Standing firm against WorkChoices

by Gary Dunbier

The Howard Government's WorkChoices represents the most pernicious legislation we have ever encountered. It has the potential, over time, not only to lower teachers' pay and conditions and divide the profession, but also to change Australian life for the worse. Federation, in conjunction with Unions NSW and the ACTU, will fight the legislation on the big stage, but if we are to defeat this assault on our work entitlements and living standards we must also fight hard in our local communities. In the Manning we are doing just that, and the purpose of this article is to give teachers an idea of what we are doing in the hope that other groups will take up the fight.

We have formed a local community action group called Family and Industrial Relations in the Manning (FIRM). We distribute literature from the ACTU on Saturday mornings in the busy part of town and talk to locals. People are becoming familiar with our black "Your Rights at Work" t-shirts.

We have taken time to put in place the structure and principles of our group. We have a charter and a code of ethics. This means we have an agreed set of principles to guide us in everything we do. It also ensures no conflict -- we are a tight-knit group that enjoys each other's company. We do not vote on what we do; we always achieve consensus. Our chairperson is James Langley from Chatham High.

There are 12 core members in the group (four teachers) and we call this our Affinity Group. Beyond this we have a circle of friends and colleagues upon whom we can call for support when we stage our events. In the third tier, we are quickly developing a network of contacts who have given us their details to ensure further support for activities such as rallies and public meetings. We email these people notices, developments and publicity about FIRM.

At a barbecue for our Affinity Group we mapped our overall strategy and the tactics we will employ to achieve the aim of unseating Mark Vaile, our local member. There are three stages in our strategy. We are currently in the first stage, which is community education and awareness building. From here we will move into the pre-election phase: marches, demonstrations, street theatre and public protest activities. Close to the federal election we will be chasing votes and literally chasing Mark Vaile. We will be intensely galvanising discontent with the Government.

So far we have had three major activities for which we have received good support and publicity. In December we held a "Rally for Your Rights" on the riverbank of the Manning in Taree. We had six speakers including a local solicitor, union representatives, an Ansett worker, Boeing workers and a mum concerned about the future for her children. There were lots of banners and flags, free bottled water, a great location and about 200 people (not bad considering busy Christmas shopping). One member of our Affinity Group dressed as the Grim Reaper and the rally generated television, radio and newspaper coverage. It was a pretty good start.

We have held two other events. On March 25 we had a public meeting which targeted church community members. There were two speakers: Bishop Michael Malone from Newcastle and Bree Dennis, a local person representing the Uniting Church. Bree's thesis was on National Competition Policy, the root of this legislation. Both speakers were excellent, the hall was near full and nearly everyone in attendance stayed for coffee, cake and sandwiches which we had prepared. Dean Drayton, Head of the Uniting Church in Australia, has indicated he would like to speak at another of our public meetings, so it is our intention to keep targeting this section of our community.

To coincide with the enacting of the regulations for WorkChoices (I hate using that title because in reality there is no choice) we launched a telephone hotline. We have purchased a dedicated line into the local Australian Workers Union office and people can ring our number and leave their details if they feel they are being ripped off at work because of the new legislation. We have to be careful with what we can do under the new laws but we plan to assist people in whatever ways we can and their stories will enable us to compile an inventory of complaints. The Manning River Times and local ABC radio covered this event. We will be purchasing regular advertisements in the Times to advertise the service. Money has been donated by the Wingham and Manning River Teachers Associations.

At our next event we will be targeting young people. We will invite the Commissioner for Young People and another guest speaker of some profile to speak at a public meeting. This meeting will then decide on future activities, for example, a rock concert against WorkChoices, to build young people's awareness of how their working and social lives will affected. There is a local youth social justice group keen to be involved with us. When I spoke at Federation Council about FIRM, Federation President Maree O'Halloran said that if there were such groups in all our local communities we would be certain of defeating the Howard Government. Port Macquarie has a similar group, (though it is trade union based) and there are some groups in other communities, but we need to start building more action groups quickly. Teachers have the experience to lead these groups and FIRM will assist other dedicated groups in whatever ways they request.

There is a lot at stake. We have to protect 100 years of hard-fought pay and working conditions. Many before us sacrificed a lot. If we don't get rid of Howard at the next election we are doomed to lose it all. There really is no choice.

Gary Dunbier teaches at Wingham HS.

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Last Modified: 18 May 2006