So Rudd is Prime Minister
Now what do we do about our working conditions?
The ALP have said they won’t abolish Australian Workplace Agreements (AWAs) for five years and they won’t repeal Right of Entry laws that take away the rights of union officials to enter workplaces. The Coalition won’t lose control of the Senate until July 2008, which means the ALP might not seek to make changes until then.
When thousands of members of the Australian Nurses Federation recently went on strike over poor pay and conditions, they were given a standing ovation by hundreds of unionists as they entered Festival Hall. The State ALP government could not be seen as anti-worker so close to the election.
But overnight, the Federal ALP has inherited the job of administering WorkChoices. An ALP government will not mean that our bosses will negotiate with us workers collectively or reinstate entitlements that were lost when AWAs were introduced.
As workers concerned about the wages, conditions and entitlements of our fellow workers, we have a responsibility to take collective action and convince union leaders that it’s not okay to allow the ALP a honeymoon period while we are still being ripped off.
We won’t sit back and celebrate a change of political leaders when this has no concrete, positive impact on our lives.
Bullying, intimidation, unsafe conditions, low wages and the pairing back of entitlements are a daily reality for many workers. The Right of Entry laws introduced by the Coalition mean that employers decide at their own discretion whether or not union officials can inspect pay records and occupational health and safety practices on site. The fact that the ALP won’t repeal these laws means they need to be pressured as directly as possible. We can’t expect change, we must fight for it.
Organising in our workplaces
If you are on an AWA or facing poor conditions at work and are not confident that your union leaders will push a Rudd government to make changes, here are some tips for organising in your workplace and in your local community:
Call a meeting to specifically discuss solutions to the problems you face around pay, conditions and entitlements in your workplace. Make sure that every one has an equal voice and opportunity in your meeting and that people feel empowered to take action. Get to know the different groups of workers in your workplace, the locations and the shifts they work.
List your demands. What are the specific issues around poor conditions, wages and entitlements that you need changed? Devise a timeline for how each one can be addressed and tell the union delegate in your workplace (if you have one) that you wish this to be taken seriously.
Have good communication and work collectively. Have a phone tree, email list and regular meetings that don’t waffle on. Rotate responsibilities so that not just one person does all the work.
Tell everyone! Use the resources you have to get support and raise community awareness of the changes you wish to be made and why. Have a rally outside your workplace and give information to other nearby workers about what you are doing.
Take Direct Action
If your demands are not acted upon, don’t sit back and wait for things to change or for the central union leadership to pressure your boss. In every workplace there are specific things that can be done that will get results.
Identify management’s weak spots and utilise them to your advantage.
• Eg. Co-ordinate ‘go-slow’ days. Every now and then people have ‘off days’.
Your boss is likely to notice when you are demanding workplace changes at the same time as holding up business as usual.
• Eg. Use the media. In the aftermath of the election, the media will be looking for stories about workplace changes under Rudd.
Bosses are susceptible to bad publicity and it will boost the confidence of those you work with if people take notice of your legitimate concerns.
• Eg. Do a bit of research as to what organisations would support you. There are plenty of people that will be happy to express their solidarity with you.
For instance, us! This way both your boss and union delegates will feel the pressure more strongly.
IR laws are worse for young people and women.
The ALP are well aware that women and young people are worse off under WorkChoices. But this inequality will only be eliminated through political pressure.
Many women workers are already in casual jobs receiving less pay than their fellow male workers. Many women workers in the textile, clothing and footwear industry receive between $3 & $5 per hour.
“Youth Wages” mean that employers can lawfully discriminate against people under 21 years of age by paying them less than the minimum wage.
Gillard has not said she will repeal youth wages, so apprentices, trainees and young people working in fast food and hospitality, etc cannot expect wage parity without a fight.
Workplace action is the key
Most of us spend a significant portion of our lives at work, even though we often wish we didn’t have to. In the absence of fighting unions, we must respect ourselves as workers more than ever and send a message to our bosses, to the union leaders and to the Rudd government that we will not tolerate poor working conditions.
"It was a woman who drove me to drink...and I never had the decency to write and thank her." - W. C. Fields http://iamawobbly.multiply.com/
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