Government sues individual workers over "illegal strike". : Melbourne Indymedia

This week saw the Governments attacks on Unions reach a new low when the Government sued more than 100 workers for taking "illegal strike action".
The Governments Australian Building and Construction Commission - which is the body it set up to try and crush the CFMEU - issued the workers with writs which could see them facing fines of up to $28,000 each.

The workers crime was to walk off the job for a week about four months ago when a CFMEU delegate was sacked on one of the sites constructing a rail tunnel under the Perth city centre.

A number of interesting points are raised by this development. Firstly - it is the Government directly that is now taking it upon itself to sue workers individually. The company involved in the dispute Leighton-Holdings is unhappy at the action - worried it could derail the project further.

Secondly - it is interesting the Government through the Commision is attacking the workers individually but is not suing the Union officials or the Union itself. In fact the Commision is almost praising of the CFMEU explaining its decision to not sue the Union

"Well in this case the union actually at stop work meetings about this matter, they advised the employees that they ran the risk of incurring substantial penalties, and the union also recommended they return to work. So on the evidence before us, the union did not in any way commit a contravention of the legislation."

I think this is very significant - in a time of increasing attacks on workers rights the Union Leadership and Bureaucracies are determined to "play by the rules" no matter how much they are stacked against workers. Given under the new laws the "right to strike" is virtually non-existant if industrial action could be used against the new laws it would almost by definition be illegal. It follows then if the laws were to be tackled industrially rather electorally workers would have to take action against the wishes and advice of their trade union officials. It seems to be the Government is trying to send a message to workers not to go down this path and to empower the Union Officials to help keep the workers anger in line.

This emphasizes that the only realistic way that workers could take these laws on industrially would be through a General Strike involving all industries. Anything less leaves individual workers at the mercy of Union Officials determined to "respect" bogus anti-worker laws and a vindictive Government.

http://www.abc.net.au/pm/content/2006/s1680732.htm

This week also saw a number of other disturbing developments in industrial relations in this country. The ACTU highlighted the case of a young truck driver on a mine site who faced harassment after her refusal to sign an AWA. The AWA included the outrageous provision that if a worker failed to give at least 12 hours notice before taking a sick day - they faced being FINED $200. The master servant relationship is well and truly back baby.

http://www.abc.net.au/pm/content/2006/s1678754.htm
Lastly the Government’s Office of Workplace Services which oversees the implantation of Work Choices found that the Cowra Abatoir was fully within its rights to sack its workers then offer them their old jobs back at less pay. This was legal because “Operational Matters” was the prime reason the company acted. As long as a company can make a case that its not making enough money (which really isn’t that hard – then they can sack workers legally and offer them back their jobs with worse conditions. Their motivations can include de-unionising a workplace or reducing conditions but as long as the OWS decides that these are not the “primary motivations” then its all cool

http://www.abc.net.au/pm/content/2006/s1681629.htm

P.S. General Strike Needs You!

$28,000 for a strike

$200 for a sick day

A radical gov't gone too far.

I went to the "community protest" against the Howard Gvernment's Industrial Relations laws I blogged about previously. Below is an [edited version of] what I wrote on the Australian Anarchist Bulletin Board:

It was crap. Not many turned up the General Strike Bloc (maybe 20 or 30). The small amount of revelry in the beginning soon turned into annoyingness as the same chant was produced over and over again. From my point of view, people decided to deliberately bug the dickhead pro-ALP unionists around us with the "general strike" chant meaning that any pretense of agitation for a general strike was thrown out the window. The Beasley heckling was funny for about 15 seconds, but I felt more like a shitstirrer than anything else.

The paper was pretty much right on who turned up ["union fossils"], though they may not have mentioned that the government had made it illegal to actually strike (hence being called a "community protest"), and anecdotally, it wasn't well publicised. Most of the speakers were [Trades Hall] hacks or politicians. One good thing was getting some workers to tell their stories about how AWAs and the other new laws had affected them, though I wouldn't be surprised if at least one of them were a branch member.

[Fascists] were there in the form of Australia First. They seemed to have handed out a shitload of pamphlets. On the plus side, they were obviously a bunch of nutters. On the negative side, other than some minor confrontations they were able to operate unhindered.

Others will disagree, but I wish I had've stayed in bed. I was embarrassed by the small numbers in the Bloc (though I didn't do anything to build it other than put a note on my blog) and by the decision to behave brattily in lieu of numbers was disappointing - though given the level of anarchist organisation at the moment, it wasn't surprising.

On top of that, adding to the numbers of a shamefully pro-ALP rally was a bit soul destroying. Trades Hall is putting all of its eggs in one basket: an ALP victory at the next election. And that means we are fucked unless there is more direct action, and I don't necessarily mean "fuck shit up" either...

Isn't it painfully obvious to everyone that the ALP aren't going to win the next election? They don't stand for anything, but even if they did, the best they can hope to be, and to quote my highschool history teacher on the subject of government, the window dressing of capital. Okay, so it's kind of a no-brainer to say things like that. I guess the real question is, what can be done about the IR laws and the existence of government ?

