‘Combat’ IR advertising blitz with conversation, says Robertson

John Robertson (right) spoke about the power of one-to-one conversations.

by Kerri Carr

An 'army' of people to have one-to-one conversations with other people about rights at work was needed to combat the Federal Government's advertising campaign in the next 12 months, Unions NSW Secretary John Robertson told a public forum on November 1.

Also addressing the Leave your human rights at the door: the workplace in Howard's Australia forum, CFMEU NSW Secretary Andrew Ferguson said rights and democracy in the workplace were very much under challenge.

"Restrictions on union right of entry, massive fines against workers, union delegates, massive fines against unions, restrictions on the right of entry of union officials to workplaces, bans on union meetings, threats of gaol sentences on union delegates, represent a serious challenge to democratic and trade union rights in this country," Mr Ferguson said.

Mr Robertson said the Your Rights at Work campaign was about "building power and telling the politicians that as a movement we are capable of shifting public opinion".

"This campaign is about building a movement that sustains us beyond 2007," Mr Robertson said.

"This campaign is about one-to-one conversations with people, talking to people who aren't believers.

"What we need to combat the sort of advertising campaign we are going to see this federal government roll out in the next 12 months is an army of people having one-to-one conversations with other people about how serious this issue is...saying if you are worried about your kids, if you are worried about the future of Australia, you have to be involved in this campaign.

"The one thing they can't buy, not matter how big their advertising spend is, is an army of people having one-to-one conversations."

He encouraged people to go to the Your Rights at Work website for information to "arm you with something to go out there and engage in conversations".

He asked people to make a commitment to do "much more than you are doing now".

Federation President Maree O'Halloran said: "[This] has to be about a social movement -- industrial relations are just one aspect of how the Howard Government seeks to change the face of Australia to an Australia that many of us would not want to be part of."

"If a straight-jacket is placed around what we can teach and how we can teach it then we will be doing Howard's dirty work through the public schools -- pumping out and reinforcing the current class system, because what he wants is a world when people are ranked and sorted from a very young age so that they don't think that they can have any power when they get out in the workforce.

"Teachers, with other workers, are in every community...if we engage in conversations in every community that is something that the Howard Government...cannot hope to overturn."

©2000-2002 NSWTF Online is a resource for teachers
provided by the NSW Teachers Federation.
[Authorisation of election comment] [Privacy]

http://www.nswtf.org.au/journal_extras/combat.html
Last Modified: 09 Nov 2006