Preparing for the future...Adam Kerslake.

Reversing the trend for workers' rights

By

Kerri Carr

A grassroots movement will be needed to keep the WorkChoices industrial relations philosophy at bay.

The philosophy that brought WorkChoices is a global trend that has not gone away for ever, Unions NSW organising director Adam Kerslake told Federation's Aboriginal Members Conference on April 5.

"There is a global trend out there that talks about getting rid of unions, getting rid of minimum wages, putting all those kids you educate at school in very vulnerable positions and so we're going to have to deal with that in the future," Mr Kerslake said.

"This is not something that's gone away for ever. It's something that we defeated in 2007 but its going to come back to haunt us."

Mr Kerslake said Unions NSW was looking at ways to give civil society power to reverse the trend where government was very influenced by business and civil society had a tiny voice.

Achieving this power would need organisation, he said.

"The Rights at Work campaign was a vehicle to build the kind of infrastructure that we're going to need for the longer term and you guys are critical in that," he said.

Mr Kerslake said Unions NSW was interested in running a development program for people interested in running for election at different levels of government.

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