Worker Issue 1 2014.pdf

WWW.AWU.NET.AU $4.50 (INC GST) ISSUE 1 2014

THE AUSTRALIAN

Meet AWU National Secretary Scott McDine{ {YOUR UNION PROTECTS YOUR RIGHTS AT WORK

ISBN 978-186396379-4

SPEAK UP!YOUNG PEOPLE

TALK ABOUT UNIONISM

WORD ONTHE STREETS

THOUSANDS RALLY TO “BUST THE BUDGET”

YOUR MONEY

WHY INDUSTRY

SUPER FUNDS

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❞PEOPLE HAVE THE RIGHT TO A DECENT FUTURE & THAT’S WHERE UNIONS COME IN

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HARBOUR CITY

AWU MEMBERS HARD AT WORK

IN SYDNEY

www.awu.net.au THE AUSTRALIAN WORKER 3

contents

in this issueKEEP informed. It's YOUR union and it's YOUR magazine. {

AUSTRALIAN

WORKERS’ UNION

EDITORScott McDineAWU National Secretary AWU TEAMMisha ZelinskyAnil LambertNick LucchinelliDavor SchwarzDavid McGregor Address: Level 10,377-383 Sussex StreetSydney NSW 2000Email: [email protected]: www.awu.net.auTelephone: (02) 8005 3333Facsimile: (02) 8005 3300 BAUER CUSTOM MEDIA

EDITOR Kyle RankinEDITORIAL CONSULTANT Julia RichardsonART DIRECTOR Nigel CruikshankSUB-EDITOR Aaron BertramPRODUCTION SERVICES Rachel RaeADVERTISING PUBLISHING MANAGER Anthony CowiePUBLISHING MANAGER Nicola O’Hanlon

BAUER MEDIA GROUP

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Matthew StantonEXECUTIVE GENERAL MANAGER, BAUER CUSTOM MEDIA Niall Murphy Published for The Australian Workers’ Union (ABN 28 853 022 982) by Bauer Media Group (ACN 053 273 546) 54 Park Street, Sydney NSW 2000. © 2014. All rights reserved. Printed by PMP, Clayton, Vic 3168 and cover printed by Ego Print, Mount Waverley, Vic 3149. Distributed by Dynamic Direct, Dingley, Vic 3149. Delivered by Australia Post. Articles published in The Australian Worker express the opinion of the authors and not necessarily Bauer Media Group. While all eff orts have been made to ensure prices and details are correct at time of printing, these are subject to change.

PRIVACY NOTICE This issue of The Australian Worker is published by Bauer Media Pty Limited (Bauer) on behalf of The Australian Workers’ Union (the Union). The collection, use and disclosure of all personal information is governed by the Australian Workers’ Union Privacy Policy (the Union Privacy Policy) located at http://www.awu.net.au/privacy. The Union Privacy Policy also sets out how you can access or correct your personal information and lodge a complaint. This issue of The Australian Worker may contain off ers, competitions or surveys (Reader Off ers). You may be required to provide personal information to enter or to take part in certain Reader Off ers. Personal information collected for Reader Off ers is collected by the Union, and may be disclosed by the Union to service providers and other organisations (including but not limited to Bauer) to assist the Union in the conduct of the Reader Off er, including the provision of prizes and off ers. If any of your personal information is to be provided to other service providers and organisations, this will be made clear as part of the entry form for the Reader Off ers, and you will have the option of not providing this information. In addition, the Union provides to Bauer certain personal information that you have previously consented to being provided to the publisher of this magazine, to allow Bauer to distribute this magazine to members. Bauer’s use of this data is governed by the Bauer Media Limited Privacy Policy located at www.bauer-media.com/privacy. If you require further information on how your personal information is used, please contact the Union’s Privacy Offi cer either by email at [email protected] or by mail at Privacy Offi cer, National Offi ce, The Australian Worker’s Union, Level 10, 377- 383 Sussex Street, Sydney NSW 2000. Cover photo David Hahn

4NATIONAL OPINION

National President Bill Ludwig and

National Secretary Scott McDine

6UNION MADE

Meet Scott McDine, the AWU's 18th

National Secretary

10HOWES THAT

We farewell Paul Howes, the Union's

youngest-ever National Secretary

12AWU AT WORK

Branch-by-Branch round-up of Union news

22SAYING NO TO JOE

Why thousands took to the streets to

protest the Abbott Government's budget

26UNITY ON

STRUGGLE STREET

United action helped ease the pain of

The Great Depression

28HARBOUR CITY

Meet AWU members hard at work in Sydney

36ABSOLUTELY SUPER

Why industry superannuation funds are the best option

40THROUGH THE

GRAPEVINE

Did you know that the AWU covers some areas of the wine industry? Cheers!

42UNION & PROUD

We asked some young AWU members about their views on unionism

44BALANCING ACT

Finding the right balance between work and life can help lead to better health

46IF I WERE PM

Funny man Anthony Ackroyd calls the shots as Prime Minister for a day

48LOOK & LISTEN

Australian music legend Ed Kuepper talks about songs with a messsage

28

26

48

622

12

4 www.awu.net.au THE AUSTRALIAN WORKER www.awu.net.au THE AUSTRALIAN WORKER 5

first wordFIRST WORD

❛For 127 years the AWU has led many of the nation's most important debates and always worked to ensure that we remain the land of the "fair go".

Uniquely among Australian unions, the AWU can boast an unbroken line of former leaders stretching from William Spence (1894-1900) to Paul Howes (2007-2014). It is worth noting that despite the fact our Union had six National Secretaries during a somewhat tumultuous time in the 1990s,just 18 men have held the position since our inception in the 19th century. Yet when it comes to leadership of our great Union, you never own the job; you only serve as custodian. We are all, of course, just passing through.

This is something Paul always understood well. He felt the weight of his predecessors – not just those who preceded him as National Secretary, but the hundreds of thousands of workers whose courage and beliefs built this Union into one of the truly great Australian institutions.

I watched Paul grow up rapidly in our Union. When he was elected in 2007, he became the AWU’s youngest ever National Secretary at the age of 26. And it is perhaps due to his youth that one can forget that Paul has led our Union for seven years, making him our longest serving National Secretary of the last three decades. Over this period he led the AWU to some truly remarkable achievements.

Perhaps the standout is the Union’s historic campaign to re-unionise the Rio Tinto Bell Bay Aluminium Smelter – a site famously

deunionised in the mid-1990s. Many said it would be impossible. Yet it is a tribute to Paul’s leadership, his vision, and his strength, that he pursued this goal unrelentingly for two years.

And, of course, in 2013, the workers of Bell Bay proudly rejoined our Union. Paul’s eff orts in this area, and a myriad of others, mean that he will always enjoy a warm place in the AWU’s rich history. Of course, now it is Scott McDine’s time to serve as custodian. I know he feels the weight of responsibility just as heavily as Paul did. It is increasingly uncommon these days to see union leaders who are genuinely off the tools, but that is exactly the leader we have in Scott. He has risen to the top of our Union from the grassroots, a path I personally understand and respect.

For 127 years the AWU has led many of the nation’s most important debates and always worked to ensure that we remain the land of the "fair go". Scott becomes National Secretary during a challenging time for our Union and its members. A conservative government has taken power in Canberra. Manufacturing is being hammered by tough global and domestic conditions. Working rights and conditions are once again under unrelenting attack.

Yet despite this, I strongly believe Scott has the energy, the experience, and the values to tackle these challenges head on. I look forward to working alongside him.

Yet when it comes to leadership of our great Union, you never own the job; you only serve as custodian.

Ben SwanQueenslandBranch Secretary

Ben DavisVictorianBranch Secretary

Russ CollisonGreater NSWBranch Secretary

Wayne HansonSouth AustralianBranch Secretary

Stephen PriceWest AustralianBranch Secretary

Ian Wakefi eldTasmanianBranch Secretary

Wayne PhillipsPort KemblaBranch Secretary

Richard DownieNewcastleBranch Secretary

www.awu.net.au

to become an Organiser in the National Offi ce.I immediately realised what a unique

opportunity this was. The mission of our Union for 127 years has been to improve the lives of our members and the communities in which they live. I have watched Paul pursue this mission with vigour on a daily basis, whilst grappling with the modern challenges facing the broader union movement.

This process of modernisation is one which I’m determined to continue, and it is one which will see the AWU continue to evolve and adapt as a relevant organisation within the rapidly changing Australian working environment.

Paul left a union with strong fi nances, a talented and united leadership team, and hard-working offi cials. Yet it is important in the current environment that we understand the economic landscape is changing, the world is changing, and the enemies of unions are as bold and as determined as they ever have been. My goal in this climate will be to put rank-and-fi le members at the heart of everything we do. This will involve a further modernisation of our practices. In doing this we can lay a platform for growth, both in number and in power.

This will not be easy. But we're a progressive organisation and that means we do not fear change – we embrace it so it works in the interests of our members, their families, and their communities.

My goal in this climate will be to put rank-and-fi le members at the heart of everything we do. This will involve further modernisation of our practices.

BILL LUDWIG NATIONAL PRESIDENT SCOTT MCDINE NATIONAL SECRETARY

CONTACT US:

POST LETTERS TO:

The Editor,The Australian Worker,Level 10, 377-383 Sussex Street,Sydney NSW 2000

OR EMAIL THEM TO: [email protected]

FOLLOW ON TWITTER: @AWUnion

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«

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It is without doubt a humbling experience for me to be penning my fi rst column for The Australian Worker as the National Secretary of the Australian Workers’ Union.

Casting my mind back to my days as a Delegate, this is certainly an honour I never imagined. When I think about the line of National Secretaries who have contributed to the pages of this publication, which has been in continuous operation since 1890, I feel both enormous pride and humility. So it is in that spirit that I wish to pay tribute to Paul Howes and the leadership he displayed in his tenure as National Secretary of the AWU.

Paul’s time as National Secretary coincided with tremendous economic and political upheaval, from the Global Financial Crisis to a sustained high Australian dollar and the resulting impact on a number of key AWU industries.

I fi rst met Paul when I was a Delegate at the Alcoa Pinjarra Refi nery in Western Australia, and he was the AWU’s National Aluminium Organiser. I think it is fair to describe our relationship throughout this period as one of commitment for the betterment of AWU members, whilst also being somewhat robust. We were – and are – strong-willed individuals. So I was a little surprised when, a year after Paul was elected National Secretary, I received a call from him asking me

The mission of our Union for 127 years has been to improve the lives of our members and the communities in which they live.

WE DO NOTFEAR CHANGE

WE SERVE AS CUSTODIANS

XXXXXXXXXXX


UNION BUSINESS

MADE

UNIONScott McDine is union through and through. Chris Ryan meets the Australian Workers’ Union’s new National Secretary.

WHEN INCOMING AWU NATIONAL SECRETARY

SCOTT MCDINE took on his fi rst full-time job straight out of high school, it was a foregone conclusion that he would be signing up to join the Union. It was in his blood.

Both his grandfathers had been coalminers who toiled in the pits of North-East England where union loyalties run deep. His father also worked in the mines, securing an apprenticeship as an electrician, before he had a stint with the merchant navy.

“Aft er travelling the world he married Mum and they moved to Fremantle in Western Australia, because that was one of the best places that he’d ever seen,” Scott says, recalling the family folklore.

“Th ey emigrated out in 1966 and he ended up working in the remote Goldsworthy iron ore mine, then the BHP steelworks in Kwinana until they closed in 1997.”

