Campaigns

Currently the ETU is running a number of campaigns.

Anti Privatisation Campaign

Industry Campaigns

Rights On Site

Anti Privatisation Campaign

As you may be aware, our Union has taken a strong stance against the Bligh Government’s decision to sell off public assets, namely: -

  1. Port of Brisbane;
  2. Abbott Point;
  3. Queensland Motorways;
  4. Queensland Rail (with the exception of passenger rail);
  5. Queensland Forestry Plantations.

In more recent years the Queensland Labor Government has also sold the following public assets and received payments in the order of: -

Even before these sales, we saw the demise of the Gladstone Power Station, which to this day still costs Queensland taxpayers millions of dollars per year due to contracts that were entered into at that time to guarantee supply to the State’s grid from the American purchasers of the station.

Currently we have the remaining assets of water, electricity, some Stadiums and Queensland Rail Passenger services in public hands. 

The many sell offs of the past have now left this State in a situation where our future income has now been severely diminished due to the Government’s position of opting out of public ownership.

These sorts of policies were first championed by the Thatcher Government in the United Kingdom and were actively pursued by successive Governments, of all political persuasions, throughout the Western World as part of the failed economic rationalisation of the 1980s and 1990s.  Our Union believes that these privatisation policies have been an abject failure in most cases and have, at the very least, led to a situation where State control and State influence and income has given way to the free market, bringing with it all of the risks associated with greed and lack of focus on the very people whose tax dollars built the infrastructure in the first place, you the taxpayer.

The Electrical Trades Union has determined to fight the latest tranche of privatisations from here up until the next election, if required.   We strongly believe that this is the right thing to do, not only on behalf of our membership whose livelihoods depend on successful, profitable Government Owned Corporations but on behalf of the future generations of this State, who are invariably going to be the ones that have to pick up the pieces of these regrettable decisions.

The Government has continually used spin to prop up their position since the recent ALP State Conference, putting back an argument to the effect of “what would you (the Unions) do?”   On face value that seems a fair enough ask, but in retrospect, one only has to look at the timelines the Government forced upon not only the Union movement but also the broader community: -

There has been absolutely no time for proper consultation on this issue, no time for Unions to engage suitably qualified economists, no time for discussion of the issues with Rank & File members, with the latter being the main driver for our most recent “Light on the Hill” tour around the State.

The passing of the Infrastructure Investment (Asset Restructuring and Disposal) Bill 2009 into law on the 22nd June 2009 does not mean that this fight is over, far from it.   This legislation allows this Government and any future Government to dispose of and sell any or all of the five named assets until 22 June 2014.

For more information check out www.etu.org.au – www.qcu.asn.au or

If you’re on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=610932831&v=feed&story_fbid=233913370453#/group.php?gid=103160111756&ref=ts

Industry Campaigns

  

With the global recession weighing heavily on the manufacturing industry in Australia as well as the rest of the world the ETU has pro-actively launched a campaign in this industry to grow the strength of workers and ensure that companies don’t arbitrarily start sacking people merely using the financial crisis as cover. Enterprise Agreements negotiated by the Union have procedures that a company must follow to ensure that the workers are treated fairly, in all circumstances, including at times of low demand. This puts the ETU in the best position to make sure that those members that are affected are able to get every cent of their entitlements; we can also assist with finding a new employer through our job placement service (free to financial members) http://www.electrojobs.com.au/

The other industry that is receiving special attention at the moment is Energex and Ergon sub-contractors. These workers have generally enjoyed the benefits of Collective Agreements negotiated by the Union but in recent times a small percentage of contractors have attempted to lower overall wages and conditions, using WorkChoices. The Union has put in additional resources on the ground in order to prevent unscrupulous employers from ripping this group of workers off.

ABCC

The previous federal Liberal government introduced laws that unfairly target workers and their Unions in the construction industry. Recently the Federal Labor government enacted new laws that have removed some of the previous excesses but retained the most onerous parts which include jailing construction workers for not ratting on their workmates for such things as refusing to work unsafely, or standing up for their rights.

Why should construction workers have fewer rights than any other worker in the country or, for that matter, serious criminals?

Check out the www.rightsonsite.org.au website to find out more. If you come in contact with a commissioner of the ABCC call your Union first. There is no need to talk to them until you are summonsed!!

The ETU opposes separate laws that target one set of workers over all others. For this reason the Union is part of the ongoing campaign to change the mind of the Rudd government and get these disgusting laws overturned. As a member of the ETU you will be protected from the ABCC to the extent allowed by law, but will also be able to participate in the campaign to scrap these unjust laws once and for all.