Liam Mitchell
A series of delegates' meetings across Sydney approved a Unions NSW resolution calling for a rally in Blacktown, in western Sydney, on June 28, the national day of action called by the Australian Council of Trade Unions. The resolution also projected a marginal seats campaign to get the federal ALP elected as a central part of the campaign against Work Choices, and committed Unions NSW to support two further national days of action, in November and next April.
Unions NSW initially opposed any rallies on June 28. Earlier this month, however, a compromise was reached between Unions NSW and a handful of unions that had been pushing for a rally in central Sydney to hold one in Blacktown, one of five marginal seats in NSW.
Socialist Alliance members and other unionists launched a campaign at the May 7 Sydney May Day rally calling on Unions NSW to organise a second rally in central Sydney on July 28 in order to maximise the turnout on the day. The proposal received considerable support from delegates at the meetings where it was presented, but was vigorously opposed by most union leaderships.
Unions NSW officials at all but a couple of the meetings declared that they would not accept amendments to the official resolution, or any other motions. The Unions NSW resolution was put through the meetings after discussion periods in which many delegates demanded more action from the union bodies.
At a meeting of 700 delegates in Sydney city on May 18, the state secretaries of three blue-collar unions called for unity behind the Unions NSW proposal, with MUA secretary Robert Coombes saying that the decision to hold only a Blacktown rally had been made, despite delegates not yet having voted, and it was up to everyone to support it. Following sometimes heated debate in which supporters of the proposal for a second rally had to battle to be allowed to speak, and despite a substantial minority of the meeting supporting the second rally proposal, the Unions NSW resolution was rammed through.
Similar discussions took place at smaller meetings in Sydney's west and south-west. At meetings in Penrith, Blacktown and Parramatta, officials refused to allow the proposal for a second rally in the city to be put to a vote.
In Cambelltown, however, a motion for a second rally was put to the 70 delegates present. Dick Nichols reports that the chair, Unions NSW director of organising Adam Kerslake, argued against a second rally on June 28, including saying it was a safe Labor seat. However, under pressure from delegates who wanted to vote on the issue, he agreed that it could be taken as a separate motion after the Unions NSW resolution was adopted.
The motion for a second rally was lost, 21 votes to 25, but the discussion revealed disquiet with the state of the campaign against Work Choices, in particular its reliance in NSW on the marginal seats campaign. One delegate stated that unless the union movement piled on the protest action, the campaign against Work Choices would just disappear from the headlines. A Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union member, contesting the chair's assertion that the Blacktown-only rally decision had been unanimously adopted by Unions NSW affiliates, said: "Nobody asked us. We're the union, yet the officials just go over our heads."
In Lismore, 40 people attended the delegates meeting on May 16, principally members of the NSW Teachers Federation, Australian Services Union and Health Services Union.
Nick Fredman reports that the meeting was happy to hear additional motions moved by Socialist Alliance members, despite a directive from Unions NSW that the official resolution could not be amended, and unanimously agreed that a march and rally be held in Lismore on June 28.
Motions calling on Unions NSW to call a stop-work on June 28 and hold rallies in all appropriate centres, including central Sydney, were lost, 11 votes to 15, with those voting in favour including the main activists in the Northern Rivers Unionist Network.
Bea Bleile reports from Armidale that the delegates' meeting there on May 16 was kicked off with a statement from the chair that no amendments to the Unions NSW resolution would be allowed, but that delegates could move other motions afterwards.
Following the unanimous adoption of the Unions NSW resolution, and discussion about the activities surrounding the second visit to Armidale on July 6 of the Unions NSW "orange bus", a motion stating, "We support the Blacktown protest, but believe that all Sydney workers should have an opportunity to rally against Work Choices on June 28. We therefore call on Unions NSW to also organise a rally and march in central Sydney on June 28" was adopted, with 16 of the 24 delegates in favour.
The meeting decided to hold a rally in Armidale on June 28, with the details to be decided by Unions Armidale.
Ruth Ratcliffe reports that up to 300 delegates and union activists from a wide range of unions attended the delegates' meeting in Newcastle on May 16.
The chair, Newcastle Trades Hall Council (NTHC) secretary Gary Kennedy, explained the plans for June 28 in Newcastle, specifically a meeting at Newcastle Panthers, which has maximum capacity of about 3000. Prior to the meeting, AMWU organisers and delegates had told Green Left Weekly about the possibility of a rally at the Energy Australia Stadium, which seats 26,000.
Contributions from the floor stressed the importance of delegates mobilising their workplaces for June 28 to ensure that each union protest is bigger than the last. However, Kennedy hinted that no march would be held, saying, "There's nowhere to march to, there aren't any Liberal offices".
The chair attempted to deny two delegates the right to address the meeting on the basis that they were Socialist Alliance members and had been distributing an amendment to the official motion. These members, a NSW Teachers Federation women's contact and a Rail, Tram and Bus Union workplace delegate, protested the attempt at censorship and managed to address their proposed amendments, which called on NTHC to form a local Your Rights at Work Committee that is open to all unionists and members of the community, for the June 28 rally platform to include rank-and-file speakers and for all unions to call stoppages on June 28 to enable the maximum participation of workers.
Following some debate, a motion to hear amendments to the official motion was lost.
Union activists will now turn their attention to building the June 28 rallies as large as possible. CFMEU state secretary Andrew Ferguson told the Sydney city delegates' meeting that there should be 50,000 union members out in Blacktown on June 28.
To help make that possible, Socialist Alliance unionists in Sydney are now calling on Unions NSW to put pressure on the state government, which has publicly declared its opposition to Work Choices, to schedule extra trains on June 28 and provide free transport to those attending the Blacktown rally.
From Green Left Weekly, May 24, 2006.
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