I take offence at Belly's ongoing disparaging remarks concerning the 'left'. Please explain what the 'left' consists off in your worldly mind. If it consists of people opposed to characters like Shorten, Smith, Swan et al then i am a crazy lefty.
The aforementioned characters have one policy. They would like Howard,Costello,Abbott, et al jobs. Belly i know your not a bad person, but you really need to broaden your political horizon,beyond your AWU training courses and monthly journals.

hedgehog,
That's for bloody sure mate, he is a good apple in a bad bunch, but has been so brainwashed, he can't see the forest for the trees. If workers stand up for themselves, he has been brainwashed to think that we are "crazy lefties" I nearly pucked when I saw Bill Shorten of TV comforting the miners families in Tassie. If the union had been doing it's job, it would have reported safety concerns, so he was as much to blame as the company. He even described what the company was going to do to rescue the 2 survivors for the company, that spoke volumes for me, I was disgusted.

I am 60 years of age the son of a railway fettler and the eldest survivor of 16 kids.
My trade unionist dad often sat hungry at one end of the table while my mum did the same at the other so we could eat.
We did have one great food in abundance ,hope and dreams of a stable ALP goverment.
I grew up full of dreams of the left they got shattered over and over again, I was an active union delgate long before my time as an oficial.
No one can tell me my age or low social standing makes my views wrong, my spelling and grama or lack of it come from big country family illness.
That is leaveing school to help feed my brothers and sisters, one day after we all are, gone ALL UNIONS will again understand only the best may serve members.
Armed with the advice a fair days pay deserves a fair days work, and that being mainstream is not a sin.
I am proud to be a worker in the AWU and have no need to be anything else to serve my members.
And only they can judge me like me they are mostly mainstream

Belly,
We are not having a go at you mate, you seem to me to be a lovely bloke, it is the high levels of the AWU we are having a go at. I was a member of the Federated Clerks Union before it became part of the ASU. I know union representation back the front, and have been in many unions, the ARU, AWU, FCU, and many more.

I know if the secretary does not push ahead with a claim because of a cosy relationship with the employer. Mate I have been taken advantage of too many times by the AWU promising me the world, and delivering nothing, I wish you well, in your endevours to represent your members, one thing I can say is you are the most genuine AWU man I have ever had the pleasure to converse with, goof luck mate.
Regards, Shaun.

So Belly, it appears you have basically given up. Happy for the scraps from the table. Thats what silly billy has on offer for your members. No advancement, no sharing in the wealth, cop this and be thankful.

Once I grew out of my chilhood dreams of a socialist utopia I understood fairness in the workplace is best served by an honest understanding of both sides of the problem.
This has helped in the painless recovery of a great deal of money for my members and indeed members of other unions.
The sound of car doors closeing after mass meetings as oficials leave has often found Australias Weakest Union the only one left to shepard delegates into battle with management delegates from ALL unions on site and just me to get workplace justice without threats or blood.
Now that has to be a plan for Labors recrafted true reform of IR.
My members and most union members along with majority of workers who are non unionists do want fairness in the workplace.
One day it will return under a Labor goverment, meanwhile I get a grin out of some constantly putting the boot into my union and faction of the ALP but crying at my highlighting the minority nature of the left.