The "second wave" must be defeated

The government’s proposals would make legal strikes extremely difficult. They would require the Industrial Relations Commission to order industrial action to cease within 48 hours, if it has not been through the required process. And they would demand a slow secret postal ballot process before legal industrial action can be taken.

Reith’s plan would also make it harder for unions to recruit and represent workers, by limiting the right of officials to enter premises, and by requiring employers to act against "closed shops" — defined as 60% union membership. It would further promote the use of AWAs or Certified Agreements to divide and rule workers.

It can be defeated

Millions of workers understand that the gap between rich and poor is widening, and that this government serves the rich. Its GST, its blatant attempt to help Patrick’s organise scab labour to smash the Maritime Union, its arrogance on native title and the stolen generation, have branded the government for what it is. If it still seems strong, it is only because we, the labour movement, are still on our knees.

But not by polite pressure on the Democrats!

The Democrats helped through Reith’s "first wave" of anti-union legislation and the GST. No-one can trust them on the "second wave".

On 9 July the ACTU said it welcomed the Democrats’ "claims that they will reject Peter Reith’s amendments… unless they are substantially amended". The ACTU also says that it would prefer the Democrats to "just say no". But to focus on pressing the Democrats to use their swing vote in the Senate is to aim not to stop the legislation, but only to take off some of the rough edges.

"Box clever now, fight later" is no answer when the union movement faces wave after wave of restrictive laws. Each wave of restrictive laws makes it harder to fight the next one. The sooner the union movement draws a line and starts a fight to win, the better. Our sights should be set, not just on limiting the "second wave", but on forcing an incoming Labor government, after the defeat of this Coalition government, to repeal Reith’s "first wave" and the laws against solidarity strike action.

Mass action is possible

80,000 workers turned out in Melbourne on 12 August to protest against the "second wave". In 1995 mass action by unions in Western Australia pushed back a "second wave" of anti-union laws there. Where the union movement mobilised strongly, the response was strong. There can be a big turnout in other states too — given initiative and effort.

Between 1994 and 1997, mass political strikes mobilised millions of workers, and often forced important concessions from governments, in France, South Korea, and many other countries where the trade union movement is mostly much weaker than in Australia. Why not here?

The mass support for Maritime Union picket lines last year shows that working-class solidarity is very far from dead. It cannot be switched on like an electric light by committee decisions in union offices. But it can be built up by active and confident campaigning. Millions will respond if they see that they’re not up against the government and the system on their own — if they see organisations with some clout and vigour starting a serious battle.

Build up the campaign!

The government will not back down unless it knows it will face escalating action by the unions. And unions cannot continue to mobilise their members without also building a growing that we will fight and win. One-off token rallies will not win. We believe the current round of rallies should be taken as the start of a campaign, to build up through publicity, meetings, rallies, stunts, and stoppages — to full-scale nationwide strike action if necessary.

The Brisbane "Defend Our Unions Committee" was set up in 1998 to promote support for the locked-out Maritime Union members.

Contact us:/e-mail martin@workersliberty.org'Melissa, 3371 0797.

Model motion

Use or adapt this text for your union branch:

"We welcome the ACTU's decision to call mass rallies in protest at the Coalition government's new wave of industrial relations legislation. In view of the Democrats’ record on the GST and Reith's previous wave of anti-strike legislation, we believe that the union campaign against this new legislation should not and cannot be limited to pressuring the Democrats against it in the Senate. We endorse the ACTU's judgement that to defeat this legislation is a matter of life and death for effective trade unionism. Since there is no real democracy for the working class with out effective trade unionism, it is a matter of life and death for democracy to defeat the legislation. We consider it vital that the August rallies be the start, not the end, of the campaign.

We call on the ACTU and the union leaders to organise a special conference of the union movement to debate and decide a thoroughgoing campaign. In our view this campaign must include a big publicity effort, mass demonstrations, and protest strikes in defiance of the existing law, including a national 24 hour strike. The union movement must be prepared to escalate its action, education and mobilising its members and the wider working class as it goes, as far as it takes to defeat the legislation and restore effective trade union rights. Locally, we call on the Queensland Council of Unions and individual unions to convene regular mass delegates’ meetings to discuss and develop the campaign.

We call on the ALP to represent the interests of the union movement on which it is based, by using its strength in the House of Representatives and the Senate to speak out against and obstruct this legislation to the greatest extent possible, and to pledge now that the next federal Labor government will repeal all the Coalition government's anti-union laws".