Reject Coalition's anti-union push: WA workers show the way
By Ana Kailis
PERTH — In 1995, when WA Coalition labour relations minister Graham Kierath tried to introduce the "second wave" of anti-union laws, the whole Coalition was keenly watching the process. Sure enough, and despite all the pre-election assurances otherwise, Peter Reith's new federal workplace relations bill followed similar lines. Now we have the "third wave" anti-union laws, taking up where the second wave left off. WA is again the testing ground: whatever Court, Kierath and Co. can force through here will be the foundation of the next attack on workers in every part of the country.
Fortunately, the business sector and its parliamentary mates are not the only ones able to follow an example — we can too, and in WA unions are providing a good one.
The original aim of the "second wave" bill was to prevent workers organising by criminalising much union activity (such as entering work sites to check time and wage records), making secret ballots compulsory and forcing workers onto individual contracts with much worse conditions.
The fact that the "third wave" bill is so similar is a reminder that in 1995 WA unions led a campaign that largely defeated the "second wave". We are now in the middle of an even bigger fight to beat the third wave.
The WA TLC has led a campaign amongst unionists that resulted in a massive street protest of around 30,000 people, combining civil disobedience with ongoing industrial action and rolling stoppages affecting every area of WA industry and services.
Unionists set up the workers' embassy opposite parliament, which has been a key focus. The parliamentary gallery was occupied for days, with the upper house driven from its chamber and forced to pass the bill in a back room. Public opinion remains strong, and union solidarity and activity have been given a tremendous boost.
How was all this achieved? Simply by union leaderships taking the lead, getting on the road, organising mass meetings, explaining the legislation and the need to fight it. In many cases, the proposals for industrial action that followed came from the floor of the meeting, from the workers rather than the union officials.
Seamus Doherty, assistant secretary of the WA CEPU Plumbing Division, and a leading activist in the campaign, explains: "One thing that differed from the 'second wave' campaign was a clear call from the delegates against compromises — Kierath and Court were only pretending to negotiate, only making semantic changes. The message came loud and clear that the bill had to be killed or replaced."
Doherty continued: "I don't think we could have stopped them ramming it through parliament in the way they did. We saw the knife being put into democracy. We have to publicise that, use this opportunity to build a good working-class consciousness, a good working-class trade union movement. Union membership and awareness are rising; people are seeing us as protectors of democracy and community standards."
So what about the campaign from here? According to Doherty, "I don't believe that the union movement was passive in the past, but I certainly believe we will be aggressive in the future. And I would suggest strongly that any Labor government needs to watch out as well, because we are becoming the voice of the people. All unions need to be congratulated on this fantastic process of solidarity. We don't have the constraints of the Accord any more and now we've learned to fight."
A delegates' mass meeting on June 4 voted for a minimum 24-hour stoppage and a "day of defiance" on June 26. WA TLC secretary Tony Cooke explains: "We want the focus to be on freedom and defiance — June 26th is the anniversary of the proclamation of the Freedom Charter in South Africa that was such a focus in that long struggle for freedom, defiance against injustice.
"Here it coincides with the end of the parliamentary period that rammed through this legislation — which attacks our freedom and which we have met, and will continue to meet with defiance."
The TLC plans a gathering at Parliament House with a reggae concert afterwards at the workers' embassy. No central march is being organised, but some unions are planning their own marches, from different points in the city and converging on parliament.
Cooke said, "Our aim is to encourage the community to express peaceful defiance, to join with the unions rather than be isolated".
Commenting on the 24-hour stoppage, Cooke continued: "This action is something we have put in place, but the government will trigger it — by arresting or jailing unionists, or something else that attacks us.
"Once that trigger happens, it's up to the individual unions what form the action takes — 24 hours all at once, on a particular day or over a number of days if it will maximise disruption in the particular sector. Chaos is better than organised madness."
Indications are that the day of defiance will be well attended, with strong support for the continuation of the campaign, as the next steps are discussed.
Anthony Benbow, a member of the WA CEPU (Electrical) State Executive and a Democratic Socialist Party activist, said: "The work we have put in has made this campaign a success, and that work needs to continue. Campaigns always go up and down, but I am concerned we are relying too much on responding to government 'triggers' and not setting our own agenda. Many charges have been laid, but how quickly will they go to court? Hamersley Iron sued four unions in 1992 and left the case sitting for years.
"Rank-and-file unionists are united and fired up — I think we need more delegates' mass meetings to make use of that fire and build it. Otherwise it will die away, and Court and Kierath will do all they can to help snuff it out."
Benbow pointed out that on June 17, the WA Chamber of Commerce and Industry publicly criticised Kierath for making comments that provoked some industrial action.
"That's a welcome sign of dissent amongst our enemies", said Benbow, "but it also reflects the fact that things were a bit slower in the last two weeks. The CCI obviously hopes that we're getting tired, and if they can keep Kierath quiet it will all blow over.
"That's a vain hope on their part: the mood of workers and the broader community means another burst of energy is inevitable. But we have to focus that energy through delegates' meetings, coordinate the industrial action to have maximum effect on the profits of industry, and the civil disobedience to gain the most positive publicity. Our chaos will be more effective if it's organised."