Scott didn’t head to the mines himself. He took on a job at the Alcoa alumina refi nery in Pinjarra, 80 kilometres south of Fremantle.

“I moved away from home at 19 to work in

the stores at the refi nery,” he says.Th e Australian Workers’ Union had

a strong presence at Alcoa, with nearly 600 members at the Pinjarra site alone. Seeing the way they operated, Scott was keen to be involved. “I wanted to be part of that collective,” he says. “I became active in the Union from pretty much the time I started. It gave a real understanding of how incredibly important OHS is in those particular industries.”

Scott spent 18 years working at Alcoa and for the lion’s share of that time was looking out for his workmates as a Union rep, starting as the Union Delegate in his section and rising to be President of the AWU Pinjarra Sub Branch.

Th e commitment didn’t go unnoticed: in 2007 he was off ered and accepted a fulltime job as an Offi cial with the WA Branch of AWU, based in the Pilbara where his father had worked. At the end of the same year the role of National Organiser came up and Scott was Sydney-bound.

Aft er his time at Alcoa, Scott’s new job took some getting used to. “I did miss the camaraderie of being in that crew atmosphere and the simple

... people have got the right to have a permanent, well-paying job that means they can have a decent future for themselves and their families.

8 www.awu.net.au THE AUSTRALIAN WORKER

1989 – Starts working life with Alcoa Australia at Pinjarra as a serviceperson

1991 – Elected Occupational, Health and Safety Rep and Workplace Union Delegate for his section

1997 – Transfers departments within Alcoa and resigns from all previous Union and safety positions

1998 – Elected Workplace Union Delegate in new section

2001 – Elected AWU Alcoa Pinjarra Vice President

2005 – Elected AWU Alcoa Pinjarra President

2005 – Elected as committee member of the AWU Western Australian Branch State Executive

March 2007 – Resigns as a serviceperson with Alcoa World Alumina

April 2007 – Commences work as an Offi cial with the AWU’s WA Branch, based in the Pilbara

April 2008

– Appointed National Organiser with the AWU based in Sydney

December

2009 – Elected Assistant National Secretary of the AWU

things like having a game of cards at your crib break,” he says. He does admit, “I don’t miss being on a nightshift at three o’clock in the morning.”

Now that he’s stepped up to the role of National Secretary, Scott is determined that the Union remains as relevant to workers today as it was when he walked onto the Pinjarra site back in 1989.

“Being relevant means understanding the changing nature of technology,” he says. “Gone are the days of people automatically signing up,

and the old way of an Offi cial posting something on a notice board. Now we can talk to a member through apps on their phone, or reach potential members using social media.”

But technology is only part of the story. “You also have to understand what it means to be an Australian worker today as opposed to what it meant 30 or 40 years ago. You have to understand what issues concern people. It might be income protection that’s incredibly important to them, or they want relatives to be able to become associate-type members where they have benefi ts of a union even if they may be in an industry which isn’t organised collectively.”

“Th ere’s going to be a seismic shift in the nature of work and the type of industries people are working in over the coming years,” Scott points out. “We can’t cocoon ourselves and think there’s only certain sectors where we should be active. We’ve got to adapt and grow.”

But for all the change, Scott’s goal as National Secretary isn’t far removed from the one the Union has always fought for.

“I want to see workers continue to get a fair go,” he says forcefully. “Living in a country as great as ours, people have got the right to have a permanent, well-paying job that means they can have a decent future for themselves and their families. Th at’s where the Australian Workers’ Union – and all the unions – have a critical role.”

SCOTT ON…

UNION OFFICIALS FROM THE SHOP FLOOR“It’s incredibly important that we have a mix of people and that the ranks of Offi cials include people who have genuine rank-and-fi le experience and an understanding of what goes on down on the workshop fl oor. That’s not to say others don’t have that comprehension, but it’s important that we maintain a mix.”

THE INCREASE OF THE PENSION AGE“I’ve had an operation on each hand for carpal tunnel syndrome from using rattle guns and impact tools and the tingling feeling I get has come back into my hands. Physically, I would have been lucky to do my old job until 65, and quite possibly until I was 60, let alone 70.“You’re talking about people who have paid their fair share of tax all their working life. It’s typical of the mentality of the Blue Tie Brigade from the North Shore of Sydney. Either they’re so ignorant they genuinely don’t understand what people do when they go to work or they just don’t care. It could actually be a combination of both.”

PENALTY RATES“I fi nd the whole debate baffl ing when they want to talk about the payment of penalty rates. These people have never worked a 12-hour shift on Good Friday; they’ve never worked a 12-hour day shift on Anzac Day. They just go and socialise with their families, which is great for them. “Think of someone going to work at a hospital on Christmas night. They’ve spent the day with their family, whether they’re a nurse, an orderly, or a doctor, and then they’re going to spend a 12-hour nightshift at work. I don’t see these people calling for the abolition of penalty rates. The people who are: how many nightshifts have they ever worked? It’s astounding.”

LIBERALS AND THE UNIONS“What really concerns me about the Liberal Party is I don’t believe they want to engage with unions. They have their own version of class warfare and they are opposed to unions. They are totally opposed to people being engaged collectively. You’ve got to ask yourself a question: if you’re living in a democratic country, what key things underpin democracy? We’ll talk about free speech and we’ll talk about the right to vote, but one thing that clearly underpins a genuine, decent democracy is a right for workers to engage collectively if that is their choice.”

SCOTT AT WORK

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UNION BUSINESS

HOWES THAT!


SINCE THE AGE OF 17, PAUL HOWES HAS

WORKED in the labour movement. He joined the AWU two weeks after his 21st birthday. And, although he is leaving his position as National Secretary, he says he will never leave the AWU behind.

“It wasn’t easy, and I’m sure I’ll have pangs of

regret. I’ve worked in the movement full-time since I was 17, joining the AWU about two weeks after my 21st birthday. I always thought I wouldn’t do [the job] for more than six or seven years and I want to leave on a high, with everyone hopefully still liking me, not breathing a sigh of relief! The experiences I’ve had and the worlds I’ve seen in this job mean I’ll always owe the Union a hell of a lot more than it owes me. The AWU is where I grew up.”

“The thing that I’m most proud of is that

despite going through the global fi nancial crisis, a downturn in our traditional base in manufacturing, and weathering all the shit of the past few years, I leave the Union bigger than I inherited it. I’m fortunate that in my time I’ve had great Offi cials, great members. The AWU has remained strong, unifi ed and on the march, pretty rare for a blue-collar industrial union at this time. For the past 13 years, we’ve had levels of unity, growth and strength never experienced in our 127-year history. I’m confi dent that with the new leadership team they will get even better.”

“AWU members are a special bunch and refl ect

all that’s good about the country – hardworking, smart Australians that believe in making the country a better place.” The AWU has always had big characters and our Branch Secretaries are nine of the most terrifi c human beings I’ve ever met – quirky, amazing people. Our National President, Bill Ludwig, is one of only two people left alive who were a part of the 1956-57 shearers’ strike. He’s been a member of the AWU for over 50 years. Jim Doyle, one of our Life Members in South

Paul Robinson asks Paul Howes about his life

and legacy as the AWU National Secretary

prepares to wrap up after 12 years with the Union

1981 Born Sydney 23 August

1995 Leaves school

1998 Research Offi cer Labor Council of NSW (now Unions NSW)

2002 Joins AWU as an Offi cial with NSW Branch

2003 Recruited to AWU National Offi ce as National Organiser

2005 Elected National Vice President (y oungest-ever AWU national offi cial)

2007 Elected National Secretary

2008 Elected ACTU Vice President

2009 Re-elected unopposed as AWU National Secretary

2010 Writes Confessions of a Faceless Man: Inside Campaign 2010

2013 Re-elected unopposed as AWU National Secretary

2014 Announces resignation as AWU National Secretary

PAUL HOWES

TIMES OF HIS LIFE

Australia, has been a member for 80 years. He shore with some of the original founders of the organisation. From the Ironworkers, Laurie Short was a great mentor to me. People like Graham Roberts, Assistant National Secretary under Bill Shorten, an amazing man. I’m going to miss the Delegates, my old aluminium guys like Scott (McDine), who’s going to be National Secretary and was my Delegate at Pintjarra. Like all good Delegates, he was a real pain in the arse. Ben Swan in Queensland and I grew up together in the Union. There are too many to name. It’s a great family, one I’m going to miss.”

“The Union has always had relevance. It keeps

a check on capitalism. It’s not about abolishing the market – it’s about making the market work for all. As long as there’s a market, there’s a role for unions, because unions are a part of a modern liberal democratic society, a voice providing checks and balances. What I hate most about union bashing is that it fails to understand the notion of unionism – workers in a workplace organising and collectively taking action. That is two million Australians – there is no larger representative group of organisations in the country.”

“I will cherish my AWU membership ticket until the day I die. I’m leaving with malice towards none and goodwill towards all. Hopefully someone will employ me. Maybe I’ll pull beers at my local pub. I’m going to leave my AWU badge collection. I hope Scott keeps it up on the wall.”

“It’s been a hell of a journey, a great ride, but we’re all just passing through. I hope I’ve done a great job, but there are dozens who’ve done great jobs before me and there will be dozens after me. No one leader “owns” the Union. We’re a collective organisation, only as strong as the members standing beside us, but collective action can deliver incredible outcomes for society as a whole.”

Russ Collison, Greater NSW Branch Secretary

“Paul came into the Union through me. He’s an intelligent

man whose judgement is outstanding. He’s a thinker

and he’s got vision.”

Wayne Hanson,

South Australian Branch Secretary

“Over three decades I have worked with and observed the capabilities of seven National

Secretaries. Most were good and two were

outstanding – Paul was one.”

Ian Wakefi eld,

Tasmanian Branch Secretary

“Paul’s involvement in a range of issues has made a

positive diff erence to the lives of our members and their

communities.”

Richard Downie,

Newcastle Branch Secretary

“Paul and I had many disagreements, but his ability to engage at any level helped

countless members. His attempts to talk publicly

about diffi cult issues showed a level of courage and genuine

feeling for humanity.”

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awu at work


awu at work

QLDThere are almost 100 UNIONS in Australia. Everyone who works in this country is entitled to join a union.{

I’m 56 years old and at

least fi ve years from retirement, who’s going to employ people in my situation – especially when there’s 140 other operators all going for the same job?” AWU Shift Delegate Henry Driessen who worked at the refi nery for 34 years.

❛

» FOR MORE UNION NEWS GO TO: www.awu.net.au

AWU FACEBOOK PAGE: facebook.com/AustralianWorkersUnion

national news“AWU members face strong headwinds. Australian industries are in a state of transition, and we have a federal government with an ideological bent against unions. It’s a challenge, but it’s a challenge I’m looking forward to.” Scott McDine, Incoming AWU National Secretary

*THE FOURTH ANNUAL AWU WOMEN’S

WORKSHOP was held in Sydney in May, with 17 Delegates nominated from Branches across the country.Delegates heard from (then) Assistant National Secretary Scott McDine, who outlined plans to increase women’s participation in the Union, while National Training Coordinator Beryl Lawson explained the Union’s formal Training Strategy and the need to encourage more women to undertake training and become Delegates.

