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The Forum > General Discussion > Threat of Strikes in Construction industry

Threat of Strikes in Construction industry

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The Sydney press has been full of those threats, I saw a statement but not the threats.
This is a historic time in Australian IR we are at a cross roads.
As a lifetime unionist, not as a union official, as a person who truly would fight forever for fairness in the workplace, this threat is wrong.
Yes building industry has taken much of great worth from workers casuals now make half what they did as full time workers, truly they do.
But never pick a fight you can not win.
Not even having sat as a government yet we find threats being made?
How many people think Kevin Rudd will not fight that threat?
Is the threat a self advertisement for that man? or one union?
Australian industrial relations is at a cross roads workchoices is dead forever .
But we will not ever again see a return to mass strikes wildcat strikes and the future of the trade union movement is in negotiations and enterprise agreements increases in productivity bring increases in wages.
My hope is some can understand public announcements like this do more harm than good.
And that the differences in unions be understood not all have portraits of dead communists on tee shirts so often worn.
Posted by Belly, Friday, 4 January 2008 12:38:01 PM
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Dear Belly,

Kevin Rudd promised that he would serve all of the Australian people not merely a select few. Julia Gillard seconded that promise.
They were both adamant that unions would not influence their decision making if elected. I believed them then and I believe that the current PM and his Deputy will not be intimated by any grand-standing tactics or blackmail on behalf of the unions.

The unions have to learn that if they are going to have any credibility - they have to work with the current government and not jeopardize their work. This is not the time for such tactics.
The unions need to back off and not prove the opposition's pre-election scare tactics correct.
Posted by Foxy, Friday, 4 January 2008 6:59:12 PM
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Foxy I too agree I think much like you seem to here, however for me ,from within the union movement your post highlights the problem.
Unions! that word is like a splinter in my heart.
Yes forever and ever I will be union, from another generation I value our history.
But I understand the need to progress, to change and lay the ghosts of a far different past.
Film docs such as lockout make me proud, not members of my union, not even my faction ,but brave workers who gave todays workers conditions they take for granted.
Why that words unions? well we unions are all branded as one!
We are not!
Solidarity is just a word it has no real meaning , it must be said.
One union, one union head said some things if true I can not agree with.
He may not have said them! our Medea is sometimes a news manufacturing machine not honest.
If he did it was not all unions.
If he did he highlighted home truths, wages and conditions did suffer more than most know in construction , more than fair.
And unions should address this issue with balance and fairness not threats.
Not undermining our new government.
If Kevin Rudd caved in to such threats both unions and ALP supporters would suffer.
Again and again I have said there is a difference between unions, we should not be judged by this event as one.
I stand firmly against grandstanding threats and promises that can not be delivered by warfare.
It will be brains that powers future unions not such as this.
I am proud to say most who are in unions agree with me, radical actions do more harm than good.
But remember please those casual workers around this country who work shoulder to shoulder with full time workers doing the same job, for half the pay.
Good unionism demands unions work to restore these peoples wages the methods used will not be threats, strikes the last resort
Posted by Belly, Saturday, 5 January 2008 5:32:27 AM
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I have looked again at the thread, the point I am trying to make is hard to get across.
It is a problem in my view the union movement needs to address.
The public perception of unions is often wrong.
Far too many think unions are only about strikes and forget the wages and conditions , even of many non unionists, are set because of union actions.
I feel let down, truly I do, by shouting in the street by some unions that further divides the movement from some workers.
Fact is if most workers agreed with screaming, shouting , and threats, some would have far more union members.
As a personal view, I would like the day to come when even the ACTU was not controlled by those who have the numbers ,but those who would do the job better, say Robo from NSW.
Public grandstanding as We have seen here is harmful to the whole movement.
Some unions do not scream and shout, it saves energy to talk behind doors to an audience that can change things.
Not scream at a world already weary with the movement.
Posted by Belly, Sunday, 6 January 2008 6:09:42 AM
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I tell ya guv things are lookin bad.
We musta been barmy on Nov 24th -right gits!

Now, unions are callin for their pound of flesh.
Stephen Conroy is tellin us what we can & cannot see.
Banks are liftin things.
Petrol companies are lustin after $2.00 a litre.

Meanwhile,Rudds been up in Bali brown nosin & signin IOUs
And hez promisin to more IOUs with a-pology.
Haneff’s talkin of comin ova for his sorry handout.
And we still havn't seen our laptops...
( Swannie be writin so many cheques he'll develop RSI )

Mind ya its still honeymoon period.
What will it be like when they've well & properly consumated the
relationship-we’ll be well an truly knocked up

Blimey, we'll have to elect the libs in three years - if only to replenish the state coffers! ( I've already started printing T-shirts with the logo "Malcolm O10" - itz lookin like it'll be a winner –no pork pies! )
Posted by Horus, Tuesday, 8 January 2008 2:10:15 AM
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Come Horus the post is at best uncharitable, do you think it is fair?
Not Rudd or Howard could be blamed for the actions of the banks.
Yes some will claim Howard left a set of conditions that bought about the interest rises, not true.
Not related to those threats or the thread, we one day must confront as a group are forum rules only for some?
While some union action is taking place my view is we are not in for a renewal of those often quoted bad old days.
Parliament has not sat for one day yet but Rudd will not go back on his promises.
I however will not retreat from my statement , some actions by some in some unions do much more harm than good to my proud movement.
The Australian trade union movement.
Posted by Belly, Tuesday, 8 January 2008 4:45:26 AM
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