Dear John,

Like you I'll be joining the May dayers today, but my bruvers and sisters will be holding placards and posters that speak to a very different era in Labor history.

Like yourself and other union members, few of you have any knowledge of Stolen Wages or the Aboriginal struggle to have these wages returned.

All around the country, State Premiers will step up to the stump and declare their solidarity with the union movement and everywhere everyone will be celebrating the defeat of Howard's Work Choices.

But look around and you are sure to see some Aboriginal people protesting against this Premier and their government.(along with enlightened whitefellas) for not agreeing to a fair and just reparation of Stolen Wages - Stolen over the last 109 years, and held in government trusts under their control.

Of course the union bosses there will arrogantly ignore these people. Its not in their interests to get off side with Premiers and the factions that support them.

But I'm hoping that ordinary workers will see through this charade of power and ask the hard questions about this issue.

All this analysis about the history of workers rights is fine but its worth nothing if the most vulnerable workers in Australia's history are not recognised and a just and legal system of reparation established.

Remember this was not welfare money, these were was wages never paid, creating intergenerational poverty - stolen to prop up successive state governments.

Lest we forget is the Anzac cry, Best we forget is the Stolen Wages approach taken by Labor Governments, both federal and state. They are all Fkn hypocrites!

Read more about this here / get involved! http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/05/01/2232193.htm

Oh and just in case you didn't know John, "From little things big things grow" is the title of a song by Paul Kelly and brother Kev Carmody..that speaks directly to Aboriginal land and stolen wages in the cattle industry.

Listen and learn here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_tHEGo-g3mw

Thanks Rainier. I bought the Get Up version of from little things big things grow. I am also reading a book of the same title about building socialist groups.

State Governments have consistently refused to acknowledge let alone pay stolen wages. Beattie was a real culprit. Bligh is a culprit, and the hypocrisy of Rudd attending the May Day march in Brisbane today beggars belief as he stomps over workers (and his mate in NSW does the same.)

I think the union movement has some history of supporting Aboriginal struggles (such as Wave Hill.)

I am not sure how this gets on the union agenda or, if it is on the agenda, how to get it front and centre. What are, say, Queensland Unions saying and doing about the wages held in trust (from memory) but not returned to those who were not paid to them or their descendants?

Wasn't there a court case on this (not that I think that is definitive, far from it.)

I think the answer at a general level is to revitalise the union movement by democratising it, empowering the rank and file, taking direct action on a range of issues and, out of that strength that workers feel and have built up over time, winning back the stolen wages. That is not an easy task, but we must keep pushing for active, democratic unions prepared to defend their members' wages, conditions and jobs and out of that immediate struggle win through the strength workers feel justice for those whose wages were stolen.

I don't see the union movement as the enemy here (although particular leaders might not be passionate about the issue, I agree.) Rather it is Government, and Government will only be moved by mass struggle in many cases (as NSW electricity privatisation seems to be showing.)