian trade union colleagues have the jump on us by distributing posters and leaflets two months before the day of protest. This is one reason why they were able to mobilise more than 100,000 people for the November 15 rally last year.

Sadly, very few people in NSW are even aware of the June 28 national day of protest. Indeed, as I write this letter, there is a debate among Union NSW affiliates to decide whether or not there will be protest action on June 28. Given the recent sackings, you would expect Unions NSW to jump at the opportunity to organise another November 15 style protest.

Unfortunately, there are sections of the union leadership trying to restrict our campaign to a "Just vote ALP" strategy. If Kim Beazley's popularity and performance is any indication, we are doomed.

There's no guarantee that a future Labor government will repeal the legislation unless the union movement keeps campaigning to defeat the legislation on the ground. Even if the ALP is elected, if there hasn't been enough of an industrial campaign and mass protests all an ALP government will do is to merely ameliorate the worst aspects of the legislation.

Many agree we need a national stoppage to signal to employers and the government that they will face industrial action if they attempt to use the new anti-union laws. Especially in the weaker workplaces, workers will need the confidence to resist the use of the new laws by their employers. This is needed to overcome the sentiment among some workers that the campaign is over and that there's nothing they can do until the next federal election. Howard hopes the union movement won't organise a national stoppage or mass protests.

Union members should pass motions that call on Unions NSW to organise a Workers and Community Day of Protest on June 28 and phone their unions to find out what they are doing. As the Victorians are saying, "Together we are unbreakable!"

John Gauci
Marrickville, NSW

Little Britain

Cheers to Lachlan Malloch (Write On, GLW #663) for debunking Dave Riley's over-enthusiastic review of Little Britain (GLW #662). Dave likes the show — good on him. It's on prime time TV, so we should all have decided for ourselves by now anyway. But we don't see why men in bad drag giggling "Ooooh, I'm a lady" is funny, let alone liberating. Or maybe we missed the progressive content in the Carry On movies too?

Ben Courtice, Ema Corro, Bianca Healy, Tony Iltis
Footscray, Vic

Refugees I

The federal government hopes that sending asylum seekers from West Papua (in Indonesia) to Nauru will deter people from heading for Australia. However, if West Papuans fear persecution in Indonesia, we should not be encouraging them to remain there.

Given the isolated and unpleasant conditions on Nauru, West Papuans should live in Australia while their asylum claims are assessed. Successful applicants should receive Australians visas.

Various European nations deal with far more asylum seekers than Australia does and we should not try to pressure them into resettling West Papuan refugees.

There should be no reduction in the number of other humanitarian immigrants Australia admits when boat refugees are given residency. This way it cannot be argued that boat refugees have displaced other refugees or people in need who did not make it to Australia under their own steam.

Brent Howard
Rydalmere, NSW

Refugees II

Bravo to everyone who pressured Howard and company to release the West Papuan refugees. When will Vanstone release the last of the 43 refugees? And when will Vanstone release "Shafiq", a man from Bangladesh who has been locked up by her department for six years?

Stephen Langford
Paddington, NSW

From Green Left Weekly, April 26, 2006.
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