5000 rally for union rights in Brisbane
By Bill Mason
BRISBANE — Thousands of workers around Queensland stopped work to attend rallies on the ACTU's National Day of Action against Liberal-National industrial policies on November 30. Some 5000 crowded into the Festival Hall in Brisbane, while 2000 more met in Rockhampton, Mackay, Townsville and other country centres.
Despite minimal organising by the Trades and Labor Council and most state unions here, workers expressed strong opposition to the attacks launched by the Kennett government in Victoria and the threat to union rights posed by the Coalition federally.
Mary Kelly, Queensland Teachers Union president and TLC vice- president, received the loudest applause as she spoke of the threat to public sector jobs and services posed by the Victorian government's "simultaneous attack on all fronts".
TLC secretary Dawson Petie told the meeting that the Kennett attack represents "the future: what's in store for us from Hewson and Howard. Today is not the end of action to protect our conditions and supporting Victorian workers. We have to continue to campaign to maintain or regain our conditions."
A TLC-sponsored resolution condemning "the extremist ideological attacks of the Victorian government on workers' rights and conditions", was amended to support a call for a further stopwork rally on December 9, together with a meeting of delegates and activists to discuss an ongoing action campaign.
However, Petie stressed that implementation of future action was to be in the hands of the TLC, clearly leaving open the option of moving to defuse the campaign or not as required by the union and ALP leadership.