Laura Cottam, the Union’s National Legal Offi cer, gave details regarding crucial industrial issues for women members, focussing on maternity leave, equal employment opportunity policies and family violence leave.The Union’s National Communications Coordinator at the time, Clarabella Burley, discussed the importance of online

engagement in connecting with members, and National Vice-President Marina Williams reinforced the importance of women in union leadership. >

Knowledge is POWER and AWU members have access to a wealth of knowledge and expertise in their Union. Learn about your rights. {

WORKERS HIGH AND DRY AS BP LEAVES ISLAND

In April, global oil giant BP announced it was closing its Bulwer Island refi nery in Brisbane. This decision was a massive blow to hundreds of workers, and came without warning.

THESE JOB LOSSES CAME ON THE BACK OF A STRING OF BAD NEWS FOR AUSTRALIAN WORKERS IN THE MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY. WORSE, THE ABBOTT FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AND THE NEWMAN STATE GOVERNMENT HAVE OFFERED NO SOLUTIONS AND NO SUPPORT.

However, the AWU’s Queensland Branch is continuing to negotiate packages for aff ected members. AWU Site Delegate Wayne Cattell said news of the closure came as a shock to many who had believed the site’s future seemed assured for some time. “It was only recently we were told that the company’s investments in this refi nery were a positive indication about its future,” he said. “Although oil refi ning in Australia has an uncertain future, we were given the impression that the short-term prospects for our site were good and people have made fi nancial arrangements on this basis.”

AWU Shift Delegate Wayne Ridley said workers in a range of situations were aff ected.

“All of us share the same concerns about

how we are going to pay our mortgages,

school fees, or planning for what is going

to be an early retirement for some people,”

Wayne said.Former AWU Site Delegate Rod Russell said

the shock of the closure could have an impact on safety at the site.

“This is a dangerous environment that

we are working in and we can’t aff ord to

have workers not focussed on safe refi nery

operations during this period,” Rod said. The AWU Delegates are pushing the company to provide adequate levels of support to operators to ensure that enough people remain at the refi nery for its safe operation.

STRONGER ONLINEKeep in touch with YOUR Union

twitter.com/AWUnion facebook.com/AustralianWorkersUnion

PROGRESS ON COLES EBA ONLINE

THE Coles EBA is always a big agreement to negotiate and with members right across North Queensland the AWU is a key player in those negotiations. It’s important to keep members up-to-date with their agreement and to have a way to dispel any myths that sometimes move from store to store. With a comprehensive log of claims survey available online and on paper, the bargaining team are in a strong position to represent the members’ interests and know what is most important to them for this EBA. Our joint log of claims (with the SDA) was presented to the company in April. Negotiations are ongoing. For more information, go to www.qld.awu.net.au/news/

negotiations-coles-agreement-begin

AWU members at BP’s Bulwer Island Refi nery

facing redundancy.

awu at work awu at work


INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY SUCCESSAWU Greater NSW Branch International Women’s Day (IWD) saw 15 Delegates from around NSW in attendance as well as representatives from Asian Women at Work, a local support group, that helps many women in varied casual industries who are also under the coverage of the AWU. Female workers are often too nervous to speak out, but this training day addressed how to best accommodate these issues into the future.

QLD NSW

Queensland workers played

a key role in the formation of theUnion, and Queensland is still the AWU’s largest Branch.Ben Swan, AWU Queensland Branch Secretary.

❛

MEMBER PROFILESTANDING STRONG & PROUDName: Allan PetersBranch: Queensland

ALLAN started with Hyne Tuan in 1990 as

a cleaner, progressing to an operator role,

then on to become second in charge and

often acted as shift coordinator.

During his time at Hyne Tuan Allan completed several qualifi cations including a Certifi cate IV in Competitive Marketing, Accredited Auditing, and First Aid including CPR, oxygen and defi brillation. Allan has been an AWU member throughout his time with Hyne Tuan, taking on the role of AWU Delegate 12 years ago. Having been involved in four EBA processes during this time, Allan has represented the members well in a number of negotiations. While Allan intended to leave the company sooner, management negotiated a work schedule that would suit Allan’s needs so he could continue working in workplace auditing and cleaning – utilising Allan’s many skills.Congratulations to Allan for a successful career and thanks for your service to the Union.

The last manufacturer of meter reading devices in Australia, Landis+Gyr, has announced it will be closing from late 2015. Eighty production workers will be made redundant and the company is also reviewing its Research & Development Department to see if it can be undertaken overseas.

“This is the problem with multinational fi rms where decisions are made overseas, without looking at the human impact locally,” AWU Greater NSW Secretary Russ Collision said.

Many workers have been with Landis+Gyr for 15-20 years, and have up-skilled and changed their

methods to be one of the most productive and highest-quality manufacturers in the world. But the company is focussing on global low-cost production. Initial discussions reveal that around 10 per cent of the product sales price is attributed to direct labour manufacturing costs, which is

comparatively low. Staff , research and development and rent at its Alexandria site all contribute more to production costs than direct labour. The company has been trying to hold meetings with the NSW Deputy Premier, but he has rejected the opportunity to meet with workers and the company.

Union members earn on average 15% more than non-union workers – Australian Bureau of Statistics.{

MEMBER PROFILE

Delegates are the lifeblood of our Union. Ask your Organiser about Delegate training today.{

AWU PAVES WAY FOR BETTER COMPENSATIONThe AWU has successfully negotiated the reinstatement of make-up pay for road workers after the Coalition Government scrapped the provision.

The NSW government, without consultation, had removed a provision regarding workers’ compensation make-up pay from all Public Sector Awards. This award provision allowed workers to use their sick pay to top up their workers’ compensation payments, to ensure they maintained their income.

The Union launched a dispute before the Industrial Relations Commission of NSW, with Justice Staff ruling in its favour, the provision now replaced.

ROAD VICTORY: (from left to right) Geoff Dawson (AWU Delegate), Robert Dunn (AWU Delegate & Branch Executive Member), Paul Noack (Public Sector Organiser), Russ Collison (NSW Secretary).

TICK BITES UP IN OUTDOOR WORKERS

AWU Delegates working in conservation agencies are reporting a major increase in the reporting of tick-borne diseases (TBD) amongst their colleagues.

Ticks are known to spread a number of diseases including Q Fever, Rickettsia and Brucella. A number of members have also presented with illnesses which appear to be

associated with Lyme disease, although the disease’s existence in Australia remains a point of contention. Lyme disease can be a debilitating and even fatal disease, with an early, fl u-like stage often followed by a rash that develops weeks after the bite.

Treatment is relatively easy with good recovery rates if diagnosed and treated early. Outdoor workers should be aware of these symptoms and see their doctor if they present.

PLUG PULLED ON METER READING INDUSTRYAWU Delegates and members in Queensland Health and Disability Services have been campaigning across the state against privatisation and outsourcing. Members have been distributing postcards that challenge Members of Parliament to work a day in their shoes to see what the work is really like. The Newman Government is putting the quality of patient care at risk in a race to the bottom through outsourcing and staff cutting in the

Department of Health. We are also now seeing disability services in Queensland being outsourced, including Residential Carers and houses.

We know from local and international experience that outsourcing produces bad results for both workers and the public. AWU members continue to fi ght against these disastrous plans. To fi nd out more about our campaigns head to www.saveourhospitals.com.au or

www.saveourcarers.com.au

HEALTH WORKERS WON’T BE STITCHED UP

awu at work


VICWhen a $1 million steel sector order goes overseas,it results in the loss of up to eight full-time jobs.{

Every time the Victorian Government spends $1 million on cheap imported steel it costs the community more than that in welfare payments and lost tax, as well as destroying up to eight full-time jobs.

This is one of the stark fi ndings of “The State of Steel” report released by the AWU Victorian Branch along with a call for the Victorian government to use locally-produced steel on Stage One of the East West Link and all the rest of the planned $27 billion worth of infrastructure projects.

AWU Victorian Branch Secretary Ben Davis said the Government’s decision to use imported steel on the $1.6 billion redevelopment of Melbourne’s Webb Dock was a shocking one.

“A properly constructed and enforced government procurement policy is a no-brainer for Victoria,” Ben said. “In the US, it’s the law that iron, steel and manufactured goods used in the construction, alteration, maintenance and repair of public projects must be produced in the United States.”

In Victoria, the steel sector supports more

than 25,500 full-time jobs, and more than 100,000 nationally. The eff ect on employment of sending orders off shore will be compounded by the erosion of local production capacity at a time when global demand is expected to expand in the years ahead.

“We have to preserve our ability to make the things we use to make things. We cannot stand and wave goodbye to an economically, strategically and socially important sector,” Ben said.

As a fi rst step, the AWU in consultation with the Australian Steel Institute, is calling for steel to be nominated as a strategic item for East West Link Stage One, with set minimum targets and weights.

AWU Victorian Assistant Secretary Liam O’Brien said the conclusions of The State of Steel report were true also for other sectors including cement, glass and aluminium.

“Using local steel on the East Link project will be a major boost for our economy and for workers who know they could be thrown on the scrapheap with a stroke of the Premier Napthine’s pen,” Liam said. »

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO READ THE STATE

OF STEEL YOU CAN DO SO ON THE

VICTORIAN WEBSITE www.vic.awu.net.au or at www.stateofsteel.com.au


Stay safe! As at 13 June 2014, 80 Australian workers have been killed while at work – Safe Work Australia.{

Alcoa (Yennora) has been in negotiations since the closure announcement. The Union is demanding a better closure package for members, and wants a good quality outplacement service provider to be use; as well as legitimate independent fi nancial advisors and a training program to give workers the ability to be redeployed. Negotiations are continuing.

O-I (Penrith), glass container manufacturer, has been going through massive changes. Closure of a furnace saw 70 workers made redundant. The future of the plant was recently secured with the rebuild of one of the two remaining furnaces. O-I is also introducing a drug and alcohol policy for the site. Policy improvements were achieved with the assistance of the Fair Work Commission.

Barrick Mines (Cowal) is negotiating its agreement that includes the Union for the fi rst time resulting in a major win for workers. This agreement will allow either party to take any unresolved issues to the Fair Work Commission for conciliation and arbitration.

Wet ‘n’ Wild (Blacktown) has enjoyed a successful inaugural season which came to end in April. Entertainment venues operating for the fi rst time often have problems concerning pay and conditions due to the erratic working arrangements, but these issues will be fi ne-tuned during the non-operating time. During the break, the Union will talk with management to ensure the experience will be great for our members when they return.

nswgreater

THE TRUE COST OF CHEAP STEEL

NEWCASTLE BRANCH NEWS

THE NSW Hunter Region has suff ered job losses over the past nine months, with manufacturing and mining sectors hit hard. The NSW government is stalling the decision about which company will be awarded the multi-million dollar contracts to supply the next generation of trains and ferries. Meanwhile, workers are losing jobs – and skills – as an increasing number of contracts are awarded to overseas companies. AWU Newcastle Branch Secretary has also noted increased sackings and dismissals in the region since the Abbott government came to power.

GREATER NSW NEWS

Pax Australia (Ingleburn), a contract manufacturer of aerosol and liquid personal care products, where workers are mostly women, had to deal with the reissue of new working boots. Steel caps are not a user-friendly shoe and it makes it worse for women wearing them for long hours. Company and Delegates worked together to fi nalise the use of a shoe that is fl exible, lightweight, comfortable and safe.

GrainCorp (regional NSW) is trying to re-allocate workers to a new home depot with the additional hour travel to the new depot being employee responsibility and not the employer’s. The issue is currently under negotiation.

