Paul Oboohov, Canberra
Members of the Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU) are currently debating the future direction of the union in response to yet another round of proposed restructuring.
Under the proposal, decision-making power will be further centralised in the hands of the CPSU national officials. The restructure proposal includes an option for only two elected salaried national officials (five others to be unpaid) who will appoint all other union staff, as well as doing away with regional councils.
Regional councils are the last forum, outside of the national council held once a year, where union-wide issues can be raised and debated at a regional/city level.
It is also proposed that CPSU national secretary will control all campaigns and regional industrial disputes.
The proposed restructure — the fourth in the last decade — is set to be finalised at the March 18-20 CPSU national council meeting.
In 1997 the union was restructured into individual government agency-based sections to accommodate enterprise bargaining. Since then, state branches have been abolished and replaced with relatively powerless regional councils, and a layer of divisional secretaries imposed on groups of similar industry agencies. The result has been widening differences of pay and conditions across departments.
Lacking the democracy and spirit to fight attacks like some other unions, CPSU membership has continued to fall — by 7% since 2000.
The new restructure proposal — pushed by CPSU national secretary Adrian O'Connell and his supporters — is being justified on the basis of the membership recruitment crisis, and a need for unity as the union movement faces a more hostile legislative environment after July 1, when the Coalition parties win control of the Senate.
The rank-and-file union activist network Members First is opposing the restructure on the grounds that it makes the union's national officers less accountable.
Members First has issued an open letter to O'Connell raising serious concerns with the proposed restructuring. The open letter calls on the union's national council to postpone the decision on structural change until there has been a thorough discussion among the CPSU members, and for a national plebiscite of the entire membership to determine whether such fundamental changes should go ahead. The open letter seeks endorsement of CPSU delegates and members, and is available at <http://www.users.bigpond.com/membersfirst>.
Members First has also produced a leaflet that accuses the union leadership of caving in to a form of US-style "business unionism" that will further sap the union's strength. The leaflet argues that democracy is not just about electing leaders, but about the active involvement of the membership in the union's decision-making processes. Without such active involvement, Members First argues, the union will be much less able to mobilise large numbers of the membership in struggle, thus weakening its industrial strength.
To contact Members First, email <membersfirst@bigpond.com>.
From Green Left Weekly, March 9, 2005.
Visit the Green Left Weekly home page.