Union conference discusses fight-back strategies

November 17, 1993
Issue 

Justine Kamprad, Sydney

Some 120 delegates and observers gathered for the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union (AMWU) national conference in Sydney on July 23-27. The two main issues discussed were the strategy the union movement should adopt to fight the Howard government's new industrial relations system and what sort of industrial system the union movement should propose it be replaced with.

AMWU national secretary Doug Cameron told the delegates that the nationwide union rallies, including the most recent one on June 28, had been very successful. He said that "even the poll-driven section of the [union] movement — the ones that only look at how many points the ALP has in the opinion polls — are starting to see the value of the mass mobilisations".

However, there was no discussion about using mass industrial action in the campaign against Work Choices. The discussion about the campaign remained within the framework of re-electing the ALP at next year's federal elections.

Cameron told delegates that the Australian Council of Trade Unions had agreed to organise another two mass moblisations against Work Choices — one in November and another in April. There had been little disagreement in the ACTU with this proposal, he said.

Cameron was part of an ACTU delegation sent to investigate different IR systems in North America and Europe. In his report to the AMWU conference, he expressed a clear preference for a system that moved back towards sector-wide or industry-wide bargaining instead of the current enterprise-bargaining system.

Federal Labor leader Kim Beazley addressed the delegates on July 26. He spoke extensively about the use of 457 (long-stay) and 456 (short-stay) visas for guest workers. A large section of his speech was dedicated to discussing the 471 visa, which allows the employment of apprentices and trainees.

The AMWU's skills trades committee had already reported to the conference that the effect of 471 visas will be minimal, whereas the use of 456/457 visas to flood the labour market with non-unionised guest workers will represent a much greater problem for union organising.

The problem is that guest workers, unlike migrant workers who are permanent residents or citizens, don't have access to democratic rights, such as the right to join unions. Any guest workers who join unions get deported immediately, making it extremely hard for unions to enforce union pay and conditions for guest workers.

There was a lot of discussion about the super-exploitation of 456/457 visa holders, but no policies for organising these workers were adopted. However, all sections of the union were clear on condemning any xenophobia toward 456/457 visa holders.

Although Beazley condemned the Howard government's IR laws, he did not address the use of the welfare-to-work policies to create a pool of highly vulnerable workers. The conference passed a motion that the AMWU seek to include a demand for the welfare-to-work legislation to be repealed at all mobilisations against Howard's IR laws.

The conference delegates heard from Mal Peters, a Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union member and occupational health and safety delegate who is one of the 107 Western Australian construction workers facing fines of up to $28,600 for participating in a strike in February. The delegates voted to support a national day of solidarity action with the CFMEU workers on August 29.

The conference also adopted motions condemning Israel for its war crimes in Lebanon and calling on the Australian government to end mandatory detention of refugees.


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