National Parks & Wildlife

Service (NSW) saw a signifi cant win for the AWU as the Union negotiated 100 new traineeships over the next two years at a time when the government is signifi cantly cutting back jobs across the public sector. The AWU represents National Parks Field Offi cers who are responsible for maintaining all aspects of our National Parks including fi ghting bush fi res. AWU Greater NSW Branch Secretary Russ Collison and Organiser Paul Noack were involved in these negotiations. “As a part of this proposal, all trainees who complete the traineeships will be provided with full time jobs,” Russ says.

VALE REX WILLIAM STEPHENSONRex Stephenson renewed his annual AWU membership ticket for the 50th time prior to his death. Having joined the AWU in 1962 at age 15, Rex worked as a roustabout and then progressed to shearing. He was a skilled horseman and a licensed harness racing trainer. As a shearer he won competitions and was a staunch AWU member until the day he died. We thank you Rex, may you Rest in Peace.

VALE ALEXANDER GILMOURThe AWU Newcastle Branch was saddened to learn of the death of Alexander Gilmour, aged 96, who was one of the Branch’s longest serving members, who joined the Union on January 1, 1940 while working at Lysaghts. Newcastle Branch Secretary Richard Downie says that Alexander was as sharp and as committed to unionism as he had always been.

“I had a terrifi c talk with him at the Branch’s Retired Members’ Luncheon, last year,” Richard recalls. “He shared lots of great memories. His son, Phillip, also a Retired Member, was sitting proudly next to his father, too.”

Alexander will be remembered by the AWU as an active, staunch and loyal unionist. May he Rest in Peace.

PaPPa

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In the US it is law that iron, steel and manufactured goods

used in public projects must be locally produced.

Wet ‘n’ Wild at Blacktown.

awu at work


sa WA

TAS

140 JOBS ON THE LINEPenrice Soda Products in Osborne, South Australia, has gone into voluntary administration with 140 jobs on the line. The company has over $200 million in debts and was losing around $2 million per month prior to the appointment of the administrator McGrathNicol.

The AWU South Australian Branch is working with the administrator to fi nd a buyer and save some of the jobs at the Osborne and Angaston sites.

The administrator made 12 positions redundant, with employees to only receive entitlements that have accrued since the appointment of the administrator.

Members who have been made redundant will have to apply to the Fair Work Entitlement scheme for the rest of their entitlements including annual leave, long service leave and redundancy pay. The Union will work with members to ensure they receive their entitlements. Poor decision-making by management and the high Australian dollar has been blamed for the company’s failure.

PAY PARITY FOR COUNCIL WORKERSAWU South Australian Branch members have commenced industrial action at the City of Charles Sturt, a large metropolitan council, seeking a pay rise to put their rates at parity with other large metro councils. Members at Charles Sturt are amongst the lowest paid council workers in the Adelaide metropolitan area, while the council’s CEO is one of the highest paid.Members have voted to conduct stop work meetings in front of Council offi ces until the council agrees to increase its pay off er.

NOTICE OF ALTERATION OF RULES (WA BRANCH)

A General Meeting of The Australian Workers Union, West Australian Branch, Industrial Union of Workers held on 13th September 2013 in Perth endorsed the proposed rules of the Union. The purpose of the rule amendments are as follows: Correct Rule 35(l) as directed by WAIRC, Convert ‘miles’ to ‘kilometres’ in Rule 4(21), Amend Rule 24(1) to increase the Executive Committee from ‘seven’ to ‘nine’ members and delete redundant Transitional Rule 51.

The Union intends to apply for registration of the proposed rules to the Registrar of the Western Australian Industrial Relations Commission 21 days after the date of this issue of The Australian Worker. A member may object to the proposed rules by writing to the Registrar of Western Australian Industrial Relations Commission within 21 days of this issue of The Australian Worker. For further information or a copy of the proposed Rules, contact AWU WA Branch on (08) 9221 1686.

AQUACULTURE

AGREEMENT SUCCESSMembers at one of Australia’s largest salmon producers, Huon Aquaculture Company, have just voted on and approved a new enterprise agreement.

The agreement provides for a 4.5 per cent increase in pay from February 2014. A major increase in overtime payments was also a signifi cant outcome for members, along with other improvements including an increase in allowances, compassionate leave and changes to the classifi cation structure, without trade-off s or reductions in current entitlements.

Huon Aquaculture is set to expand further in the years to come with signifi cant investment coming from the industry, with support from state and federal governments.

The new agreement provides for security of conditions and a strong future for Members.

Thanks and appreciation goes to AWU Delegates Bob Wise, Darren Lilley and Sam Quigley for their work and support during the recent negotiations.

VICAustralian women still earn on average 17.5% less during their working lives than men. Get active in YOUR Union!{

awu at work

CELEBRATING THE LIFE OF BRIAN

Congratulations to Victorian Branch AWU Organiser Brian Oates who has been awarded the Victorian Trades Hall’s Meritorious Certifi cate for Services to the Union Movement. Brian was a LaTrobe Valley

Organiser for the ETU and spent 10 years with the LHMU (now United Voice). Since joining the AWU he has

looked after a lot of members, but particularly traffi c controllers. He has been tireless in his eff orts, sitting on a number of committees and reference groups with the aim of improving safety regulation and legislation for these workers. He’s also active in his community, and is a former Mayor of Casey. He is chair of the Southern Migrant and Refugee Centre in Dandenong and of a facility for elderly migrant groups, as well as being part of the Monash Health Community Advisory Committee.

Congratulations to Brian on this well-deserved honour, and for his lifetime of service to others.

FIGHT FOR JOBS When the people of Geelong hit the streets to demand jobs for their region, so battered by redundancies, AWU Victorian Branch Secretary Ben Davis told the crowd it was time governments stepped up if the region was to be saved from recession. “If something isn’t done and isn’t done now Geelong runs the risk of ending up like the Latrobe Valley post-SEC and Newcastle post-BHP,” he said.On top of Ford’s decision to stop making cars

in Geelong from next year, there have been:

• cut-backs at Target’s locally-based head offi ce; • job losses from Alcoa with 900 direct jobs and 300 contractors being thrown into unemployment; • 300 highly-skilled Qantas maintenance engineers lost their jobs in March when the airline closed its facility at Avalon.

It’s a story repeated around the state. A campaign led to SPC being saved, but not the long-serving maintenance force whose work was put out to contract. The 79 maintenance workers took with them accumulated experience of almost 1500 years.

Philip Morris announced it would close its operation in Moorabbin, despite investment in a new plant in recent years to capitalise on export opportunities. The company blamed federal government ‘reduced fi re risk requirements’ for rendering the Australian product unattractive to foreign markets.

In rare good news, the Shell Geelong Refi nery was sold to the world’s largest independent energy trader, Vitol. Had a sale not taken place, Shell had said it would convert the refi nery to a terminal with heavy job losses.

THE LIC

BOVicCeMovBr

Orga10 yeVoice

l k d ft l

WORKING FOR WOMEN THE Working for Women seminar was the biggest International Women’s Day event ever organised by the AWU Victorian Branch.Speakers raised issues of enduring importance to working women, and for women to have their say about how to address inequity at work. Women still earn on average 17.5% less during their working lives (based on the latest fi gures available at the time of writing), than men.

A highlight of the day was Mellissane Rose-Aubrey’s description of fi ghting for her place in the construction industry with the support of the AWU and Delegate Joe Alaalatoa in particular. “Joe and the AWU showed me that women do have a place in construction,” she told the seminar.

AWU Victorian Branch Secretary Ben Davis declared war on sexism in the workplace and recognised the contribution of female Delegates and HSRs.

“The AWU will not stop fi ghting until the long-promised wage and work justice is a fact of life,” Ben said.

Workers at the City of Charles Sturt have commenced industrial action.

The Geelong region has been hit with massive job losses.

Huon Aquaculture is Australia’s largest

salmon producer.

Penrice Soda Products.

awu at work


Wa

Readers of The Australian Worker would know that while some parts of the economy are slowing down, and some industries are dying slowly, other parts are steaming ahead.

Multi-billionaire Gina Rinehart’s Hancock Prospect Roy Hill project, east of Nullagine, is in the heart of quality iron-ore country – and it’s one of the few projects that is moving along – with strong AWU Agreements on the job ensuring that Australian workers get the fi rst preference of employment.

Take yourself back a couple of years and it was our Union leading the fi ght against Rinehart’s attempt to bring workers in on Enterprise Migration Agreements (EMA’s). Had that occurred, industrial circumstances would be very diff erent – and without the support of the AWU. The Union could of have sat on the side line, with lots of great banners and signs, instead it chose to develop systems, processes and agreements that provide the best iron ore contract rates in the Pilbara, coupled with fi ve-per-cent annual increases and assuring that any company wanting to work on the Roy Hill Project does so with an AWU Agreement.

AWU West Australian Branch Secretary Stephen Price said the approach that the Union took ensured that projects keep moving with good agreements, providing good paying jobs for members.

Globally, at any given time, at least 12.3 million people are working in forced labour conditions. That’s slavery.{

THE AWU – KEEPING MINING ON THE MOVE

Iron ore is one of Australia’s greatest treasures.

“In 2008 the AWU and other blue collar unions turned our back on Greenfi elds Construction agreements thinking that companies will never build anything without union negotiated agreements. Woodside’s Pluto Project proved us all wrong,” Stephen said. “Now it’s time for the union movement to get serious, get involved and lead the discussion again on wages and conditions on construction projects in Western Australia.”

Stephen said the Union is seeing the fruits of that work now.

“We have good agreements, with great wages and conditions, written in a way our members understand – and, best of all, we are seeing plenty of Australian Jobs and AWU members as a result of it.”

According to Stephen there are around 3000 workers currently employed at what is essentially the biggest mining construction project in Australia.

“There will be nearly 4000 AWU construction workers at its peak, and 2000 operational staff once the mine is up and running,” he said.

“The AWU has about 160 enterprise agreements on the job, covering construction contractors on site doing everything from earthworks to camp operations and all associated activities.”

WORKERS UNDER ONE AGREEMENT – BUT THE

FIGHT CONTINUES

The Fair Work Commission’s Full Bench has granted an AWU appeal for a scope order, ruling employees’ preferred scope carries “greater weight” than the employer’s and that 200m was not enough to make a group of workers “geographically distinct”.

In December last year, Commissioner Cloghan granted a scope order to BP Refi nery (Kwinana) for separate EAs for operations and laboratory technician employees, consequently rejecting an AWU scope order for one agreement.

The Commission held that each competing application had to be “considered on its own merits” and found that Commissioner Cloghan had erred by considering whether BP’s application met the requirements in s238 (4) and then granted its application “without separately considering... the [AWU’s] proposed agreement”.

The Commission held that Commissioner Cloghan erred in considering the workers “geographically distinct”, because laboratory workers were just 200m away in the same refi nery site.

The Bench quashed Commissioner Cloghan’s orders, and granted the AWU’s scope order for an EA covering operators and technicians.

AWU WA Branch Secretary, Stephen Price, said that this was a major win for workers at the BP Kwinana Refi nery.

“In order for the AWU to be strong onsite, we needed one centralised agreement onsite. Through great Delegates and onsite structures, we were able to win that through the FWC’s Full Bench decision.”

