Vote Often Vote Early

Victorians go to the polls on 25 November 2006 and the ETU is encouraging all members to ensure that they are enrolled to vote and don't wait until the last week to do so, if they are not. History shows that the changing of residential address and the failure of young people (apprentices for example) to register can seriously weaken the anti-conservative vote. People over 70 years of age can register to be supplied with a postal vote. For more information go to the Victorian Electoral Commission http://www.vec.vic.gov.au/

Address: Level 8, 505 Little Collins Street, Melbourne, Victoria 3000

Phone: Local call within Victoria: 13 18 32

From outside Victoria: +61 3 9299 0520

TTY (text telephone): 9299 0570

Email: info@vec.vic.gov.au

Fax: +61 3 9629 8632

As they used to say in the old working class suburbs 'vote early and vote often'.

Ask an ETU honorary member and they'll tell you one of the great failings of modern politics is the decline in the number of MPs with a real connection to working people. Ben Chifley, Labor PM from 1945 until 1949, was an engine driver, and it was a time when tradespeople were prolific in the parliaments. It's no secret the executive of the current Victorian Labor government is dominated by lawyers and private school boys. Therefore, we should be saying 'God Bless You Shaun'. Yes, ETU organiser Shaun Leane, a man with 20 years of union struggle behind him, is number one on the ticket for the Eastern Metropolitan region upper house seat in the November election. In a political environment where unions are under greater attack than ever before, Shaun just might be the light on the hill.

The second youngest of 8 children, Shaun was only 10 years of age when his father died. 'I had to grow up quick and look after myself. My mum was a nurse and had to work nightshifts to support the family,' say Shaun who, despite the tough times has fond memories of his childhood. 'Being an active unionist I've experienced unemployment and know what it's like to take the five cent pieces down the shop to pay for milk and bread. I can honestly say I know how battling people in our community think. They are the people I will be representing,' he says. The ETU wishes him well.

Honouring Victorian Women

Just as there's a dearth of tradies and rank and file unionists in the parliament, so too is it true that unionists are excluded from the various honours distributed on Australia Day. And when it comes to women, unless you're dishing out fake charity or are part of the Toorak social set you don't get a look in.

On 7 May 2001 the Victorian Honour Roll of Women was launched at the Women Shaping the Nation Centenary of Federation event. Ellen Kleimaker, Trades Hall's Women's & Equity Officer, advises us that since then 356 women have been added to the Roll and that she'd 'like to see women of achievement who have lived or worked in Victoria and who have made a significant difference for, and with, women and communities, nominated for the 2007Victorian Honour Roll of Women.'

The Victorian Honour Roll of Women is an on-going commitment of the Victorian Government, culminating in the centenary of women's suffrage in Victoria in 2008. Each year in March additional women are inducted onto the Honour Roll, as part of International Women's Day celebrations.

Nominations opened on 22 July and close on 22 September 2006. For further information on the Victorian Honour Roll of Women visit the Office of Women's Policy website www.women.vic.gov.au

It goes without saying that many ETU women deserve to be nominated to the Roll. We'll leave that to you.

Your Rights at Work

If you'd turned on the news on Wednesday 25 July 2006 you'd have thought it was all light and sweetness when John Howard stopped at Upwey RSL for a birthday bash. The truth was, as reported on the ETU website, plenty of people gathered outside the RSL to tell Howard where to put his IR laws. The campaign against Howard and our compliant media is far from over, and even the media magnates are finding it hard to camouflage the ruthless sacking of workers.

The ETU has no qualms about saying Howard must go. Right now the union is assisting in the marginal seats campaign and offering its support to community campaigns. It's no surprise that inspiring struggles such as those being undertaken by Union Solidarity are gaining momentum. The Eastern Community Action Group is associated with Union Solidarity and consists of local activists and concerned community people in the eastern suburbs.

The group recently held a well attended protest outside of the Spotlight store in Bayswater to highlight the shameful actions of this employer, who wants to take away overtime, weekend and public holiday rates, rest breaks and the like in return for a wage increase of 2 cents per hour in a take it or leave it AWA.

The next meeting will be held at:

6.30pm

Wednesday 9th August

Knox Community Centre

Corner Scoresby Road & Mountain Hwy BAYSWATER

Please contact Mike Symon on 0400 411 410 or email mike@etu.asn.au if you require further information

After 17 years as a shop steward and 20 years as an ETU member, Reno Lia was recently elected as a union official. After major battles at Kraft in Strathmerton, where the company announced 150 redundancies - the town's population is 450 - in the middle of EBA negotiations, and Amcor in Kyabram, he thought he'd seen it all. Then along came Empire Rubber. 'The administrator announced 100 redundancies with no entitlements and the boss was taken to court, accused of stripping the company's assets. It was truly unbelievable that a company would do this to people,' says Reno. The depth of community support was reflected in the following, poignant tale. When the child of a two ETU members, both employed at Empire Rubber, tried to pay for a school excursion he was told to put the money away. 'The teacher simply said that because his parents were on the picket line the boy shouldn't have to pay. I was genuinely moved,' says Reno. It's well known that one Empire Rubber employee - sacked without a redundancy payment - is battling cancer. Such is life under the Howard government, says Reno.

