By Ray Fulcher and Jason Cheng
MELBOURNE — The Victorian Trades Hall Council's February 17-21 Jobs and Justice campaign flopped badly. A series of suburban meetings on unemployment attracted miserable crowds of between 15 and 40, and a decision to have three sectoral rallies meant than none of them was very big.
The building sector turned out about 1000 on February 19, but manufacturing and services could manage only 150, and a dismal 200 showed up for what was expected to be the major rally on February 21.
This was not surprising given the totally inadequate demands and the failure of the Trades Hall leadership to actively build the campaign in the labour movement and among the unemployed. Many shop stewards were never informed of the rally, and one of the few who did find out told Green Left that he was advised by telephone only the day before the "week of action". Even at Springvale, where 1800 workers lost their jobs in the recent Nissan closure, the public meeting attracted only 40 people.
But even if the THC had gone looking for rank and file support, it's unlikely that many would have been enthused about an event called by people who've delivered little but job losses, pay cuts and worsening conditions over the past decade.
Trades Hall's demands were for a $3 billion government spending package (trimmed to $2 billion in John Halfpenny's speech to the February 19 rally), protection of domestic industry, and more government intervention in markets and industry. While such proposals would make some difference, they are well short of the emergency measures demanded by a 10.3% overall unemployment rate, let alone rates of up to 40% among youth and migrants.
With a state election looming later this year, Halfpenny called on the government to become a "real Labor government". Meanwhile, the workers of Victoria are still waiting for a real campaign for jobs.