At the time of print, the Union and its bargaining reps were awaiting a decision on Protected Industrial Action from FWC Vice President Watson to protect redundancy terms and conditions for all current and future BP Kwinana employees. The report will continue in the next issue of The Australian Worker.

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UNITED ACTION

WHEN FEDERAL TREASURER JOE HOCKEY introduced the Abbott Government’s maiden budget to the people of Australia in May, the instant reaction was one of shock. Th at shock quickly turned to anger as the reality of what was being proposed set in.

Raising the retirement age to 70, ripping $80 billion out of health and education, reducing the pension, jacking up the cost of university, snatching meagre welfare payments from the young and unemployed, a compulsory payment for seeing the doctor... not one of these measures was mentioned pre-election, yet there they were neatly written in neat black-and-white.

Th ree months on and that anger is now turning swift ly into eff ective action.

As has been the case for well over a century,

it is the Australian union movement which is helping everyday Australians organise themselves into a powerful bloc that can take on the interests of the privileged minority.

Th e national “Bust the Budget” rallies, which took place across the country in July, must surely have sent a shiver up the spine of Coalition MPs and their backers in big business.

Across every major city and every major town people came together to send a message to their government about this budget: we didn’t vote for it and we don’t want it. Th anks to the organisation of Australian unions, tens of thousands of Australians were able to peacefully, yet forcefully, ensure their presence was felt. Th e rallies led major news bulletins around the country, and dominated newspaper coverage the next day.

New AWU National Secretary Scott McDine led the Australian Workers’ Union members as a crowd of thousands marched from Sydney Town Hall through the CBD. AWU members and offi cials were active in rallies in nearly every major town centre across the nation.

Th e main grievances of those in the crowd varied as much as the budget itself. Some were manual workers worried about how they could keep toiling until 70. Some were supporting families on low incomes and were concerned over how they could aff ord doctors visits with government support being taken away. Some were primarily worried about how their kids could aff ord a tertiary education.

However all were united in their anger about the sort of society Australia would be transformed into by this raft of changes.

While Treasurer Joe Hockey’s fi rst budget has been a disaster for the Abbott Government, in another way it has been a major success. It has triggered national outrage and forged unity among thousands of Australians. Anil Lambert reports.

Across Australia people came

together to send a message to the

government about the budget: we

didn’t vote for it and we don’t

want it.


UNITED ACTION

Speakers across the nation cited the example of the US, where those living below the poverty line now number in their millions, and where the gap between the haves and the have-nots is yawning and getting wider by the year.

Th ey spoke of their determination to fi ght to ensure Australia did not follow the American path. Just as they did when John Howard introduced WorkChoices, Australian unions are making sure that those who are hurt by government policy understand that they are part of an Australian majority who feel the same way.

Unions are ensuring that the powerful minority cannot fragment workers and their families and cause them to give up hope. July’s “Bust the Budget” rallies are just the fi rst taste of what’s to come. So what were the main concerns being raised by the thousands in the streets?

HITTING THE SICK AND VULNERABLE Th e budget slashes public hospital funding, while introducing a payment to visit the GP, and raising the cost of prescriptions.

A visit to a GP, or a blood test or X-ray will incur a Medicare co-payment of at least $7 a visit. Patients in public hospitals with non-emergencies can also be charged a co-payment. Th e cost of medicines listed on the Pharmaceutical Benefi ts Scheme (PBS) costing more than the co-payment rate ($37.70) will go up by $5. Visiting an optometrist will also cost more. Th e rebate will be reduced for all services from 2015, and the charging cap lift ed to allow optometrists to set their own prices.

HITTING THOSE WHO MAKE THINGS Industry assistance will be reduced by $845 million at a time when Australian manufacturing is struggling to survive. Perhaps the government failed to notice the demise of Ford, Holden, Qantas, Alcoa at Point Henry, Alcoa Yenora and Geelong, Norsk Hydro at Kurri Kurri, Rio Tinto

at Gove, and Bluescope Steel at Port Kembla – as well as associated industries – during the course of last year. And while it was at it, the government fi gured it might as well slash support for Australia’s leading science and innovation institution CSIRO.

HITTING THE RETIREMENTS OF WORKERS You’ll have to work for longer and get less when you fi nally do retire. Despite the “no change to pensions” pledge, the pension entitlement age will increase to 70 from 2035, aff ecting anyone now under 50. Many older workers, especially those in physically demanding jobs, will have diffi culty keeping those jobs – and good luck trying to get a new job in your fi ft ies, let alone sixties, even with the government’s proposed “incentive” payment – just $10,000 to new employers of an over-50 over two years. Th ings will also get tougher for those on aged or disability support pensions, which are set to be indexed to growth in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) – rather than keeping pace with average wage growth – from 2017.

HITTING FAMILY BUDGETSTh e Paid Parental Leave (PPL) scheme is due to begin in July next year. Funded by cuts to other family payments and the dole, it’s a cynical Robin Hood-in-reverse exercise of stealing from the poor to give to the rich that will benefi t a relatively small number of middle and high-income families. Single-income families with young children will suff er from reductions to family tax benefi ts, as will single parents with children six and over, who are already surviving on a wafer-thin margin.

HITTING EDUCATION OPTIONS Th e de-regulation of universities ushers in a radical new concept into Australian policy: that quality education will no longer be based on merit and should only really be for those who can aff ord it. No such worries for the PM’s own children, of course, with one Abbott daughter picking up a $60,000 scholarship from a long-time Liberal

will be reduced as will funding for the ABC, despite explicit promises not to touch it before the election.

HITTING OUR ECONOMIC FUTURETreasurer Joe Hockey told voters the answer to debt is not more debt. He now wants an unprecedented $200 billion hike in Australia’s borrowing limit. Th e irony of the budget is that virtually all the brutal cuts to those who need it have been balanced out by new spending measures aimed, primarily, at those who don’t.

So despite all the pain for average workers and their families, the budget bottom line won’t even see a genuine gain. Th is is the cruelest joke of all from Hockey and Abbott.

BUDGET 2014: AT A GLANCE n Young unemployed without income support for six months a year

n 16,500 public sector jobs to go, with more through privatisation

n Super Guarantee increase delayed four years; frozen at 9.5%

n Redundancy entitlements less protected when employers go bust

n Cuts to indexation for many welfare payments

n Temporary 2% income tax levy for highest income earners

n Family payments cut

n New extravagant PPL scheme survives, capped at $50,000 over six months

n New $7 GP payment and higher co-payment for prescription drugs

n $80 billion in funding cuts to states for health and education

n Uni fees to rise, student loan debt to attract real interest rate

n A range of industry assistance programs will be cut or axed

n Tools for Your Trade program for apprentices abolished, new loan scheme created in its place

n Twice yearly fuel excise indexation will be reintroduced

n Company tax to be cut, MRRT and carbon price abolished

n Royal Commission into unions to cost $53.3 million

donor and Abbott backer which was, of course, won entirely on merit. Uni students face the triple whammy of reduced Commonwealth support and higher tuition and loan fees.

Meanwhile Education Minister Christopher Pyne has engineered the dumping of the fi nal stage of the Gonski program, jeopardising school funding nationwide. Mysteriously, $245 million was found however to boost the highly discredited school chaplaincy program.

HITTING THOSE WHO NEED TO DRIVE“No new taxes”? Not likely. Petrol prices will jump in August when the government plans to unfreeze fuel excise, allowing it to rise in line with infl ation twice yearly. Th is will add to the cost of a tank of petrol in the family budget.

HITTING THOSE WHO NEED ITYoung people who fi nd themselves without a job will not be able to access NewStart payments for six months, leading experts to predict a spike in homelessness, mental illness, and crime. Th e government has signaled this ‘tough’ approach while simultaneously cutting training, education and apprenticeship support.

Strategic foreign aid to Australia’s neighbours

despite the “no change to pensions” pledge, the pension entitlement age will increase to age 70.

ill b d d ill


The good fight

Unity on struggle street

In the 1930s a global economic crisis triggered what became known as The Great Depression. Around the world, economic failure caused massive unemployment and all the social ills that emerge from poverty. Kyle Rankin explains that while Australia was hit badly, working class unity helped smooth the edges of this terrible time.

The Depression era brought with it catastrophic repercussionsNew York’s Wall Street Crash occurred in October.

Things were so grim in Melbourne that department store owner and philanthropist Sidney Myer hosted a Christmas lunch for 12,000 people who were doing it tough.

NSW Premier Jack Lang’s “Lang Plan,” split the NSW Labor Party. Lang was sacked and Labor lost the state election.

The Sydney Harbour Bridge opened with the ceremony pipped by right-wing paramilitary “New Guard” operative, Francis de Groot.

The national census revealed that 400,000 Australians lived in “tent cities and shanty towns.”

ALL OVER AUSTRALIA HOMELESS FAMILIES set up camps wherever they could – even in caves and on beaches – relying on charities, soup kitchens and self-suffi cient vegetable patches for sustenance. But those who still had housing were in a precarious position. No income meant no rent, so evictions were common place. Families were thrown out of houses by goon squads, with the help of police. Some of these families had paid their rent regularly for years, yet that loyalty was given no recognition. Many, too, were returned servicemen from WWI who had suff ered shocking injuries. But it didn’t matter. If they couldn’t aff ord to pay the rent, they were threatened with eviction.

Th e terrible injustice of the situation inspired labor activists, and those with a social conscience, to fi ght back. When word spread that an eviction was taking place, groups of activists would gather and

protest, sometimes barricading themselves in the house in order to protect the family from eviction and lend support.

Th e violence increased and protesters were oft en attacked by police, resulting in mass arrests – particularly in Sydney and Melbourne. But it didn’t deter the anti-eviction movement – solidarity was stronger than a baton – and the struggles became increasingly co-ordinated. Th ey became more violent with police fi ring shots and in famous battles like the “Siege of Union Street” in Sydney’s inner west (see breakout) and “Th e Bankstown Riots” – where the extreme right wing so-called New Guard turned up to harass and bash the anti-eviction protestors.

In Melbourne, battles in inner suburbs like Brunswick were also intensely fi erce.

HAPPY VALLEYAmid rampant unemployment, families developed shanty communities, with one pint of milk per day the only off ering from a cash-strapped government. One of the communities fl anked Anzac Parade behind Cowlong Beach at Sydney’s La Perouse and was known (only somewhat ironically) as “Happy Valley.” People scrounged around for building supplies to make corrugated iron huts and for food from local fi sherman and the Chinese market gardeners. Despite the grinding poverty, there was a sense of freedom from the violence and desperation of the inner city. Life was “happy, carefree, no rush and bustle, no work, swimming all day on Congi Beach,” one resident described. “We had freedom,” said another. “Even if it was freedom to starve.”

SIGNS OF THE TIMES

THE BEST OF TIMESTHE WORST OF TIMES

1929

1930

1931

1932

1934

1935

1933

Workers to the rescueOn 19 June 1931 a bloody confrontation took place in Newtown, Sydney, between police and anti-eviction activists. This would become known as the “Siege of Union Street”. Eighteen men had barricaded themselves in a terrace house in Union Street to fend off a squad of more than 40 armed police sent to evict them. An epic battle ensued, with police fi ring revolvers at the protestors, despite the nearby presence of women and children. The protestors were armed only with bricks and eventually all were injured and dragged from the house, the scene “bathed in blood.” Even though many unionists and labor activists involved in the anti-eviction movement were bashed, some shot at and others imprisoned, their commitment to trying to protect the most vulnerable never wavered.

