The Socialist Alliance NSW released the statement below on February 29.
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The Socialist Alliance NSW condemns the latest step in the attacks on NSW public sector workers and their unions, announced by Premier Barry O’Farrell on February 23.
O’Farrell used question time to announce that he intends to introduce a bill to NSW parliament on March 6, which will increase penalties for industrial action in defiance of Industrial Relation Commission orders, or “wildcat strikes”.
The penalties will rise from $10,000 a day for a first “offence” to $110,000 a day. The new penalty for a “repeat offence” would be $220,000 a day.
Details are still vague, but it is clear from O’Farrell’s comments in parliament that the bill is clearly aimed at curbing the fightback by public sector unions against the Coalition government’s attacks on NSW teachers, nurses, firefighters and public service employees.
As part of his industrial relations bill, O’Farrell intends to change the law to allow the state government to sack public servants who are now designated as surplus to requirement, but who are filling temporary positions across the NSW public service while waiting for permanent roles.
Last year, TAFE and school teachers took stop work action — as part of the campaign with other public sector employees — against O’Farrell’s 2.5% pay rise cap. The teachers bravely defied an order by the NSW Industrial Relations Commission to cease their industrial action.
These new laws are designed to cripple the New South Wales Teachers’ Federation, along with nurses, firefighters and other public service employee unions should they dare defy orders to protect their members' pay and conditions, and to protect services.
At the same time as O’Farrell has unions in his sights, he is happily governing on behalf of the corporate elite — selling off chunks of NSW public assets and outsourcing public services to the private sector. Rail services, including the Illawarra and Eastern Suburbs lines, have been targeted for possible privatisation.
Along with the desalination plant at Kurnell, the management of Sydney Ferries and Port Botany, the O’Farrell government intends to sell the state’s electricity generators. If O’Farrell succeeds, his move will leave the Snowy hydro as the last electricity generator in public hands.
A statewide campaign of opposition is needed in the lead up to March 6. Unions within and outside the public sector need to unite with the community to oppose these laws. After all, they are intended to undermine the struggle to save jobs and protect essential public services and public assets for the people of NSW.
All public sector unions in NSW should take a leaf out of the book of NSW teachers and follow the example of Victorian nurses, who are defying Fair Work Australia to protect jobs and to defend safe nurse-to-patient ratios.
