We need democratic unions

By: willy*bach (Registered ) on 18-10-2007 04:14

Thanks to Kiley Gaffney for a well reasoned article and Deb A's comments.  
 
The Howard government is pretty desperate and doesn't have many more tricks. Unfortunately all they have is tricks - and bribery. They have no vision for a more equitable society – only an ideology of harsher, more punitive controls on your rights at work. 
 
Joe Hockey has slipped up today and told the ABC he sees “essentially no roll for unions”. So, a newly elected Howard government would be eager to find new ways to discourage union membership, to choke unions and to limit their ability to operate. Peter Costello has already told us he expects to see (eventually) that 100% of workers will be denied unfair dismissal provisions. Are you scared yet? You should be! 
 
It gets worse! A Rudd Labor government intends to keep most of the worst parts of Worst Choices. This includes the requirement that employers are told which of their staff had the temerity to make an appointment to see a union official at the workplace. Whilst I would not support bullying by union bosses, I suspect that there are a few employers who have been doing their share of bullying. The union leaders who have joined Mr Rudd's front bench will be as outspoken about travesties like this as Peter Garrett is on the environment. 
 
Now we are justifiably scared of losing all of our rights at work we can laugh at John Howard's 1950's style scare campaign and start asking the Labor Party why their IR policy is nowhere near as fair as the Greens policy. 
 
http://qld.greens.org.au/ election2007/policy-documents/ Greens%20PolicySnapshot.pdf/ view - see page 5 for fair workplaces. 
 
Willy Bach 
Greens candidate for Griffith

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