By Mick Barclay and Vannessa Hearman
CANBERRA — Some 350 officials, job delegates and rank and file members from around the country attended the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union's (CFMEU) August 17-18 information seminar on the challenges confronting trade unions in a deregulated environment.
A series of resolutions, unanimously passed, called on the Greens, Democrats and ALP to reject the government's Workplace Relations and Other Legislation Amendment Bill; and on the ACTU to continue a campaign of industrial and community action while the bill was being debated in the Senate, and if it passed to call a 24-hour national stoppage, with rallies in major cities, as the first step in a campaign of industrial action against the legislation.
A proposal to build an alliance of militant unions around a set of demands including active and continuing opposition to the Coalition's IR bill, the restoration of full wage indexation, a campaign for a shorter working week with no loss in pay and defence of public services and public assets was supported. Solidarity with unions finding themselves under attack was also proposed.
A range of speakers, including CFMEU national secretary Stan Sharkey, mining and energy division secretary John Maitland, Australian Education Union national secretary Rob Durbridge and ACTU president Jennie George, addressed this proposal.
In a rather contradictory message, all four called on unions to distance themselves from the "political leadership" of the ALP while advocating that unionists join the ALP "to influence its policies and direction".
Citing the massive downgrading of unionists' working conditions and wages during the Accord years, Durbridge said that unions needed to build a struggle perspective and develop strategies separate from the political agenda of the ALP. It is difficult to see how this could be done while the union leadership remains within the organisational framework of the ALP.
Another theme was the need to return to the basics — fighting for workers' rights. Building more community alliances to respond to the attacks would assist in reorienting unions towards the needs of workers and the broader community, the seminar was told.
Sharkey, in a warning clearly directed at deregistered Builders' Labourers' Federation (BLF) members, spoke of the inherent dangers of the CFMEU becoming "too radical".
George warned that the government's changes to superannuation laws would trigger widespread industrial action. She also detailed the essential components of a strong union: rank and file involvement at all levels; democracy; proper workplace representations; and "colour and movement" to attract new members.