Pip Hinman
What do conservative church leaders, a couple of neoliberal economics editors and Green Left Weekly have in common? Warning against the disastrous effect of the federal Coalition government's new industrial relations agenda, misnamed WorkChoices, on working people's lives.
Archbishops George Pell and Philip Jensen, the Sydney Morning Herald's economic editor Ross Gittins and many others have joined trade unionists in criticising PM John Howard's plans to erode our weekends, remove penalty rates and rely on workers' ability to "bargain" individually with their bosses for decent pay and conditions. Individual workplace agreements (AWAs) are being presented as a choice: they are nothing of the sort.
For months now, Green Left Weekly has been concentrating on covering as much of the detail as is known of the anti-union laws. Just as importantly, we have been profiling the growing organisation among unions and the wider community to combat these attacks. We are helping build what we hope will be the biggest ever union and community protest on November 15.
Howard is attempting to smash not only unions, but any semblance of workplace organisation for seven or eight million Australians. He wants to decisively shift the balance of power in the workplace in favour of the bosses. And this at a time when employers' profit share is already the highest on record at 27.2% of GDP and workers' wages share is almost the lowest on record, at 53.2% of GDP.
We are now asking you to help us broaden our campaign against the attacks. On November 15, there will be community and trade union meetings, rallies and marches all around the country to protest these draconian laws (see <http://www.actu.asn.au/work_rights/get_involved/index.html> for details). Green Left Weekly's regular distributors cannot possibly cover all these locations. If you can help by taking a one-off bundle to one of these actions please get in touch with us. Ring our freecall number on 1800 634 206 if you can help.
Green Left Weekly is launching a special distribution appeal, starting this week and continuing until the end of the year, to introduce the paper to as many new folk — unionists and others — as possible.
There are many other things you can do to help get Green Left around. Why not take out a subscription for yourself or for a family member, a friend or colleague <http://www.greenleft.org.au/subscribe.htm>. You could arrange to have a regular bundle delivered to distribute at your local market, drop at your union office or local bookshop, as some Friends of GLW do now.
Each week we will also be bringing you stories about how supporters of the paper are helping get it around. If you have one, let me know at <piph@greenleft.org.au>.
From Green Left Weekly, October 26, 2005.
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