For me, anarchy is the answer. A system of agreed rules and commitment to amicable dispute resolution, the abolition of class and free rainbows for the elderly. I feel hopeful when I look at the history of anarchism, but then I look around at the complete fucking shambles of the anarchist milieu. I take comfort in the fact that anarchism is something that is practiced rather than avowed (a "historical tendency," I think Chomsky said), but it seems that anarchy (and anarcho-syndicalism) could offer some very pertinent strategies for defeating the workplace repression that going on at the moment.

So I think that you have to offer leadership by example (I've been saying that a lot lately), literally practice what you preach. It seems that if you can practically create a functioning anarchy, other people will follow in kind. In the short term, it seems to me that the task is to build bridges — to other groups, other people. We need to address why the anarchist scene is so bloody white for example. If we can get to the point where we can resolve these kinds of problems we can be in a position to stand up to repression and create an alternative.

Ah, but these are my priorities. For some people, it might be enough to create a community in which they feel comfortable. Camille Paglia (*swoon*) said something in an interview with the June issue of LOTL* that sort of put this into focus for me:

People are often attracted to activism because of their own personal problems; they lock onto it, it's like a big teat — they want all their answers given to them.

But I'm not sure that people are necessarily looking for answers. Comfort maybe. At least, the kind of comfort that comes from defining a niche for yourself. For example, I know of one guy who defines himself oppositionally within the anarchist scene. He's never done a single constructive thing, obviously holds women and gays in complete contempt... Twice, he decided to tell me that I "wasn't natural", as though nature is so fucking great. Basically he's a useless piece of shit. So why does someone like that still try to hang around the periphery of a group that obviously compounds his sense of broader social isolation? There's probably more reasons than can be blogged, but at a guess one reason is because it gives him an identity and a sense of place.

So what do we do? How does anarchism move from ghetto to a force to be wreckoned with? I'll be buggered if I know. Probably something to do with ads on television. It'd be nice to hear what other people think.

*Unfortunately you can't see the article without subscribing. Pity, because it was pretty good overall.

A Canberra high school has vigorously defended its scathingly one-sided portrayal of the hoWARd guberment's No Work Choices laws, which swept its students to victory in the national capital's rock eisteddfod grand final.

Calwell High School's eight-minute The Devil's In The Detail revue reads: "Penalty rates ... gone! Annual leave loading ... So long! Pay rise ... are you kidding! Public holidays ... no way! Meal breaks ... uh uh! Radical new industrial relations laws are being used extensively to axe hard won and long standing working conditions and cut the take home pay of millions of Australian employees."

And official said that some kids in the audience were srcreeming out " Towards a General Strike."

The Calwell show, deemed "totally inappropriate" by the feral guberment, featured a spoof john hoWARd arriving on stage to the Eurythmics' Would I Lie To You, flying pigs and a girl physically coerced by malevolent boss figures into signing a gigantic workplace agreement.

The winning eisteddfod performance on Thursday night depicted the demise of Christmas holidays and distressed workers being banned from going to the toilet. The central character was a sinister spruiking MC dressed as Lucifer.

The act, advertised as a "satirical take on Work Choices", was performed on a stage decorated with three large banners reading, "Proudly sponsored by the Australian Government."

Through various agencies, the hoWARd guberment supports the rock eisteddfod. As well as the major award, the Calwell students won a Health Department trophy for "best concept". Judges praised the performance, based partly on Fritz Lang's Metropolis, the bleak 1927 anti-capitalist film.

Afterwards, one of the Calwell girls explained to a packed audience that the piece had been devised by the students to express concerns that their rights were beingeroded.

Workplace Irrational relations 'sinister' kevin andrews said last night it was one thing for Calwell to educate students about current issues, "but it's another thing entirely for teachers to politically hijack a rock eisteddfod, which is designed to promote positive lifestyle messages for our youth".
But did the kids think of it?

andrews: "This is totally inappropriate, regardless of which side of politics is being targeted," he said, adding it was "difficult to believe" students came up with the idea themselves.

Maybe the students need to go to school?

But Calwell High's dance teacher and eisteddfod co-ordinator, Cheryl Diggins, insisted the Work Choices pastiche was both student-driven and appropriate.

"We have a history of tackling contemporary themes," Ms Diggins said.

Realising the anti-government theme might upset some parents at Calwell, Ms Diggins sent performers home with an explanatory note for parents. "You have to respect other viewpoints, but I didn't get one withdrawal or complaint," she said.

Ms Diggins said previous themes for Calwell eisteddfods included the stolen generation, the detention of Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi and the power of corporations. The Nine Network is expected to air the pastiche later this year.

FATHER of four John Pes says he will go to jail rather than pay a fine of up to $28,600 for striking.

"There's no way my kids are going to be living on Vegemite sandwiches while I pay a fine to the Government for sticking up for a principle," Mr Pes said.

He is among 107 men and women served writs by the Australian Building and Construction Commission for defying a total ban imposed by the Australian Industrial Relations Commission on a West Australian project.

The workers, building a railway from Perth to the coastal town of Mandurah 100km to the south, also ignored a union directive to return to work when they walked off the job for 12 days in March.