Don Bradman scored 452 runs at the Sheffi eld Shield comp. That year he went on to score his highest test score of 334 on the Ashes Tour. In November, Phar Lap, ridden by jockey Jim Pike, stormed home to win the Melbourne Cup.

William Cooper founded the Australian Aborigines League and initiated a petition to King George demanding that the Australian Government be given control of Indigenous aff airs and civil rights.

Vaudeville actor Roy Rene, aka “Mo” made the fi lm Strike Me Lucky. Mo brought laughter and escape for Depression-era audiences.

John Curtin became leader of the Labor Party. He went on to become one of Australia’s greatest-ever Prime Ministers.

During these dark times icons emerged who inspired and lifted the spirits of those doing it tough

2014 unemployment in Australia is 5.8%

1932 unemployment in Australia was 29%

{An estimated 30,000 Australians were formally homeless at the peak of The Great Depression, while nearly 400,000 people lived in tents and shanty towns.

DID YOU KNOW?

State of siege The Union Street house in Sydney’s Newtown today.

A room somewhere Thousands of homeless headed to shanty towns.

State of siege eet houseThe Union Stre

man2 e

ALL

PH

OTO

GR

APH

Y F

AIR

FAX

feature

“HOW GOOD IS THIS VIEW,” enthuses Glenn Ward, OH&S and fi rst-aid offi cer for Baulderstone Construction, as he looks across his Barangaroo work site on picturesque Sydney Harbour. “It’s a great place to come to work every day. Our next job will be building the M1-M2 motorway tunnel and that will be a lot tougher so we’re making the most of being here on the water working on a fantastic project.”

For Glenn, and his 250 colleagues on site, working on the high profi le Headland Park project at Barangaroo on Sydney’s harbour waterfront has presented the opportunity to be a part of what will become an iconic addition to the Sydney landscape.

“Th is is a marvellous and very exciting project,” says the AWU Delegate of 10 years. “Th is was Paul Keating’s vision. He’s had so much input into this project. He wanted to bring the Barangaroo area back

From the heart of its CBD to its sprawling west, Sydney is a thriving hub of industry – and much of it covered by the Australian Workers’ Union. Gavin Dennett heads to Australia’s biggest city to meet some AWU members at work.Photography by David Hahn

harbour

the

city


{The Harbour Bridge and the Opera House are jewels in Sydney’s crown. But behind the scenes AWU members are hard at work.

PHO

TOG

RA

PH B

Y G

ETTY

IMA

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postcard from...

Headland Park at Barangaroo by the numbers

5.74 The size of the park in hectares.

37,000 The cubic metres of Hawkesbury sandstone to form the park’s foreshore.

9315 The number of sandstone blocks.

17 The depth in metres of the onsite sandstone quarry.

75,000 The number of plants being grown for the precinct on a fi ve hectare lot at Mangrove Mountain on the NSW Central Coast.

84 The number of plant species.

to the people and return the landscape to how it was with the original coastline. It will be a fantastic place to bring the family.”

Headland Park is set to be completed in June 2015 and will comprise one part of the Barangaroo precinct, along with Central Barangaroo and Barangaroo South. Th e public space area of the former shipping container yard will feature a rugged sandstone topography inspired by the natural pre-1836 shoreline.

Along the water’s edge, over 9300 sandstone blocks quarried from the site, will descend into the harbour. Th e location will also boast a beautiful

inlet, an 18,000 square metre cultural centre and lush vegetation comprising native Australian trees.

James Packer’s glitzy $1.3 billion casino on the Barangaroo South site may have stolen all the headlines, but Headland Park will be the jewel in the Barangaroo crown.

Adding to the obvious perks of working on the picturesque harbour every day, Baulderstone makes life easier for workers bringing this project together.

Glenn speaks highly of the collaborative relationship between the Union and the company. “Th e company is good to negotiate with,” he says.

this was PAUL KEATING’S vision.

he’s had so much input into

this project.

Clockwise from right: one of Sydney’s marathons; the original AWU building in Castlereagh Street; Darling Harbour; Barangaroo site; AWU Delegate Glenn Ward.

XXXXXXXXXXX


postcard from...

BRADNAM’S WINDOWS AND GLASS in the Western Sydney suburb of Kings Park is a thriving Aussie business established in 1977 that today employs 100 workers. Specialising in the manufacture and distribution of aluminium joinery systems, this private company is the employer of two committed AWU Delegates, Chris Kolkman (above left ) and Netane Tuione (above right).

“Th ey are pretty union friendly here and membership is roughly 70 per cent,” says Chris. “We are pretty lucky we don’t have many problems. Th ey get resolved quickly. I’ve been a Delegate seven years. What got me interested was Howard’s WorkChoices. Aft er listening to Howard’s bleak proposals I thought I had better step up.”

Th e role of Delegate also suits Netane. “I’ve been a Delegate six months,” he says. “I got voted in by the boys and I love meeting new people and talking to them. Th is role suits me.”

HEAD 50KM WEST FROM THE SYDNEY

CBD and you’ll hit Penrith at the foot of the Blue Mountains. Sydney’s West is a sprawling region boasting diversity of industry and hundreds of thousands of honest, hard-working folk. Three such people can be found at the O-I Sydney glass container factory in Penrith, fl ying the AWU fl ag for their colleagues. Meet Senior Site Delegate Ian Thomas, Delegate Shane Davies and Terry Warner.


Windows of opportunity

PURE GLASS

The western suburbs make up a huge, diverse region that hundreds of thousands of Sydneysiders call home.

“I was a Delegate for three years and I was previously with the Building Workers’ Union, so I’ve always had a union behind me.”

Shane’s pathway to O-I came via the automotive industry and he saw the writing on the wall for an industry doing it tough. “I worked in the automotive industry for 21 years, but I took voluntary redundancy in 2006,” he says. “I worked at a few smaller non-unionised companies and that was

The O-I plant in Penrith produces

over two million bottles every 24

hours. The factory features four

lines of beer bottles, one line of

spirit bottles and one line of jars.

Shane Davies, Terry Warner and Ian

Thomas are proud that O-I Sydney has

100 per cent AWU membership.

“I’ve been a Delegate for 26 years and have had two stints at Senior Site Delegate,” says Ian. “I’m also on the Branch Executive and enjoy taking up the fi ght to management. You need people to get in there and defend rights. There are always challenging issues, especially relating to drug and alcohol policy and the proposed fi nger scanning system for pay purposes, but it’s important to reassure people that the best policy for all has been negotiated. We have all glass workers with 100 per cent AWU membership, so that’s excellent.”

“I’ve worked here for 20 years and been an AWU member the whole time,” says Terry.

a real eye opener. I saw how bosses treated workers and it was pretty poor. I didn’t want to work for a company like that; I wanted to work for a big unionised company like O-I, which has more people and safety in numbers.

“Six months after I got a permanent position, I got elected as a Union Delegate of the mould shop. Then I took up the position of Senior AWU Delegate of metals. I like working here. It’s changing and they expect a lot more from workers than they used to, but it’s very competitive out there and times are changing.”


postcard from...

“The AWU Greater NSW Branch

is a leader when it comes to

International Women’s Day

activities. We organise a training

day to discuss workplace issues

and dispute resolution

processes. We invite Industrial

Commissioners and leading

Parliamentarians to address a

broad spectrum of issues that

aff ect women in the workplace.”

Russ Collison, AWU Greater NSW Branch Secretary

LOCATED IN THE HEART OF THIS

working-class centre is the not-for-profi t Penrith Police-Citizens Youth Club, a hub of the local community that is doing great things for the people of the region.

Lisa Lee is the Penrith PCYC manager and an AWU Delegate of 12 months. In her position at the club, she plays a vital role in shaping the direction of young people in the western Sydney area.

activities, including archery, soccer, boxing, judo and music.

“The idea is that kids who are participating in sport are less likely to get caught up in crime and the juvenile justice system,” she says. “Those kids referred through the court system come on a targeted program for six to eight weeks, but they will stay on the police books for 12 months and are encouraged to stay in the club. Many

INVESTING IN YOUTH

“I’m one of two AWU delegates

within the 57 PCYC clubs across

NSW. I love it. My whole role

here feeds into it. It is all about

helping others.”LISA LEE, PENRITH PCYC CLUB MANAGER

PCYC manager and AWU Delegate Lisa Lee puts AWU

Greater NSW Branch Assistant

Secretary Stephen Bali in his place!

AWU Greater NSW Branch Secretary, Russ Collison.

“The police work here as youth case managers, so they run targeted programs as opposed to the PCYC club that runs youth activities,” she says. “The police look at statistics such as truancy and graffi ti and bring kids to us referred through the courts or schools who are in danger of being caught up in that.”

Lisa says that the PCYC targets the general community and has 25 diff erent

of them do fi nd there is a better way.”There is room for everyone at the PCYC,

with classes off ered for people aged from one to 80.

“Although we are a youth based organisation, we are here for the whole community,” Lisa says. “We do a lot for the disabled. We have 2000 members of this club and 500-600 people coming through each week.”

©2014 The Bradford Exchange Ltd. A.B.N. 13 003 159 617 503-SAN42.01

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su per

INDUSTRY FUNDS SURPASSED RETAIL

funds by an average of 0.7% each year, producing annual returns of 7.2%, compared to 6.5%. Th is may not seem like a substantial diff erence, but over an average working career, it can represent tens of thousands of dollars in cash at retirement.

“Over 1-, 3-, 7- or 10-year averages, industry funds consistently outperform retail

funds,” says Director of Sunsuper and AWU Queensland Branch Secretary Ben Swan. He adds, “You can speculate as much as you want on future returns but there’s no better guide than history. In the 20-odd years we’ve had compulsory superannuation, largely underpinned by industry superannuation funds and the award system, industry funds have outperformed retail funds.”

FORGET THE BANKS – INDUSTRY FUNDS DELIVER

Th e overwhelming response of industry funds to the Coalition’s plans is: If it ain’t broke, don’t fi x it! Paul Schroder, Group Executive – Membership, at AustralianSuper, argues, “We need strong union representation as it embodies good and fair governance, while history has shown industry funds to be a successful model, where people have earned better returns and it has cost them less.”

First State Super’s CEO, Michael Dwyer AM, echoes these sentiments: “Since First State Super’s inception in 1996 we have found the equal representation of members

and employers on the board to be

a highly equitable approach to ensuring the interests of members remain front and centre of the organisation’s purpose.”

Speaking as a director of Sunsuper, the AWU’s Ben Swan says that apart from overseeing governance, the board plays a role in steering the strategic management of the superannuation fund, while the day-to-day investment decisions and operations are left to an executive team.

WHY DO INDUSTRY FUNDS BEAT RETAIL FUNDS?

According to Ben, industry funds outperform their retail counterparts because they don’t pay shareholder dividends. “Everything is done through

WHAT IS AN INDUSTRY SUPER FUND?Industry super funds have unique features:

They are run only to benefi t members

They are governed by trustee boards specifi cally representing employees and employers

They do not pay sales commissions to fi nancial planners

They have sound investment strategies, which include long-term investment in Australian infrastructure

They have, on average, lower fees than retail super funds.

These diff erentiating factors have contributed to the impressive and competitive performance of industry super funds over the long term – a fact that is consistently reported by superannuation industry ratings agencies.

Th e fact that industry funds have consistently shown stronger returns than retail funds raises the question: Why is the federal Coalition government trying to change a winning formula?

