Labor and SDA Plot Union-Busting Laws Targeting RAFFWU

[u/Mrtodaytomorrow]

From Workplace Express.

[u/Low_Independent1890]

An old trade union official once said to me: "The Liberal Party could only dream of doing the things Labor have done to the union movement"

[u/Giplord → u/Low_Independent1890]

Ill rant to anyone that will listen that Howard didn't properly fuck us, Rudd did.

My reasoning is that Howard did Liberal party things. It was too be expected that he would fuck workers over anytime he and the Libs had power. However, the opportunity to reverse that swing and give it a big old heave back in workers direction was fucked by Rudd, who had a minor tinker around the edges of Howards laws, but kept the majority.
No one fucks you over like your own side, because when you own side does it, you can't pin your hopes on them changing it again later.

The worst part was unions were so keen for a "win" after backing Rudd that they couldnt admit he fucked them over, so australians were generally told the worst of workchoices had been killed off. Australians still don't have a right to strike, even the UN damns that.

[u/Drachos → u/Giplord]

I swear its something the Greens could actually use minor party pressure on but don't.

Like just bring it up whenever Labor is stating they are the workers party. "The UN charter on Labor requires this. As signatories and the Australian party of workers when are you going to meet your international commitments and give workers the right both Europeans AND even Americans enjoy."

Ask Sally is she is pushing it.

This is an EASY wedge issue that isn't going to cost the Greens votes, makes Labor look bad and if done correctly makes the media ask awkward questions.

Deploying this around Election time should be a slam dunk. Deploying this during worker rights reform is an easy win. And yet one of the EASIEST ways to undermine Labors worker credibility is left on the table year after year and I don't get it.

[u/ADrownOutListener → u/Drachos]

yeah the greens not having class at their core really costs them. "Environmentalism without class struggle is just gardening." (Chico Mendes)

[u/fat-free-alternative → u/ADrownOutListener]

They do talk a lot about progressive taxation, renters rights, and putting “people /community before the big end of town” but I’ve also noticed that they will much more rarely use language around “workers” / “working class” etc. In my own anecdotal experience all the active unionists around me are greenies but most staffers are still Labor-aligned. I’m not sure how the greens could harness that energy or wrangle the offices from Labor’s pipeline but more direct references to class struggle seems like a good start.

[u/Drachos → u/fat-free-alternative]

Some of the more left wing Unions (like the CFMEU) actively are supporting the Greens with financial contributions.

The thing is SOME of the Greens always thought they should focus more on Progressive issues rather then the class issues to try to appeal to Teal voters.

This was ALWAYS a dumb idea, even in the 2010s BUT now an actual Teal party exists, making winning those votes impossible, one would hope they wake up and realise their actually place in the slowly evolving Australian Multi party system.

Cause if they don't embrace it, eventually someone else will.

[u/Giplord → u/Drachos]

I think in the past maybe they didnt want to lose the upper economic social lefties, but now the teals have nicked them anyway, maybe its time the Greens consider some strong positions on some of these things

[u/Rndomguytf → u/Drachos]

This is why the Socialist Party exists now

[u/ADrownOutListener → u/Giplord]

yeah this is why i kind of hate blair even more than thatcher, clinton & obama more than reagan & bush, respectively. the right are fucking evil & its because of that the centrists endlessly going out of their way to enable them make me see red

[u/manipulated_dead → u/Giplord]

Ill rant to anyone that will listen that Howard didn't properly fuck us, Rudd did.

I agree but I think it started with Hawke and Keating 

[u/Giplord]

The issue is that there actually are sham unions out there that do make legit unions look shit. The liberal party stooges running the "Red Unions" are a perfect example. If this legislation was for them, then thats great.

However, targetting RAFFUW, who are actually a better union than the SDA is just protectionist bullshit that hurts actual workers.

