Tristan,

While I admire your optimism, the efforts of yourself and other intelligentsia, but from where I stand, they have as much chance of saving Marxism's credibility as rearranging the deck chairs could have saved the Titanic.

The unions are deserted for various reasons, the most obvious is the rampant corruption, the inflexible and undemocratic structures of the unions. The damage this is doing to them and the ALP cannot be underestimated, however, what is far more damaging is the change in the nature of employment.

Most people are employed by small businesses or are self employed, and businesses are competing for skilled workers who can pick and choose employers and move at short notice. For this sector unions are largely irrelevant. Large industries are moving to having a small core work force with the majority of work being performed by contractors and subcontractors and potential union members are disappearing.

Labour is now skilled, flexible, and in demand and can largely can look after itself far better than the unions, which is why the youth eschew membership and as the older generation retires the numbers continue to drop. Unless the unions embrace reform, they too will go the way of the dinosaurs.

SM,
The means of production in the "knowledge economy" are available to anyone at next to no cost, for a few hundred dollars you can get a second hand laptop and a mobile phone and you're in business.
Trade secrets are available to all complete with instructional videos on Youtube and the relative cost of vehicles and hand tools has dropped drastically over the last 20 years.
My own work life and that of my tradesman peers could best be described as Anarcho-Syndicalist, I set the price of my labour and enter into temporary syndicates with other trades to complete jobs.

Jay ; How can women's liberation not be in the interests of women? ; And how can Internationalist solidarity not be in the interest of workers? Women workers still face disadvantage in the labour market because of an interrupted working life. Though you could forgive some working class women thinking other (bourgeois) women 'making it' in the corporate world is beside the point compared with their experiences and problems. Working class women need to be empowered through recognition of 'feminised' professions - and hence appropriate compensation.

Re: internationalism - a rebalance in the world economic order may disadvantage us (Australians) to a degree. But the bigger struggle is reaffirming global solidarity of labour, and of citizens. Overcome disadvantage from the mobility of capital with global solidarity of labour. That isn't against the interests of workers - white or otherwise. Its an old idea - but a very important idea. And it also requires a reaffirmation of labour organisation locally. Reclaiming industrial liberties would help. As would union leaderships who always put the members first.

As for 'social justice' 'not being in the interests of workers' ; Well we all might face obstacles in life. Social solidarity through universal social insurance and welfare is in all workers' interests assuming we get past the 'bourgeois programming' and realise it. A 'safety net' means workers can bargain without fear of utter destitution. And without fear for contingencies they have no control over

Shadow Minister; you're right that the 'new forms of investment' a Marxist by the name of Immanuel Wallerstein was talking about a couple of decades ago is disempowering organised labour and workers generally. At an industrial level anyway ; with the decline of mass production; Fordist work practices etc.

Though workers still hold leverage at several crucial economic conjunctures. (transport, education, communications, the docks) So if we overcame secondary boycott provisions and won industrial liberties back - a relative minority of organised workers could win gains for all of all. (assuming that had the consciousness and were organised) That's what I think we have to fight for. The danger is a US-style labour market where the working poor and the destitute at once provide for middle class living standards ; but also serve as a threat in order the discipline that middle class.

The political power of unions is a double edged sword. To begin, some strong Left unions provide the ALP with an interest in not moving so far too the Right as to end us with a US style labour market and health system. On the other hand - some union leaderships just see their members as a power base from which to secure careers, or influence policy. Now influencing policy I can understand - so long as the industrial interests of workers are not sold out. But the right-wing unions who would vote for further labour market deregulation - what the hell are they there for?

Without strong progressive movements, though, a US style scenario will just gain further traction. Which is against the interests of much of this country's population. If only the ALP could articulate that clearly and unequivocally.