Community action group to work on IR campaign

The Wagga Wagga Your Rights at Work Community Action Group was launched at a community forum.

By Nicole Calnan

The Wagga Wagga Your Rights at Work Community Action Group was officially launched by Unions NSW Secretary John Robertson as part of the Your Rights at Work on the Road southern bus tour recently.

More than 120 members of the community attended the forum held on August 10.

Following the success of the Your Rights at Work rally on June 28, local Wagga Wagga workers, including many members of Federation, have become more active in the Your Rights at Work campaign with the formation of a local community action group.

Federation Country Organiser Nicole Calnan was elected as committee chairperson and Wagga Wagga Teachers Association President Greg Robinson elected as secretary. A number of other members are also actively involved in the committee.

The aim of the Community Action Group is to increase awareness of the campaign in what is a very conservative electorate.

Unions NSW set up several street stalls in town as well as visiting a number of workplaces during the day. The support for the Your Rights at Work campaign was evident in the street with many local workers stopping and inquiring at the stalls and a number of workers giving their stories of how WorkChoices has impacted on them or their families.

The support for the Your Rights at Work campaign in Wagga Wagga has also strengthened since Wagga Wagga City Council sought to implement a restructure which would have seen up to 120 council workers forced to reapply for their jobs. The dispute between the Council and the United Services Union is ongoing, with 60 council workers and their families staging a protest at a recent Council meeting. The matter is in the NSW Industrial Relations Commission with a number of hearings already held and another set down for later this month.

Finding another job in most regional towns is not that easy. Regional communities and workers must continue to spread the word about the impact the industrial relations laws are having. The Community Action Group in Wagga will help to ensure that local politicians who support the WorkChoices legislation are held accountable to those in their electorate that are affected.

Nicole Calnan is a Country Organiser.

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Last Modified: 24 Aug 2006