|
|
 |
WHY is Howard attacking unions and workers' rights?
Posted on Monday, July 04 @ 01:21:15 CDT by spno |
|
 It is on the instructions of big business who dictate the major policies to be followed by the Coalition (and Labor!).
Never forget the last Labor Governments of Hawke and Keating smashed the BLF and Pilots Federation, as well as introducing HECS and many other counter-reforms for the benefit of big business.
These attacks can't be simply explained as 'ideological', as the ideology of any government reflects a need - not the other way around.
Since the end of the long post-war economic upswing in the mid-1970s the capitalists and their politicians have (in every capitalist country) attempted to claw back the gains won by workers. Wages, conditions, social security, free health and education have been replaced by privatisation, user pays, undermining of wages and working conditions.
In a new more difficult period for capitalism with falling profit rates, they have a desire to drive up their profit rate by eating into the share of national income taken by the working class.
The attacks by Howard are mirrored internationally by both conservative and 'labour' or social democratic governments. We need a new workers' party that is willing to fight with unions against every attack, and also fight for a socialist alternative to capitalism. Any suggested alternative - Vote Labor or Green; make a deal with the Coalition etc - only dodges the inevitable.
If you don't fight and rebuild the union movement and a new workers' party and a socialist alternative, you lose.
|
|
|
|
|
