The Guardian 27 June, 2007
CPA solidarity with
the Australian Trade Union Movement
Statement adopted by
Central Committee of the Communist Party of Australia
at its meeting June 23-24
This meeting of the Central Committee of the CPA expresses its solidarity with the Trade Union Movement which suffers under the draconian anti-worker legislation introduced by the Howard government.
In particular, the CPA expresses its solidarity with the construction union, the CFMEU which is directly affected by the Building and Construction Industry Improvement Act and the Australian Building and Construction Commission, ABCC.
As a result of the savage enforcement of this legislation CFMEU officials have been obstructed and subjected to punitive measures in their attempts to defend the interests of their membership, including safety on the job. The full weight of the mass media, police, the ABCC and courts has been thrown against them.
WorkChoices and other anti-worker legislation have made it almost impossible for unions to defend the interests of the working class. All of these pieces of legislation must be repealed.
The CPA is committed to doing its utmost to contribute to the defeat of the Coalition government and does not support the recent actions of the Coalition in laying out which union officials are not fit to be members of the ALP, and their subsequent forced resignations.
The CPA calls for the greatest unity of progressive forces in Australia to work for the defeat of the Howard government at the upcoming Federal Elections.
In this respect it is wrong for Kevin Rudd to get caught up in the demonisation campaign launched by John Howard against the trade unions.
The CPA is of the opinion that the trade union movement should be independent of any political party and could consider endorsing trade union, community and other independent candidates who would promote the interests of working people and the trade unions. In this the Your Rights at Work committees can play an important role.
The draconian anti-worker legislation must be torn up and new pro-worker legislation introduced.