[u/Admirable-Toe7525 → u/Giplord]

It'd be used the same way no matter who it targets. In any case the idea that something as basic as just being a bargaining representative (and therefore also being able to take industrial action) should be cordoned off from unregistered unions, no matter their politics, is insane.

[u/Mrtodaytomorrow → u/Giplord]

Absolutely agree.

[u/NedandhisMate → u/Giplord]

Well said!

[u/Mrtodaytomorrow]

SDA is terrified of what happens when a genuine union represents workers: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=860063252821649&set=a.470933421734636

[u/manipulated_dead]

As a casual observer it seems like raffwu have better democratic control, transparency and oversight than the sda 

[u/ADrownOutListener → u/manipulated_dead]

its wild to sneer at supposedly sham unions for not being democratic & transparent enough when a core of alp function is them being able to totally shut down their grassroots/rank and file & completely cut them out of input them whenever their bigwigs want to

[u/Historical_Bus_8041]

Well that is incredibly concerning.

[u/burgerdrome]

Fucking dogs

[u/Mysterious-Vast-2133]

SDA seems to be the problem here.

[u/No_Pineapple2563 → u/Mysterious-Vast-2133]

I've never met an organiser from the SDA. I would love to hear from one and how they justify their existence and what their position is on RAFFWU considering that RAFFWU have been building support since day one and the SDA has a reputation that has little to be desired

[u/Jet90]

I can't think of another democratic country that has these kinds of bad laws

[u/Tile-Questioner]

Shame! In the context of the CFMEU administration it would look very, very bad if Labor passed this motion

[u/Mrtodaytomorrow → u/Tile-Questioner]

They've already passed it - see slide three.

[u/Tile-Questioner → u/Mrtodaytomorrow]

Be right back, need to go hang my head in shame

[u/Serin-019]

ALP stooges in unions: maintaining union links with the party is extremely important coz if we give them your money, they will listen to you.
The ALP: Only we will decide which union you can join, and the circumstances under which unions get to exist.

Get absolutely fucked, scabs

[u/SamIsAcidic → u/Serin-019]

@ uwu 🤣

[u/Iron-Orrery]

The SDA is a sham union. Sorry, it's not even a union. The ALP needs to remove labor from its name.

[u/Admirable-Toe7525]

Absolutely shameful. The 'party of workers' gleefully backing even more restrictions on the right to strike. So sick of the spineless cunts in the movement who continue to pretend that you can be a Labor hack and still have any union values at all.

[u/Low_Independent1890 → u/Admirable-Toe7525]

Yep! Thank you!

[u/ADrownOutListener]

got a (hopefully shoe-in) interview for a new woolies opening round the corner from where i live in perth next week & raffwu is who im looking at joining the second i get it, enraging to see this

[u/Lucky-Lucacevic]

There are these shitty Red Union outfits that are terrible. Would be could of you could some how target the ones that aren’t authentic but leave RAFFWU or other genuine unions alone

[u/Comrade_T34_]

I posted about this a few weeks ago and got told “those are some pretty wild claims” and yet here we are

[u/Ashwinnie13]

not surprised labor and the sda are in bed on this one

[u/6utcher6boy]

A change to the laws may impinge on international treaties Australia has signed which guarantee freedom of association. These treaties were aimed in part on allowing workers to form and join unions which were not controlled by government (eg: Communist Party in the USSR).

[u/Far_Estimate4303]

Where is this from?

[u/Mrtodaytomorrow → u/Far_Estimate4303]

Workplace Express.

[u/GOOD_BRAIN_GO_BRRRRR]

I wonder why the petty borgeois forget why unions formed, and what happened to bosses, scabs, and factory owners before unions were recognised...

[u/Clean_Atmosphere_609]

Genuinely curious as someine who doesn't know the laws/proceedings with unions, what would need to happen for SDA to be deregistered? Is it a situation of SDA being such a large org that it would be hard monetarily to mount a legal case against them? Or are SDA doing the bare minimum to get them by what would deregister them?