The Guardian 9 May, 2007
United, Australia rallies on MAY DAY 2007
Richard Titelius in Perth
The WorkChoices laws have far-reaching consequences across the whole of Australian society, and with that in mind Unions WA aimed to bring the widest possible cross-section of the community the to the annual May Day parade. Alongside the traditional march by trade-unionists and other workers’ organisations the event to celebrate May Day as a community festival of, "Music, Food, Fun in support of the work of unions in the WA Community".
The perfect weather was another factor that helped bring the masses to the Esplanade in Fremantle; around 6000 people gathered to march and even more came along afterwards for the speeches, entertainment and food.
Once the march began, any notion of the event not being "political enough" soon dissipated with angry chants of "Beat back Howard’s attacks" and "We’re angry, we’re loud, we’re union and we’re proud!", amongst others.
Upon the return to the Esplanade, the festival got into full swing with a choice of amplified rock music, community and political party stands and the opportunity to meet up with old friends and comrades and have a yarn about the struggles of the past year and the challenges that await the working class over the next few months.
Unions WA Secretary Dave Robinson addressed the rally on the past weeks’ burning IR issue: that of WA Premier Alan Carpenter supporting the mining giants BHP and Rio Tinto’s claim that the Federal ALP’s promise to do away with AWA’s would disadvantage some workers in the booming mining industry of Western Australia. This argument flies in the face of the fact that only 4 percent of workers are on AWAs than union-negotiated agreements.
Robinson argued that BHP had made a multi-billion dollar profit in just the previous six-month period, which demonstrates how AWAs were only used to further line the pockets of the capital ruling class. The idea that workers — the ones who produce the wealth — will somehow get a "fair go" from these contracts is beyond belief. Robinson also warned against Prime Minister John Howard’s latest ruse of modifying his increasingly unpopular WorkChoices industrial laws by proposing a fairness test. As Mr Robinson pointed out: employers can apply to have the test waived if they can’t afford it, and it doesn’t apply to a raft of other industries. He concluded by reminding people that 2007 was an election year and that people had the power to change the direction this country was heading.
The next speaker was Sarah Cain from the Young Christian Workers who gave crushing examples of how young workers were exploited and marginalised by WorkChoices and being told to accept AWAs "or else".
Young workers are also being offered casual contracts of employment which offer them only a few hours work per week forcing them to juggle a number of casual jobs to make ends meet or until one of the few full time jobs become available with slightly better security or tenure.
The so called benefits of the new "flexibility" and prosperity mostly accrue to the owners of capital rather than to the workers who has only their labour to sell which is frequently exploited.
Ms Cain emphasised that there was a need in the community to mentor and develop our young workers and treat them with respect as they are our future generations.
The message of May Day 2007 was to let corporate Australia know that workers’ struggle is alive and kicking.
For those attending May Day this year it was uplifting and compelling, and something that they will spread by word of mouth to their networks to stir activism amongst the working class and their organisations in the union movement.
Sydney
Coming just two weeks after Sydney’s successful "Rockin’ For Rights" rally — where a crowd of almost 40,000 marched from Hyde Park to the Sydney Cricket Ground — the attendance at this year’s May Day march was much lower than hoped for. Several thousand people gathered again in Hyde Park and to march through the CBD. The Sydney District Committee of the CPA, with assistance and support of fraternal organisations, held a post-march function at the Greek Community Club in Lakemba. Dora Anthony, Chair of the District Committee, welcomed the over 100 guests in attendance:
"On behalf of the District Committee I would like to congratulate all comrades and friends who took part in the march today. We marched today not just in our own contingent but arm in arm with the workers and progressive people from nearly every country of the world. Ours is a worldwide movement.
"And at our celebration here at Lakemba we hope to use this get-together of the various parties to cement even closer ties between us, so that we can work together at different times of the year on issues of common concern.
"We hold up high the banner of unity of the communist movement, and the banner of unity of the working class, and the unity of all the progressive people fighting for democratic rights, social justice, peace and the saving of the environment.
"We are fully aware that the major offensive of the capitalist class today, in Australia and other capitalist countries, is to break the unity of the workers … weaken the bargaining power of workers and weaken their organisations, the trade unions.
"The idea is to place workers on individual contracts, and to have absolute power to hire and fire. In this way the employers hope that they can deal individually with each employee and not with the workers together.
"What the employers fear more than anything else is to have the workers in the factory or in the other workplaces stand up together and demand their rights.
"The employers might make some gains, but we will fight back. And the workers are fighting back. And we will win. Why? Because the nature of employment in capitalism brings workers together, and when they are together in the factories and other workplaces, they can see that they have common interests and they will unite.
"We have to promote this struggle. We have to promote the unity between young workers and old workers, between men and women, and between workers of different ethnic background, even if they don’t speak the same language.
"We have to develop this unity, so it becomes a big and powerful movement. We have to build the trades unions. And not only do we look at the defence of workers’ rights, but we look to advance the workers’ movement — put the workers’ movement on the offensive so that it takes up the big issues in society, and sets itself on a path of changing society."
Adelaide
In Adelaide about 500 very vocal people marched with their banners and flags from Victoria Square to the steps of Parliament House last Saturday. Slogans again reflected the anger in the community at the Howard Government’s WorkChoices legislation. The procession was greeted at its destination with renditions of rousing workers’ songs by the Trade Union Choir.
This year, local ALP sub-branch stalwarts Robert (Bob) Collins, George Whitten and Keith Le-Leu had their names added to the Workers Memorial in Black Diamond Corner in Port Adelaide. Keith was also a long-serving committee member of the Semaphore Workers Club and committed unionist. He exemplified the MUA Retired Members’ slogan "retired from the job, not the struggle". The dedication ceremony on Sunday morning was well attended.
At the annual May Day gathering at the Semaphore Workers Club, members and friends joined the family of the late Ron Connolly and stood silently as Ron’s son David unveiled a memorial plaque in the club’s gardens. The former club secretary, Waterside Workers Federation secretary and CPA Port Branch member was widely respected in the Port community. Club president Ben Carslake spoke fondly of his late comrade before proposing a toast to his memory and to May Day.J
Brisbane
Around 35,000 people took part in a march and rally on Labour Day with one of the main slogans "No, Johnnie, No". The CPA had a successful stall and a strong party contingent. Other marches took place around the state, including Barcaldine, Bowen, Cairns, Mackay, Rockhampton and Townsville.