HANDS OFF OUR INDUSTRY FUNDS!

Earlier this year, then Federal Assistant Treasurer Senator Arthur Sinodinos launched an unprovoked attack on the governance of industry super funds. Th e politician, who is facing some much publicised challenges of his own, suggested that the boards of industry funds, which have overseen decades of fi nancial success, needed more independent help.

Historically, industry funds have always been governed by trustee boards specifi cally representing employees and employers; typically these trustees are appointed by the ACTU and/or unions and employer associations. A two-thirds majority is necessary for all decisions.

Th e now discredited Sinodinos told Investor Daily in February, “We want a system where the members drive the change and that’s why we want the fund governance sorted out so industry funds and other funds have more independent directors on [the boards] and there is more member power. We want people power in industry funds and other funds, we don’t want union power.”

Sinodinos’s proposal involved a three-way split on industry fund boards between employee representatives, employer representatives and independent representatives with no affi liations to either the unions or the bosses.

They are run only to benefi t members

They do not pay sales commissions to fi nancial planners

They have, on average, lower fees than retail super funds.

XXXXXXXXXXX


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AustralianSuper looks after more than $6 billion, for 2 million everyday Australians.

the prism of the members’ interests, not through maximising shareholder returns,” says Ben (pictured, below). “Th is refl ects itself all the way through the governance structures, the risk-profi ling and risk-management strategies and internal structures that focus on minimising costs such as a percentage point here and half a percent there.”

AustralianSuper’s Paul Schroder says the power of the industry fund model is that all profi ts go to the members of the funds.

“Profi ts are not being diluted by being paid to shareholders,” he notes. Th e best industry funds have also taken an innovative approach to asset allocation, explains Paul, by taking a stake in infrastructure and unlisted property, asset classes that have consistently trended upwards. “Industry funds also haven’t had to pay commissions to fi nancial planners, which has helped keep costs down,” says Paul.

For instance, the average industry

fund charges a total of 1.03% in fees on an account balance of $50,000, according to Chant West, while retail funds gouge up to 1.34%.

First State Super’s Michael Dwyer adds, “History has shown that the scale of larger industry funds means that they have been able to negotiate lower investment management fees and pass these savings on to members.”

HOW SAFE IS YOUR SUPERANNUATION?All super funds operate under a trustee

arrangement and are regulated either by the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA), the Australian Taxation Offi ce (ATO) or both.

“Th e prudential standards of APRA and the ATO impose strict governance requirements on trustees and reporting

by super funds,” says First State Super’s CEO, Michael Dwyer.

In other words, there’s no innate reason why one type

of fund is more or less safe than another.

AustralianSuper’s Paul Schroder

agrees: “It’s a well-regulated sector with good governance,” he says.

WHAT ARE YOU PAYING? – INDUSTRY & RETAIL FUNDS (%PA)

Investment Administration Total

SOURCE: CHANT WEST SUPER FUND FEE SURVEY (MARCH 2014

Industry Retail Active

Outgoing AWU National Secretary Paul Howes famously wrote about the massive potential for beefi ng up workers’ retirement savings by linking Australia’s $1.6 trillion superannuation savings pool with our country’s $1 trillion infrastructure defi cit. (The super savings pool has since grown to $1.84 trillion.) AustralianSuper and other industry funds have already invested relatively heavily in infrastructure, which has proven to be a very good asset class for investors.

“Certain types of infrastructure are suited to

delivering reliable long-term returns within a super fund,”

says Paul Schroder, from AustralianSuper. “The sorts of assets that make really good sense are long-term investments with reliable

income streams and often with no other competitors.

“The types of assets we have invested in are ports, airports, roads, which are essential services for the community that will be used regularly and will deliver consistent cash fl ows.” The beauty with infrastructure assets, says Paul, is that they can produce decent investment returns similar to shares, but without the same level of volatility.


AWU coverage

The AWU has extensive coverage across a broad range of industries. But did you know that the Union also covers workers in some areas of the wine industry? That’s right,

wine! Cate Carrigan takes a tipple.

Through the

grapevine

Australia’s fi rst commercial winery was established in the early 1800s

Australia has some of the world’s

oldest vines – dating back to the 1850s

There are more than 60 designated wine regions in Australia producing over 100 grape varieties

ABS statistics revealed there were

around 27,000 people employed in the

Australian wine industry in 2007

www.awu.ne

e ers ht,

U N I O N

MADE

It’s the

variety and

challenges of

the job that

Gary loves.

Quality is a

number one

priority

Vintage Crop

WINES OF THE WEST

The AWU’s Western Australian Branch sees the state’s wine industry as healthy and open to growth, with the West’s expanding population and thriving tourism markets driving demand.

AWU WA Branch Secretary Stephen Price says with the state’s major wine regions, including the Margaret River, the Great Southern and the Swan Valley, all within driving range of Perth, the sector is well placed for expansion.

“The relatively short drives to major wine growing regions make WA’s viticulture industry one that is set to explode in the next fi ve years,” he says.

“Mix this with new restaurants,

casinos and major international

chefs setting up shop in and

around Perth, they will need

a glass of Australia’s fi nest to

wash it down with.”

Stephen says the seasonal nature of the industry makes it hard for the Union to organise, with vineyards having a small workforce for most of the year and then taking on up to 500 per cent more workers in the picking season.

“Also, with automated harvesting and bottling operations, we’ve seen a decline in the amount of need for manual labour,” he says.

The common issues for the AWU are workers’ compensation due to the physical nature of the work – accidents with machinery and chemicals – and the status of workers who may be employees or independent contractors or transient backpackers who aren’t aware of their work rights.

Stephen says safety is paramount to the AWU, which advises workers to stop what they are doing and seek advice if they are ever concerned about the machinery they are using or

chemicals they might be exposed to.

WORKING IN THE PERTH FACILITY of the wine bottling and

packaging company Portavin, which services the vibrant

Western Australian wine industry, AWU member Gary Grant

oversees the fi ltration and bottling of the wine.

“We let the wine makers get on with doing what they do best

while we take care of the bottling, packaging, transportation

and export for them,” he says. “I oversee the wine as it is taken

from the tanks to the bottling line, running the quality checks

and ensuring that the fi nished product meets the needs of

our clients.” Winemakers are keen to ensure that their product is given

the best of care from grape to glass.

“Wine makers like to keep an eye on their babies. Th ey’ve

worked hard to make the wine so they like to come in and

watch the preparation and bottling,” Gary says.

It’s the variety and challenges of the job that Gary loves.

Quality is a number one priority and Portavin working with

wine makers and the wine companies to ensure the fi nished

product meets their unique needs is something he relishes.

On one day recently, Portavin bottled 120,000 bottles for

a winery, with Gary making sure the right coloured glass was

used and the bottles had the correct labels and stoppers.

“Th ey provide a list of what they need and we check that off

to make sure they are getting what they want,” he says.

For wineries exporting to China, where the demand is

predominantly for red wine, the bottles are sealed with cork as

the consumers see that as a sign of good quality wine.

Gary says while throughput depends on the season, the

Perth facility can produce 20,000 bottles a week with the

company running 24 hours a day.

TOP SHELF

STUFF

Australian

wineries crushed

1.75 million tonnes

of grapes in 2012–13,

up around 10 per

cent on the previous

year

Red varieties

increased 14% to

946,000 tonnes

while whites were

up 7% to 888,000

tonnes

Australians

spent $2,369.2

million on 487.7

million litres of wine

in 2012-13

Australia wine

exports were worth

$1.82 billion in

2012-13

Australia is the

number one wine

exporter into the UK

and New Zealand,

second in the

US, and fourth in

Canada and China

Australia is the

fourth largest

exporter by volume

behind Italy, France

and Spain

IN NSW, AWU NEWCASTLE

BRANCH SECRETARY

RICHARD DOWNIE SAYS THAT

HIS BRANCH IS ALSO FOCUSSING

ON THE WINE INDUSTRY IN THE

HUNTER REGION.

“WE’RE EXPLORING

GROWTH OPPORTUNITIES

IN THE HUNTER VALLEY

REGION TO

IMPROVE INDUSTRY

CONDITIONS.”

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MEMBERS SPEAK


We asked some young AWU members how they feel about unions.

MEMBERS SPEAK


union & proud

Eliza BerlageAge: 23Works: Wild Life Sydney ZooAWU Branch: Greater NSW

“I’m a Guest Experience Host at Wild Life Sydney Zoo. I joined the AWU because I believe in a fair go for all workers. I want to make sure that I have support and stability in my workplace and access to advice if any problems arise. I believe that unions uphold principles of equity and justice. They facilitate support, guidance and dispute resolution so that we can feel protected against exploitation, unfair dismissal, harassment and other things that can play havoc on our wellbeing. The Union assists us in negotiating our EBA to make sure that we have high employment standards and conditions. They also liaise with our human recruitment department to make sure there is positive communication between the employer and employees.”

Chris GreentreeAge: 26Works: Downer EDI Engineering GroupAWU Branch: Western Australia

“I’m a crew leader/stringer working on a Downer Transmission Line construction project, from Pinjar to Eneabba, north of Perth. I’ve been a proud AWU member for the last four years. The Union has industrial and legal knowledge, so it’s great knowing you have its support. I’m currently the WA Rep for National Agreement negotiations. We needed a Delegate on site, so I thought I would step up to the place – the guys here seem to like a young guy doing all the hard work!”

Luke“I joined the AWU for peace of mind and the feeling of being part of a collective strength. I believe in the benefi ts of unionism and how unions protect workers’ rights and employment conditions. Where I work, the Union is well organized and negotiates good results in enterprise bargaining. They are also proactive with safety issues through a good, cooperative relationship with management.”

Carmel PearceAge: 30Works: Prince Charles HospitalAWU Branch: Queensland

“I work as a chef and belong to the AWU. I believe in unions because I have seen what they can achieve. The AWU in my workplace is always there to help us.”

Luke & Blake Chakovski Age: 21Works: Bluescope Lysaght AWU Branch: Newcastle

Blake“I joined the AWU to feel part of the comradeship, unity and benefi ts of being a member. I believe in the necessity of unions to protect workers’ rights. The AWU is proactive in uniting workers

at Lysaght’s to work together with the company to improve wages and conditions and provide support and security to members when they need it.”

Sophie ConnorAge: 21Works: Luna Park, MelbourneAWU Branch: Victoria

“I joined the AWU when I started working at Luna Park. My parents have always reiterated the importance of unions, and I felt obliged to pay my fair share. I believe unions ensure that workers maintain fair working conditions. I’m the AWU Delegate at Luna Park and we have just fi nished renegotiating our EBA. We had many improvements, which proves the importance of having a unionised workplace.”

HEALTHY living


“Work-life balance can

be hard to achieve,”

says Professor Niki Ellis,

a leading occupational

health physician.

“Sometimes work intrudes

because of long working

hours, but it can also be

a problem when we fret

over work while we are

away from it,” she says.

“For women, usually, but

not always, it may not be

a case of just getting the

work-life balance right,

but clawing more ‘me-

time’ back from work and

from carer responsibilities.

It is often possible

to reduce high work

demands by reviewing the

allocation of work across

a team. It may be possible

for workers to rethink how

something is done, and

streamline the process to

make the workload more

manageable. Delegation

and eliminating

unnecessary tasks can

work with housework,

too.”

