Sausages sizzle as families rally for a fair deal

campaign
campaign
Sausages sizzle as families rally for a fair deal
F
OR a minute, it looked like John Howard’s devious plan might succeed. When
he urged the nation to pray for rain — and the heavens duly opened over
Melbourne ­— it was a clear ploy to rain on the parade of campaigners against
his IR laws.
But after a day of downpours, the skies cleared and the sun shone on families and friends on a baking autumn Sunday as they gathered at the Myer Music
Bowl to show they weren’t letting up the fight for their rights at work.
A more low-key event than last year’s MCG rally, it was marked not by firebrand speeches but by music, comedy, face-painting and puppet shows.
Mary Bluett, AEU branch president said: “There’s a good family atmosphere,
and once again AEU members are well represented.
“We’ve got to keep up the momentum. We need to show that this campaign is
not going to go away. It’s continually at the top of polling when people are asked
Sue Nulty, Pascoe Vale Girls Secondary
College and Russell Edis, RMIT
Russell: “Our charges won’t get the benefits
we’ve had, like long service leave, sick leave, holidays. We’ve come through the education system
in halcyon days, when education was free and we
had a relatively mild industrial climate. Young folk
aren’t going to get that. It’s changing the whole
fabric of society.”
Sue: “I’m worried about the generation coming
up. They won’t have the same protections we
have. The gap between the haves and have-nots
is everywhere you look.
“People talk about work/family balance but
it’s really just lip service. They’re not getting the
balance to make it possible.”
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aeu news | may 2007
what concerns them about the Howard Government.”
The AEU pitched its tent overlooking the Myer Music Bowl and attracted a
steady stream of members.
Many said they were there not for themselves but to keep the campaign going for their students and their own families and friends.
Howard’s deceptively-named Work Choices laws have stripped almost 4 million workers of protection from unfair dismissal, and made it easy for employers
to force staff onto AWAs — individual contracts that in almost all cases have
stripped away long-held rights such as penalty rates and leave loading.
With a general election due later this year, 2007 will in one way or another
prove a watershed in Australian industrial relations. But there was concern
among some members that if we fail in our fight against Howard’s laws, the next
generation might not even know what it has lost.
Russell Edis, who works in TAFE at RMIT, said: “(It’s like) corporate history
— when you get rid of the older folk, all their knowledge goes out the door. It’s
Michelle Eastwood, Newcomb Secondary
College (with her sons L-R Zach and
Nathan — enjoying funfair rides and the
climbing wall)
“We’re having a family day — it’s good to show
the kids that they shouldn’t just put up with
things from the Government. If you don’t agree
with something, you should protest against it.
“I don’t like the fact that they’re taking away
the unfair dismissal laws. People need security
and I don’t like the fact that they’ve taken away
the public holidays and the pay rights that
were enshrined in law so that people couldn’t
be forced to work on public holidays without
overtime rates.”
Rebecca Woodward, Wedge Park Primary
School, Melton
“It not only affects myself and the children I teach,
but my family and friends. I think the laws are pretty
unfair. Some people are lucky and can get a good
deal for themselves; some people are very unlucky.”
the same with the industrial laws.” Future workers wouldn’t know their predecessors used to enjoy rights such as overtime pay, sick pay or family leave.
“We know what we’re losing,” Sue Nulty, at the event with Russell, agreed.
She wondered how many teenagers were signing individual contracts without
getting advice from their parents or teachers. “They think it’s the norm.”
Teacher Rhonda Marks echoed that fear. “I think the message (about the IR
laws) is reaching people of our age. But a lot of young people don’t realise the
impact these laws are going to have on their careers.”
She said her daughter was entering a career in the health service, and faced
complete uncertainty about how many holidays she would get or the entitlements she would enjoy.
On stage, in between appearances from stars such as Play School’s Brooke
Satchwell, and passionate performances from local bands including The Conch
and Carus and the True Believers, there were reminders why we were there.
One call centre worker who had seen a colleague commit suicide after
L-R: Rhonda Marks, Sydenham Hillside Primary
School, and Arcangela Gaicobbe and Kay
Shields, St Albans Primary School
Rhonda: “We’d like to have our voice back as a union.
We want to have the right to go on stopwork if we
choose. We fought for 30 years to get rights for teachers and we don’t want to see them eroded now.”
Arcangela: “There are very simple issues that we
can’t get solved because the leadership decides
they’re not important. How can teachers negotiate
individual contracts when they can’t even get simple
problems solved?”
increasing stress at work, and a child-care worker who talked of escalating
workloads illustrated the harsh reality of life under the new laws.
And Brian Boyd, secretary of Victorian Trades Hall Council, which organised
the event, delivered a brief but passionate speech.
“It’s very important that we keep the campaign going, alive and well,” he told
the crowds.
“John Howard says the unions are trying to turn the clock back and that
unions want to take the country backwards. But he’s the one that’s taking the
country backwards … He’s the one that wants to turn this place into a
jingoistic, racist country, not a forward-looking country.
“The IR laws are a case in point of how he wants to break this country up …
we should reject John Howard’s view of where Australia is going and get rid of
him at the next general election.”◆
L-R Danielle North, Roxburgh College and
Nick Stebbing, Bayside College
Nick: “We just want to make sure that we get
counted. These laws say that workers are in the
service of business rather than the other way
round.”
Danielle: “We want to make sure that Howard gets
voted out at the next election. These laws are taking
control away from people.”
John Exton, Heathmount East Primary
School with daughter Katie
“I object to the undemocratic style of these
laws. They seem deliberately constructed to
scare workers into acquiescing with everything
their employers want from them. The lack of
unfair dismissal laws in particular smacks of
intimidation. It places workers in an invidious
situation.”
PHOTOS: NIc baRNARD & DENIS EVANS
Nic Barnard AEU News
Kay: “We want our children to be treated fairly and
justly when they start working.”
www.aeuvic.asn.au
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