Student strike sets example to unions

Student strike sets example to unions

In a magnificent display of conscience, irreverence and determination, more than 30,000 students — largely from state and private high schools — took to the streets around the country on March 5 demanding the government listen to their “Books not bombs!" message.

An elderly US bystander in Sydney was reduced to tears as the highly spirited marchers sprinted past her. She said hadn't seen scenes like these since the movement against the Vietnam War.

The numbers attending the March 5 Books not Bombs rallies far exceeded the anti-racist strikes organised by high school students against Pauline Hanson and John Howard several years ago.

While some of the corporate media, such as the Sydney Daily Telegraph, tried to whip up hostility to the student strike, these attempts failed. This is because the strike was supported by a broad cross section of society including parents, some teachers and principals and most anti-war groups.

Unfortunately, while some trade unions passed motions in support of the action, and many teachers said they would not penalise students for attending the protests, little practical assistance was offered. The exceptions were the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union in Victoria, which sent a delegation from building sites in the city to participate in the Melbourne strike, and the Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous Workers Union and the National Tertiary Education Industry Union at Wollongong University.

Students are now preparing for another anti-war strike on March 26. They will again be approaching unions for support. If today's students — who will be tomorrow's workers — are to see any value in joining unions, then the unions have to demonstrate in a practical way what solidarity means.

It's clear that union leaderships have a mandate to act — union members would have made up a considerable number of the protesters at the massive, nation-wide, anti-war rallies over the February 14-16 weekend.

For too long, union leaderships have recoiled from taking a stand on some of the big social justice issues of the day — particularly those likely to cause the ALP some embarrassment. This has been a contributing factor to unions' decline in numbers and influence.

But the mass opposition to the war on Iraq gives union leaderships a chance to reverse this. While some unions are planning protest action on the day bombing starts and have urged their members to join the anti-war movement, in general the response from union leaderships has been to follow — in some cases grudgingly — behind mass sentiment rather than lead it.

Most of the high school students who marched on March 5 had their parents' permission to follow their consciences. Union leaders should also be urging their members to leave work to follow theirs.

Unions WA, the Geelong Trades and Labor Council and the Victorian Trades Hall Council are promoting a series of protest activities when the war starts — including encouraging workers walking off the job. The ACT TLC has endorsed a protest initiated by ACT NOW, the Canberra-based anti-war coalition, for March 23-24 at Parliament House.

But the NSW Labor Council — operating in the state in which the biggest peace march on February 16 and the biggest student march on March 5 took place — is holding a “wear an anti-war badge” day on March 14 instead!

The NSW Labor Council is not supporting any action which promotes unionists stopping work to attend anti-war protest rallies. It is even discouraging unionists from attending the protest at Parliament House in Canberra.

The March 24 action coincides with the last sitting week before the budget is bought down in May. Parliament only sits for 11 days in March.

ACT NOW called the two-day protest to allow people from all over the country the opportunity to take their anti-war message directly to the government. Anti-war MPs will be encouraged to join the rally on the Parliament House lawns.

The reluctance on the part of some union leaders to take direct action or to support others who are prepared to, such as the students on March 5, will not help their struggle for members and greater relevance.

Union leaderships would do well to learn from their counterparts overseas. For example, the public sector workers' union, affiliated to the CGIL, the Italian trade union confederation, has called a general strike across the public sector for March 15.

Young people have set an important benchmark. The March 5 protests were organised across the country with little or no resources and assistance from potential allies like the unions which have plenty. Unions have a responsibility — and another chance — to support students and young people again on March 26. Let's make sure that they do.

From Green Left Weekly, March 12, 2003.
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