Attack on unions heats up in Australia

World Combined Sources

Through long years of hard struggle Australian workers were able to win social and economic gains that made the power of the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) the envy of workers in the capitalist world.

But that was before Corporate Australia decided to take them down a notch and enlisted the present government to do the job. Although the ACTU has been able to withstand the first two years of the attack, the war continues as Australians gear up for the next national election.

The present government, led by Prime Minister John Howard and Labor Minister Peter Reith, have proposed a number of "reforms" that will, among other things, require a secret ballot election before a strike can be called; strip long service leave and other workers' entitlements from contracts; outlaw sympathy strikes; and allow individual agreements to override contracts agreements.

Even where the union won an enterprise agreement, the employer would still be able to sign up individual workers on secret agreements. Nor would they have to offer identical contracts to comparable employees, leaving the way open for all sorts of intimidation, harassment, victimization and favoritism.

The aim of the program, mis-named "More Jobs, Better Pay," is to give employers the maximum flexibility and freedom to dictate wages and conditions and to maximize the exploitation of workers and, thus, increase profits.

Before a legal strike could be initiated, it would be compulsory to hold a secret mail ballot of members. The government would oversee the process, decide whether the ballot should proceedand what questions to include on the ballot.

Employers would have speedy access to court injunctions and immediate access (at present there is a 72-hour delay) to tort actions to sue workers, union officials and unions under which unions would face huge fines and individuals the loss of their homes and savings.

There are many other provisions in the package, including unfair dismissal laws, starvation wages for young workers and the exclusion of independent contractors from regulation as employees.

"There is no room for complacency or tinkering with the fine detail. They must be defeated," Peter Symon, an Australian labor leader, said. "This is neo-fascist legislation and it lays bare the vicious anti-worker outlook of the ... government and the big corporations that they represent."