Socialist Party Australia - SP Newsletter No.92

Includes regional activity, what’s on, news links and more....

The week that was

In a fantastic show of strength this week, Australia saw over 250,000 workers protest against Howard's proposed industrial relations changes.

The speeches on the day varied in both their content and substance. Judging by some of the speeches given you could have been mistaken for thinking that maybe we were wrong in criticizing the many right wing union leaders. After all even conservative leaders like AWU Secretary Bill Shorten were calling on Howard 'to bring it on'.

And after months of silence on the issue of industrial relations federal Labor leader Kim Beazley gave unions a "rolled gold" guarantee to turn back John Howard's hard line industrial relations changes, promising to keep the issue "at the heart of Australian politics" until the next election. Beazley was even seen on the news and in the daily papers wearing SP's new anti-Howard sticker reading “I'm fighting back”

This all sounds very good we agree, but SP prefers to judge both the ALP and right wing union leaderships on deeds rather than words. Whilst the ALP are now pretending to be a party fighting for workers they are in fact fighting to to keep down wages in every state which they control. They have been no friend to nurses, teachers, ambos and public sector workers, consistently holding down their wages at every chance. SP also has serious doubts that the "rolled gold" guarantee includes the abolishing of individual contracts. And by the way if anyone sees Beazley this week can they tell him that SP is still chasing him for that gold coin donation for the sticker!

As for the right wing unions and in particular Bill Shorten, don't even get us started! There is a list as long as your arm of disputes where workers from other unions have been on strike and Shorten has consistently told his members to work whilst others are doing the hard yards on the picket line.

SP believes we need serious discussion in our movement as to which way forward now to defeat Howard's anti-worker legislation.

The Socialist
Hundreds of copies of our paper were distributed at this week's mass rallies in record day of issue sales. The Paper is a must read for all workers - with a center insert designed for workplace notice boards, and an analysis of Howard's I.R. agenda which will not be found elsewhere.

Regional Activity

Victoria

Melbourne City branch meets every Tuesday 7.00 pm @ Trades Hall Cnr Lygon and Victoria Streets Carlton. This weeks topic – revolution and counter revolution, why Hitler came to power? By Anthony Main. All welcome

City Branch street stall every Saturday at Queen Victoria Market Cnr Victoria & Elizabeth St City 11.30am All welcome. For more info or to join SP in central Melbourne

Northern Melbourne Branch meets every Thursday 7.00 pm @ 3CR 21 Smith St Fitzroy. This weeks topic – revolution and counter revolution, why Hitler came to power? By Anthony Main. All welcome

Northern Branch street stall every Saturday in Smith Street Collingwood outside Safeway supermarket 12.00pm. All welcome For more info or to join SP in Northern Melbourne

New South Wales

Western Australia

Please note childcare is available at all SP meetings but only by prior arrangement please call ahead first.

News Links just a click away

Iran- Election blow to pro-capitalist wing of ruling elite and imperialism
The rich defeated but Ahmadinejad is no alternative.
By Robert Bechert, CWI

South Africa- Powerful general strike against bosses
Militant action needed to stop "jobs holocaust"
By Weizmann Hamilton, Democratic Socialist Movement (DSM - CWI), Johannesburg

G8 can't save the planet
The discussions on climate change at the G8 summit in Gleneagles seem doomed before they have even started.
By Ken Douglas, Socialist Party, England and Wales

Get Active - Join the fight back, Get Militant - Join the Socialist Party
The Socialist Party is the Australian section of the Committee for a Workers’ International (CWI).

‘Workers of the world unite – you’ve got nothing to lose but your chains’