Socialist Party Australia - Questions and Answers - What should we do about Howard's IR reforms?

Should industrial action be a part of the campaign to stop The Howard Liberal Governments savage onslaught against workers wages and conditions? Below are a sample of arguments and responses to this.
Taken from SP's special IR supplement available in the July issue of 'The Socialist'

Q. Unions are a minority in society so they don't have the ability or support for strike action. In any case the Liberals would make the unions look foolish to the public.

A. Although union membership is at about 25% , they enjoy much support in the community. This will grow as workers realise that Howard's plans will hurt all, whether members of a union or not. All key areas of industry are unionised , coordinated strikes by several unions in these areas would bring this country to a stand still. The Business Council Of Australia, who are demanding these changes, are heavily unionised . This leaves them open to attack from a coordinated industrial campaign. It's also ironic that Howard's changes will benefit the wealthy minority at the expense of the working many.

Q. Unions will be fined if they take industrial action.

A. If unions unite in coordinated strike action and also commit to immediately stop work if any attempt is made to sue or jail any worker, union or official ,these laws will be made irrelevant. Unjust laws must be broken and history shows , they can be if unity prevails.

Q. Workers voted for the Liberal Party so they won't fight.

A. Workers voted for the devil they know, as the Labour Party offered no alternative. In any case Howard never campaigned on slashing wages and working conditions for millions of workers. As it becomes clear what these changes mean, workers will be looking to the unions for a way to fight. When unions have called on workers to defend themselves they have always answered that call.

Q. Strikes don't work, do they?

A. Every condition enjoyed by workers today be they members of a union or not , has been achieved by over a hundred years of struggle, by millions of union members. There is not one condition that was ever handed over on a silver platter. Nothing else but strike action works.

The union movements campaign to involve the community, while important, can not be the only plan.

The Howard Government and their Big Business mates won't be scared off by BBQ'S and picnics. They hope to enact these draconian laws with as little industrial resistance as possible. Union leaders have an obligation to use every thing at their disposal including strike action, to organise a massive fight to stop this oncoming attack. No one has a right to give up on a hundred years of struggle. With a bold and brave union leadership Howard's Liberal government can be stopped.