Socialist Party Australia - Where are our trade unions going?

Europeanisation is the return of militant unionism after decades of right wing leadership doing the work for the bosses. 2004 has seen the beginning of Europeanisation of unions in Australia.
By John Gowland, Socialist Party Perth

In parts of Europe union members have defied the bosses and on occasion the bosses of their unions and taken militant industrial action. In Italy union after union have taken industrial action, even on a national bases, in defiance of the law and their union leadership. In the UK there has arisen a strong left wing leadership in a number of unions. Regarded as the ‘Awkward Squad’ these UK unions are challenging the capitalist Blair. Unions such as the Fire Brigade Union have broken from Labor withdrawing financial support forcing the UK Labour Party to expel them from the Party.

With huge pressure on memberswages and working conditions workers have come in to conflict with their lackey leadership and the Labor parties.

The CMFEU (Construction division) the most militant union in Australia is being attacked by the state in a series of challenges in the courts. The Australian bosses want to break the back of the CMFEU just as Thatcher broke the most militant union in the UK the National Union of Miners.

The leadership of the teachers union in WA campaigned to accept an offer of 3%, this amounts to a pay cut with inflation and the recent rises in mortgage repayments. This union membership (by a vote 5,000 to 3,500) rejected the agreement - which is especially relevant given the membership have supported the leadership in the past by huge margins. Indeed in the next few years there will be a challenge to the passive right wing leadership and a new left wing militant leadership could arise with the possibility of a strong Marxist influence.

Bosses attacks create aggressive unions
The endless booms and slumps of capitalism has meant the driving down of living conditions for workers. Even in so called mini booms workers are not benefiting, the capitalists refusing to dish out the crumbs as they did in the great boom of 1945 to 1974. Captains of industry know there will be a slump sooner or later and are unwilling to allow working people to benefit. The capitalists will do anything they can to keep their profits high.

Working people will only take this for a period then they will react with more aggressive militant action.

Political backdrop
The backdrop to this industrial struggle is the political developments. In Spain the recent surprise election of the Spanish so called Socialist PASOK was the result of a huge reaction against the conservatives been found to be lying to the Spanish people about the bombing in Madrid. In Italy there is huge anger at the Belosconi government for similar lies over corruption and supporting the war in Iraq. Political events will weave there way into industrial struggles as the consciousness of workers rises and they begin to see through all the lies and deceit the capitalist dish out in a day to day basis. In Italy political awareness is white hot. Political discussion takes place in every home, café and workplace. There is a deep understanding of what the bosses are doing. The language of socialism is returning to the Italian working class. This process is also developing in Spain, France and the UK.

Australian consciousness
This industrial and political awareness has long been missing from the majority of Australian workers. We are now seeing the beginnings of the awakening. It could be that the election of a ALP will be on the back of a huge wave of distrust for the lies of the Howard Government. All could blow up in the face of Howard and he could suffer a massive defeat.

The short honeymoon for the ALP
The honeymoon for the ALP under Latham will be short. There will be no difference between a Howard Government and a Latham one - but workers are expecting there will be. The bosses attacks on the CMFEU will continue, wages and conditions will worsen, one fifth of Australia lives in poverty and this will increase under Labor. The confidence in Labor will evaporate and be replaced with militant industrial action and increasing challenges to the old bosses’ right wing union leadership.

The draconian anti trade union laws must be broken
At the moment the bosses can call in the State Arbitration body at any time to end industrial action. This was threatened by the WA government on the teachers union. This is an excellent state of affairs for the right wing union leadership because they simply say we have to accept what we are offered or we may be worse off with arbitration.

There was a different case with the train drivers in WA. That union was dragged back to work by arbitration but because of pressure from the membership the leadership were forced to resist. The media reported that the leadership of this union told members not to answer the phone, open letters watch TV or listen to anyone concerning the order to return to work. There were no trains for the day they should have been running.

If trade unions do not prepare to break these laws they will be used to strengthen the bosses and the right wing trade union leadership and continue the attack on the living wages of working people. But unions and especially left wing rank and file movements must increasingly work together on improving the standard of leadership and the working conditions of their workers.

The likely election of a Labor government before November 2004 will lift the confidence of workers, this will feed the militancy of Australian trade unions.