By Russell Pickering
CANBERRA — The ACT Trades and Labor Council completed its Politics in the Pub seminars on September 16 with a discussion about "globalisation" and its impact on working people.
More than 80 people heard Doug Cameron, national secretary of the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union, debate Rick Kuhn, from the International Socialists.
Both speakers agreed on the devastating effect of globalisation on workers, through privatisation, massive wage cuts and other economic rationalist policies.
There was some disagreement on how to counter these effects. Cameron argued that the way forward was to build the left of the ALP, unite all the victims of globalisation under its banner and introduce pro-worker policies through a left Labor government.
Kuhn, too, argued that a victory for the ALP in the October election would be a "victory for the working class", but said that the main struggle against big business attacks must be led by organised workers. This led to much debate in discussion time.
The Democratic Socialists' candidate for Fraser, Sue Bull, said that globalisation was no more than the capitalist class attempting to resolve its crises by increasing the exploitation of the working class.
"To fight back", she said, "we need to unite all the victims, not under the hegemony of pro-capitalist parties like the ALP, but under the banner of putting people before profits and putting the workers in control of society."