Catch Professor Niki Ellis on the TV series, “Stressbuster,” at www.abc.net.au/tv/stressbuster

Ask the expert

actBalancingWHY IT’S AN ISSUETh e term “work-life balance” is a simple way of describing the diff erence between the time you are obliged to spend at work and how much time you have to spend with your family and commitments away from work.

When you consider that a 2013 Australian Institute report found that the amount of unpaid overtime workers “donated” to employers has jumped from about $72 billion in 2009 to $110 billion – or almost eight hours a week from full-time workers – it makes sense that a healthy work-life balance is an issue for many.

Th e Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has found that on average, Australian women spend over fi ve hours each day carrying out domestic work in the home. Th ese unpaid tasks include: childcare, cleaning and household maintenance, shopping and other activities. Th ese hours are half an hour above the OECD average. In comparison, Australian men work under three hours, on average, performing the same type of unpaid work in the home.

SOLE PARENT FAMILIESResearch by SafeWork South Australia has found that single parent families represent 20 per cent of Australian families with children under 15 years of age. More than half of those single parents are working.

Meanwhile, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) says that around two-thirds of employed single parents feel pressured for time. Compared to families with two parents, 45 per cent of working single parents felt they were less likely to have a say in determining their start and fi nish times, or be able to work extra hours in exchange for time off than workers who are part of two-parent families.

GETTING IT RIGHTAchieving a healthy work-life balance means involving all the stakeholders. Get the family together, talk about the issue and encourage everyone to suggest ways of spending quality time together, while sharing family responsibilities. Here are some ideas to get things rolling:• Share household tasks. Make a roster and stick to it. Th is minimises the time individuals spend doing unpaid work, leaving more time to relax and enjoy life. Be organised, list the tasks at hand and delegate!• Make a meal of it. Rather than letting them sit in front of the TV or spend a lot of time on social media, get the kids involved in preparing family meals. Encourage them to open up about their day and talk about yours. Communication is a core pillar of happy family life – and that means less stress.• Encourage workmates to share how they juggle the business of work and life in order to maximise family and relaxation time.

We’re hearing the term “work-life

balance” more frequently. As working

hours increase and with the demands

of modern living, how do we achieve

a healthy ratio between work and,

well, life? Kyle Rankin fi nds the

short answer is that we can.

Q

Is there an ideal work-life balance?

A According to SafeWork South Australia, a standard balance is hard to gauge. Many workers reported struggling to achieve quality time with their families. Some felt pressure because their time outside of work is taken up caring for elderly parents, or family members with a disability. Others said they had inadequate time to pursue courses or participate in a sport or their hobbies.

Q

How does a poor work-life balance aff ect work performance?

A Research suggests that workplace infl exibility can lower morale making workers stressed and less productive and more likely to leave.

Q Can employers play a role?

A Research by SafeWork South Australia reveals that many employees rate wages below quality of life and other issues when looking at a prospective job. It is in the interests of employers to off er some fl exibility in workplace arrangements to ensure that they attract and retain staff , which helps to maintain – and improve – profi tability.

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ON THE PLATFORM

Funny man Anthony Ackroyd once morphed himself into one of our Prime Ministers and his show was a huge success. Now he talks about what he’d do if he got the gig for real!

On the day I become PM, things are going to change in this great, wide brown land that Liza Minnelli’s unlikely fi rst husband called home. I will immediately legislate to create prosperity, equality, opportunity and free parking for all. Oh, and world peace. Don’t ask for details citizens, just rest in the knowing that I’m Anthony and I’m here to help.

But after these good and noble works, it’s me time, baby. Personal bugbears that I can no longer bear will fi nally be debugged. For starters I will rush through a bill that makes it mandatory for the people who sell take-away coff ee to admit they have a small size. I know what you’re thinking, but petty is in the eye of the beholder and I’m the bloody PM, pal, so lend me your ears.

Recently when I requested a small take-away fl at white at a café I was told they didn’t have a small size, just regular, large and extra-large. So I asked the person serving me if the regular size was smaller in terms of height and volume than either the large or extra large. He agreed that it was. I attempted checkmate by positing that we could therefore logically call the regular size “small”. He replied, “Huh? So you want

a regular?” Note to self: add gulags to infrastructure list.

Next, anyone giving a gift voucher as a present will have their retirement age lifted to 95. Come on, what does the gift voucher really say? It says, “I couldn’t be bothered putting any thought into this”. I, for one, am not taken in by the specious proposition that the gift card giver is actually doing me a favour by allowing me to pick out something I want for myself. Admit it, you just couldn’t be stuff ed! Paradoxically, I have no problem with cash.

Finally, as PM I will make it illegal for people to say “WWW” before website addresses. When someone telling me the name of a website kicks off with “W” a rip of relativity opens up in the space-time continuum that makes the three seconds it takes them to say the other two “Ws” and then add the “dot” seem like three hours. Yes, it’s the world wide web. We know already!

Oh my, how the nation will swoon at my visionary leadership as I use a whiteboard to bring to life forward estimates showing that over the course of a year, if we agreed to stop uttering the redundant time-sucking syllables “WWW.”, all Australians could probably fi t in one extra fl at white. But only a small one.

pmIF I WAS

FOR A DAY46 www.awu.net.au THE AUSTRALIAN WORKER

But after all these good

and noble works, it’s me time, baby. Personal bugbears that I can no longer bear will fi nally be debugged.

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THE WAY THAT IT MADE ME FEEL


It’s funny to be asked to write about songs pertinent to the interests of people, who, like most of us, are not members of the ruling classes.

From his early days with legendary Aussie punk outfi t The Saints, right through the Laughing Clowns, The ’Aints and a successful solo career, Ed Kuepper is widely regarded as one of Australia’s most infl uential and prolifi c musicians. Forty years and dozens of albums later, music still dwells in Ed’s heart and soul. Here he talks about some of the songs that inspired his strong sense of social justice.

IN A LOT OF WAYS it’s funny for me to be asked to write about songs pertinent to the interests of people who, like most of us, are not members of the ruling upper-classes.

Not because I’m not interested or aware of the issues, but rather because I think about music in a way which is generally divorced from the sociopolitical and economic.

Maybe it’s because I couldn’t speak English when I started school, but I’ve always had to be engaged by the melody or musical arrangement fi rst. Anyway, it’s always a bit of fun to look at things from a diff erent angle so here goes.

I’ve decided to avoid Woody Guthrie, who is probably one of the most prolifi c and well-known artists to deal with the rights of workers and their families in literally hundreds of songs – basically too much to cover and frankly a bit easy.

Pete Seeger UNION MAIDMy fi rst pick is a song performed by Pete Seeger but one I got to know via my father’s homemade version, which he sang in a fairly heavy German accent while learning to play folk guitar. It features the memorable opening lines: “There once was a union maid. Who never was afraid. Of goons and ginks and company fi nks and the deputy sheriff s who made the raid. She went to the union hall. When a meeting it was called. And when the Legion boys came ’round, she always stood her ground.”

RedgumI WAS ONLY 19 (A WALK IN THE LIGHT GREEN)On the anti-war theme, (and it’s mostly the “lower classes” that end up on the front lines), I’ve got to mention this moving work that I fi nd emotionally overpowering whenever I hear it. “And can you tell me, doctor, why I still can’t get to sleep? And night-time’s just a jungle dark and a barking M16? And what’s this rash that comes and goes, can you tell me what it means? God help me, I was only nineteen.”

The KinksYES SIR, NO SIROne of the best anti-war songs I know of, I heard this song for the fi rst time a few years after it was recorded. I was 17 or 18, and still had the prospect of being conscripted for the Vietnam War fairly fresh in my mind, although Australia had pulled out when Whitlam was elected. It’s from their album, Arthur (Or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire). Amongst other things, it gave me an appreciation of incredibly long album titles. It also features some fantastic lyrics, like: “Give the scum a gun and make the bugger fi ght. And be sure to have deserters shot on sight. If he dies we’ll send a medal to his wife,” all sung to a tune reminiscent of The Bee Gees’ “New York Mining Disaster,” so a double whammy in a lot of ways.

With a career trajectory that has earned him legendary status, Ed still has his feet on the ground.

1973 Co-founds Kid Galahad and The Eternals with Chris Bailey

1974 Band changes name and style and becomes The Saints

1976 Releases (I’m) Stranded on their own label Fatal Records, before signing with EMI

1977 Band moves to London

1978 Releases Eternally Yours (“Know Your Product”) and Prehistoric Sounds (“Brisbane (Security City)”. Ed leaves the band and returns to Australia

1979 Forms the Laughing Clowns

1985 Ed embarks on a solo career, releasing the album Electrical Storm

1986 Releases Rooms of the Magnifi cent

A BRIEF HISTORY OF ED KUEPPER

1979 Forms the

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look & listen

The SpecialsGHOST TOWNAnother great song with a seductive arrangement and ambience, Ghost Town references the slow death of the old industrial northern cities in England under Thatcher’s neo-liberal economic policies. “This town, is coming like a ghost town. Why must the youth fi ght against themselves? Government leaving the youth on the shelf. This place, is coming like a ghost town. No job to be found in this country. Can’t go on no more. The people getting angry.”

Public EnemyBLACK STEEL IN THE HOUR OF CHAOSMost of the people that populate the jails of the advanced Western countries like Australia and the US tend to be poor and disproportionally non-white. This tune, originally performed by Public Enemy, but later by Tricky, simply entitled simply Black Steel deals with a black man in prison who appears to be called up for military service. “I got a letter from the government the other day. I opened and read it – it said they were suckers. They wanted me for their army or whatever. Picture me givin’ a damn –

I said never. Here is a land that never gave a damn. About a brother like me and myself because they never did.” Both the Tricky and Public Enemy versions are worth checking out.

Tennessee Ernie Ford16 TONSThis song is probably seen as a bit of a novelty tune (assuming anyone remembers it these days), I can’t think of a better song to illustrate the plight of the working man or woman. “16 tons, what do yer get? Another day older and deeper in debt. St Peter don’t you call me cause I can’t go. I owe my soul to the company store.”

1988 Releases Everybody’s Got To, considered one of his fi nest albums

1990 Releases Today Wonder

1990 Forms The Aints, alongside his solo work, releasing S.L.S.Q, Ascension (’91), and Auto-cannibalism (’92).

1991 Releases commercial success, Honey Steel’s Gold. Also garnered an ARIA nod for Best Independent Release.

1992 Releases Black Ticket Day winning the ARIA (’93)

1993 Releases Serene Machine winning another ARIA in 1994

1994 - 98 Character Assassination, The Exotic Mail-Order Moods of Ed Kuepper, Frontierland, Starstruck and Live With His Oxley Creek Playboys, received AIA nominations.

Ed has released more than 20 solo albums, most recently Return of the Mail-Order Bridegroom, in 2014.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF ED KUEPPER

I can’t think of a better song to illustrate the plight of the working man or woman.

As well as a singer-song writer, composer and producer, Ed plays acoustic, electric, bass, and slide guitar, along with banjo, mandolin, keyboards and percussion.

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make your dreams more than dreams

Don’t let your dreams get away.

Even if you’re years away from retirement, you can still dream about the things you want to do. And no matter what those dreams are, we at Sunsuper want to help make them come true. Don’t let them get away. Find out how we can help at sunsuper.com.au or talk to a Sunsuper financial planner on 13 11 84.

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Documents

Worker Issue 1 2014.pdf