'I can't stress enough how important it is for people to join the Your Rights at Work marginal seats campaign in seats such as Deakin and LaTrobe. We need to vote the Howard government out,' says Reno. And so say all of us.

After months of stalling the Otis lift company has offered lift workers a 3-year, 4 per cent per year wage increase. Organiser Danny Timmers described the offer as a 'Big breakthrough that protects what we had in the past and, despite the threats from the company, involves us giving up nothing.' As with all agreements since the arrival of the WorkChoices legislation Otis was keen to wave the code compliance clauses at the ETU. Although code compliance existed before WorkChoices it's become a bigger issue since the passing of the legislation. Members would be aware that companies that don't meet the federal government's code compliance clauses - clauses designed to undermine union right of entry and shop steward training - will not be able to tender for government contracts. It is yet another weapon in the government's anti-worker arsenal.

Despite these problems the ETU is satisfied with the EBA, which was ratified by members at a Trades Hall meeting on Tuesday 1 August, and the union looks forward to settling terms with Kone, Schindler and the others very soon. While all this has been happening the ETU has been chasing the companies over the much-publicised safety debacle, which emerged after a lift accident at the Sofitel. The ETU has taken its concerns to WorkSafe, which has begun investigating its complaints.

How lucky is ETU member Bill Stout? He's won the plane tickets. What plane tickets, you ask? Each year, as an incentive to encourage members to pay their union dues before 30 June, the ETU has a prize draw for eligible members. Bill was lucky enough to win two economy return airline tickets to anywhere in Australia with $500 spending money. But there's more. Each of the other six winners collected either a $500 Myer voucher or an Apple iPod.

The purchase of an Annual Ticket not only qualifies an ETU member to receive one of these prizes it saves you around 10% on the normal membership fee. As long as you pay by 30 June you qualify to go into the draw. Victorian members are also reminded that free Ambulance cover is provided to all financial members. The ETU is asking members to check with the office to ensure their details are correct, or, if you have any account enquiries, to do likewise. Remember, annual tickets must be purchased by 30th June 2006 to receive the 10% discount.

Apart from William Stout, the winners were:

Russell Knight, Con Sarandoglou & Dean Newnham - Apple iPods.

Matthew Porter, Colin Watson & Chris Pocknee - Myer gift vouchers.

What kind of democracy is it that allows bosses to tell workers whether they are allowed union stickers on their helmets and can display flags and signs at work? 'It's our site, our crane. If a flag is going top be flown it will be Grocon,' John Van Camp, the company's industrial relations manager told the Herald Sun.

Anyone who thinks the Howard government isn't intent on driving union officials and union imagery out of the workplace has rocks in their head. Like colonialists and imperialists around the world, whether in Ireland in the 19 th century or the Middle East today, the Howard government is intent on establishing the kind of democracy that furthers its interests. ETU members know how important the branding of the ETU logo has been in maintaining moral. All of us know that the push to remove union insignias is an attack on our culture and our identity. This sorry tale is reminiscent of the story (covered on the ETU website) of a woman sacked in Dublin Éire-Ireland for wearing a union badge.

While the ETU won't be going so far as to advocate the tattooing of the letters ETU on union heads we'll be taking a close look at how to get around any such stunts by pro-Howard bosses.

Alcoa Portland Heeds Howard's Call

Ask the Workplace Minister and he'll tell you his new legislation is all about increasing economic efficiency and offering workers greater choice, and that the clauses restricting the OH&S role of shop stewards will do nothing to compromise safety. So why did Alcoa in Portland tell ETU man Brendan McMahon that if he attended a scheduled OH&S meeting on 26 July 2006 he'd lose 4 hours pay. This was despite letters being sent to the reps and management two weeks prior. Rather than risk an industrial dispute Brendan decided to stay put at Alcoa.

ETU OH&S Officer Allan Mulvena was less than impressed. 'It's a shame a large organisation that has previously allowed reps to attend such meetings run by the ETU should be so difficult. It's an entirely unreasonable stance. Surely an organisation concerned about health and safety would have availed itself of the opportunity to acquire up to date relevant information. It's terrible that some of the larger organisations are turning safety into an industrial tool. This can only be bad for safety on the job,' he said.

The tasks Allan had in mind for the proposed meeting included outlining the clinical meaning of the legislation and explaining how communication and consultation between employers and employees helped improve workplace safety. Maybe this is exactly what Alco didn't want. No doubt about John Howard is there?

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