Melbourne Trades Hall entrance. Credit: takver

By Alex Schlotzer

More than a couple of generations appear to have forgotten what unions have done for them and continue to work towards helping (whether or not they are members). Unions have generally been at the forefront of promoting and advocating both workers’ and human rights, while at the forefront of promoting new industries and helping businesses overcome development and growth barriers.

It’s a remarkable myth that unions inhibit business growth. Simply because when a business is growing, then obviously this is good news for workers. But growth at the expense of workers’ rights and entitlements is not on, and what is wrong with that? Why should we be exploited to benefit shareholders, CEOs and board directors?

Unions continue working with governments and business to tackle climate change, map out green industries and provide support to research and development in green technologies and start-up industries.  And they’ve been helping out other businesses and industries in these fields for a long time.

Admittedly unions do a very poor job at promoting their “wins” and “victories”. It’s not always all about the industrial elements like wages and conditions either. It’s also about providing a social element and contributing to efforts that support, for example, low paid workers and organisations overseas like Union Aid Abroad – APHEDA.

Australian unions in particular have something to be especially proud of being among the first in the world to attain real rights and conditions for workers. Although we are a world away from the description now, at the time of early unionism in Australia the country was referred to as a “workers’ paradise”.

Australian unions’ efforts won for workers a basic living wage (Harvester Judgment); award wages and conditions; 8 hours work, rest and play; weekends; public holidays; occupational health and safety laws and regulations; annual leave loading, overtime loadings and conditions (such as rostered-days-off and time-in-lieu); superannuation entitlements; redundancy entitlements; paid maternity leave and worker consultation processes and mechanisms.

IR laws

It would be nice to see just a little more acknowledgment of the work being done by unions to protect what has been gained but also the work they do to improve on these conditions. The new Industrial Relations laws are good but they can be better and unions will continue to work for better conditions and wages for members (and by association non-members).

Union-led Workchoices rally, 2007. Credit: Mushroom and Rooster

The new national occupational health and safety (OHS) laws (harmonizing state and federal OHS laws) has unions at the forefront to ensure the new laws are made up of the best elements for all 9 jurisdictions’ OHS laws. The figure of  7,000 workers dying each year from work related incidents and accidents is an appalling statistic, however it is worth noting that research shows that unionised workplaces are safer workplaces.

We have seen the result of a working life ruled by the prerogative of management  at the expense of workers’ rights and entitlements under John Howard’s successive governments. Union-led anti-WorkChoices rallies countrywide brought home the fact that, without unions, the rights and entitlements hard fought for could well have been swept away forever.

So despite the very vigorous efforts of nay-sayers, Australian unions do remain as relevant today as ever.

Previously published at alexschlotzer.wordpress.com/

Alex Schlotzer is a straight talker when it comes to politics and loves to vent his spleen.  He is actively involved in Australian and international politics with a keen understanding of the dynamics of the political machine. Alex has a prolific online presence and has been a cyber activist for over 15 years. He can also be found at his blog and his exciting online project Australian Politics TV.

Tags: Australia, minimum wage, relevancy, unions