By Anthony Benbow
PERTH — WA Premier Richard Court and labour minister Graham Kierath claim to take their jobs seriously. After a hard week at the office ramming the "third wave" anti-union legislation through the lower house without debate, and with the media carrying daily warnings of "industrial chaos", they demonstrated just how serious they were by leaving for a week — Court went to NSW, and Kierath to China.
They are due to return only days before the bill is introduced into the upper house, where the Liberals lost their majority in December. They still have the numbers because WA's constitution allows newly elected members to take their seats only on May 22 each year (Queen Victoria's birthday, if you're wondering).
The "numbers" who will help pass the bill include the unelected Alan Carstairs — appointed to a vacancy created by a resignation after the 1996 elections — and Ross Lightfoot, who was appointed to a vacancy in federal parliament in March, but has been asked to stick around for one last vote. (Handy for Ross, too, that by being there until May he clocks up the necessary seven years to qualify for superannuation worth $466,000.)
Fortunately, the trade unionists who Court claims are "irresponsible" take their jobs — and democracy — far more seriously than he does. Stop-work meetings have occurred throughout April, in every corner of WA, across all industries.
Union members have discussed the legislation's far-reaching effects on the community, exposing Kierath's lie that the bill is about "secret ballots". (Union rules currently allow for secret ballots if workers desire. WA coal miners have been voting that way for decades.)
"We started having work site information meetings three weeks ago", said Kim Young, president of the WA Builders Labourers, Painters and Plasterers Union (BLPPU). "Workers wanted more than discussion once they heard the full effects of the bill. The impetus came from the rank and file for stoppages. Many of our sites have voted to go out for 24 or 48 hours; one job went out for six days."
Thousands of other workers in metropolitan and country areas have taken action.
The April 29 rally will be accompanied by widespread industrial action. Public servants, meatworkers, teachers, construction, manufacturing, transport, mining, power and health workers will all take action. Rallies will be held in some country areas as well.
The ACTU will support a blockade of WA on the day, resulting in no movement of goods in or out by air, sea or rail.
The blockade is also receiving tremendous international support. Unions in South Africa have again responded — as in 1995 with the "second wave" campaign. The Congress of South African Trade Unions has announced it will picket Australian consulates on April 29 and refuse to handle any freight from WA. Unions in India, the Philippines and Malaysia will also picket Australian consulates.
The WA transport unions will be in the front line of the blockade. "The MUA plans to play a big role in the campaign, but in a way that minimises the chances of us being further attacked", said MUA organiser Dean Summers. "The Liberals would love to have a go at us nationally, and we intend to support this blockade without giving them that opportunity."
The State School Teachers Union of WA has been called into both federal and WA Industrial Relations Commissions by the government to try to block its planned strike on April 29.
SSTU president Brian Lindberg has called on parents and relatives of students to make other arrangements on the day of the strike. "Our usual excellent duty of care is unavailable because aspects of this bill are directed at us, aiming to deregister the SSTU or make us dysfunctional", he said.
"We ended a year-long campaign in 1996 with Court promising more resources for school maintenance, smaller classes and so on. In the budget, they have allocated a pathetic amount to education, going back on their promises. Over the last 100 years it's the actions of the teachers' union, not generous governments, that have ensured quality public education, accessible to all no matter how disadvantaged.
"This legislation takes away our ability to maintain those actions. We ask students and the community to stand with us, so we can continue to defend quality public education. We will soon have to renegotiate our conditions. This is only round one, not the whole fight."
On the ALP as an alternative to the Liberals, Lindberg commented, "The ALP needs to re-establish its credibility, with policies that are not deviated from for the sake of political expediency".
Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous Workers Union secretary Helen Creed says the legislation will hit hardest in smaller and partly organised workplaces. "Under this legislation, unionised workers have to identify themselves before an official can enter a workplace to check time and wage records. If there are no union members, an official cannot enter at all. Workers in smaller hospitals, child-care centres and cleaners are much more vulnerable", she said.
Creed says the pre-strike "secret ballots" will lead to more industrial disruption in areas like health. "Currently hospital staff enforce work bans rather than stop work completely. This legislation means a ballot will have to be applied even for a stop-work meeting. Nobody is going to go through a six-week process just for a work ban. Instead there will be a full stoppage."
Creed thinks workers need a campaign "of ongoing industrial action, but also a focus on the actions in parliament". She points to the fact the Liberal Party is using its last opportunity to pass anti-union legislation, rather than to attack the environment or to further privatise.
Deputy premier Hendy Cowan has called for negotiations, but in the words of Joe McDonald, WA secretary of the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union, "What is there to negotiate? We want the legislation gone, not just some bits of it."
All unions agree that a continuing campaign of industrial action is vital.
"Living with the remnants of the 'second wave' was hard. If the 'third wave' is allowed to grind us down further, a future 'fourth wave' or similar could prove very difficult to fight", said the MUA's Dean Summers.
Civil disobedience is also planned if the bill is passed, because it will make the daily work of union officials a criminal offence. Already transport and construction organisers have been charged.
According to Kim Young of BLPPU, "We have no choice but to defy this legislation deliberately. We will not have secret ballots. Criminal charges will be aimed at militant unions like the building unions, and we will have to prepare for officials going to jail. If that happens, there will be even more disruption. As long as these laws are in force, nothing will get built in WA."