John Gauci, Sydney
The NSW Teachers Federation has become the first union in the state to call for Unions NSW — the new name of the NSW Labor Council — to organise a mass delegates/union representatives meeting to plan a mass union protest against the Howard government's planned anti-union industrial relations "reforms".
On March 12, the Teachers Federation's state council voted unanimously for a plan of protest action, including major rallies. The call for a mass delegates' meeting was an amendment to the motion and was also supported unanimously.
Some officials were unsure of whether to support the amendment until they heard that the Victorian Trades Hall Council was already organising a cross-union delegates' meeting in Melbourne.
The state council also voted to maximise attendance by teachers at the May Day march this year. Teachers Federation president Maree O'Halloran argued that the May Day march would be the first visible sign of defiance against Howard's planned anti-union laws. If there wasn't a good attendance at May Day, she argued, it would be a signal that the union movement doesn't have the will to fight.
The theme for the May Day march and rally this year is "Build the united front — struggle for workers' rights".
In her report to the state council meeting, O'Halloran said that while the union supported the campaign to retain state industrial relations systems, NSW government teachers had often fared badly from the NSW Industrial Relations Commission. Usually, Halloran said, NSW teachers had had to rely on their own industrial strength, rather than the commission, to get results.
NSW teachers will begin their next pay campaign in December when their current agreement expires.
O'Halloran said that she thought the union would be at the forefront of attacks from the Howard government because of its record as one of the most militant unions in NSW.
The union is also planning to organise Sky Channel-linked meetings of members around the state to discuss the campaign against Howard's anti-union attacks.
A debate erupted at the state council over the leadership's proposal to cut the number of state council meetings from eight to six per year. A decision was postponed until the annual conference later in the year.
The council also discussed campaigning against the Howard government's plans to establish private technical colleges to compete with and replace TAFE colleges. As well as undermining the publicly funded TAFE colleges, the private colleges would undermine teachers' wages and conditions, with teachers being put on performance-based pay. Consequently, teachers performing the same work will receive different rates of pay. This is just a step away from introducing individual contracts.
From Green Left Weekly, March 23, 2005.
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