Mick Bull, Melbourne
An historic agreement has been signed by the Victorian metals division of the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union and the Victorian construction division of the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union.
In the "strategic agreement", the AMWU and CFMEU make "common cause to defeat the Howard Government's WorkChoices and Building Industry legislation", agreeing to actively support each other if either union is involved in an industry campaign in support of the agreed principles, publicly defend the other if either is subjected to media attacks as a result of legitimate industrial/political activity, develop political campaigns that promote unionism and the rights of workers to act collectively, establish and maintain the highest standards of occupational health and safety in the workplace, and protect and promote active delegates and OHS representatives.
Further, the agreement commits the two unions to act as a common bargaining unit in areas of overlapping coverage and for officials of either union to represent by agreement the members of both unions in the absence of the other. It also commits them to develop a program of joint meetings for officials, delegates and OHS representatives, and to actively assist each other in recruiting.
The agreement was launched at a combined shop stewards meeting on September 21, where more than 300 delegates readily supported it. Addressing the meeting, AMWU state secretary Dave Oliver listed the victories the two unions had won together, including the 36-hour week and industry superannuation. He urged other unions to join the alliance, saying, "strong unions need to support the not-so-strong" and "the Howard government's agenda is to divide and rule. Our agenda must be to unite and fight."
CFMEU state secretary Martin Kingham said, "Back in 1997, we were involved in an alliance between the AMWU, the ETU [Electrical Trades Union] and the MUA [Maritime Union of Australia]. As soon as the MUA was attacked in 1998 the alliance sprung into action, and Howard and his goons were defeated on the docks."
"We want others to join the alliance, to jump in and help each other", Kingham added. "There is only one rule to membership and that is you must be prepared to fight."