While other workers have told they received writs from the ABCC late on Monday night, Mr Pes is still waiting nervously for his.

According to Federal Court documents listing him as a respondent among 106 others, the knock on the door is imminent.

"I won't be paying the fine and I'm prepared to do a jail term," he said.

"People might say we deserve it because we knew the risks, but this sort of thing is just the thin edge of the wedge."

More than 400 workers employed by Leighton Kumagai went on strike, halting construction of the largest public transport project in Western Australia. Its progress has been disrupted by disputes and it is believed to be five months behind schedule.

The strike in March was over the sacking of the workers' shop steward, Peter Ballard, on February 24.

Mr Pes said the workers wanted to strike because they felt that Mr Ballard, who claimed unfair dismissal and won a confidential settlement, was laid off for complaining about poor health and safety conditions.

"It's the principle," he said. "If you don't stand up for your conditions, you lose them."

Mr Pes quit his job not long after the strike when his friend was sacked. "He was a bloody good worker, he was always efficient, he was always doing the right thing," he said. "I thought it was so wrong."

CONSTRUCTION workers face jail if they refuse to attend secret interrogations by investigators from the hoWARd guberment's building industry commission.

As it was confirmed that Cowra workers could be legally sacked and re-employed on lower wages, the ACTU said workers on the Perth rail project, who face fines for a strike in February, could be jailed unless they attended secret hearings about the industrial action.

ACTU secretary Greg Combet said the workers faced jail if they did not attend the hearings or if they did not answer questions put by investigators from the Australian Building and Construction Commission. The workers are prevented from disclosing details of the hearings to family members and have to be represented by separate lawyers.

"It's an extreme denial of basic civil rights," Mr Combet said. "This is David Hicks-style treatment. It denies them the right to silence and to protect themselves from self-incrimination.

"Under threat of being thrown in jail, you have to incriminate yourself. That is a breach of one of the fundamental democratic and human rights that people have had in democratic countries."

A commission spokesman yesterday refused to comment on whether workers had been forced to attend hearings. She denied workers faced automatic jail if they did not attend. However, she said the commission was able to ask the Director of Public Prosecutions to take action if workers did not co-operate.

The West Australian division of the Construction Forestry Mining and Energy Union said many workers had been contacted by the commission asking them to answer questions.

However, to the union's knowledge, none had yet been issued with formal notices to appear before a hearing.

"They were given letters or calls and invited to answer questions, and they were told that if they didn't come voluntarily we'd force you to come, and if you refused it's a six-month sentence for failing to appear, failing to answer questions, failing to produce documents," a spokesman said. "They have simply moved to prosecute them and have not gone through the step of compelling a formal hearing."

The federal Office of Workplace Services yesterday confirmed it was legal for the Cowra abattoir to propose sacking 29 meatworkers and re-employ them on wages up to $180 a week below their previous pay. Mr Combet said the findings showed the federal workplace laws left "workers exposed to the threat of being legally sacked and offered their jobs back on lower wages".

OWS director Nicholas Wilson found the abattoir acted legally when it sacked 29 workers in March, because it was in financial difficulty. The workers were offered their jobs back on lower pay and individual contracts. Mr Wilson said companies could sack staff and rehire on lower conditions, as long as that was not the sole or dominant reason for doing so. "My interest is in fact whether or not, in this particular instance, we can say that Cowra breached the law," he said.

"We can't say that. The law requires that it be a sole or dominant reason that there's a connection between the union membership of the people concerned, or between the award coverage that they have.

"We decided it was not the sole or dominant reason for the decision that was taken."

I was at the General Strike Bloc and found it fun. Others I spoke to did, too.

It would have been better if there had been at least 1000, 10,000, 100,000 or a million in the bloc but it was still worth doing.

We didn't just chant the same chant over and over-we very creative. We adopted General Strike songs ala soccer songs to different popular songs. Examples: "We're all going on a General Strike" (to the tune of Summer Holiday-Cliff Richard.

Or General Strike, General Strike, General Strike...(to the tune of Here we go.)

Or chants like:

Less Talk, More Strike

Or the classic

Now is not the time to be pissweak,
If we don't act now-we'll be up shit creek!

Or what about:
A-L-P- Another Liberal Party!

I don't think that's a bad selection.

As for the ALP groupies surrounding us, we didn't go out of our way to shit them apart from singing during ALP pollie speeches.

We responded quite moderately to their taunts of "Do you have a job?" or "Don't you know it's a priveledge to hear a speech by the Premier of this State?"

We even didn't react to a violent attack by some dude on our female blockies and their General Strike placards.

I don't think that our good natured banter with our ALP friends really undermined our whole message and purpose.

I think the writer of the above criticism of the action may have felt a tad self-concious pushing a radical notion such as a General Strike in a crowd that was seemingly partisan towards the Union and ALP hacks on stage.

It is not easy to stake out a minority position within a crowd of about a 100,000. It takes a bit of chutzpah/front. The above writer calls this "brattiness". Oh well, she's entitled to her opinion. She may have felt more empowered if there had been thousands chanting General Strike rather than 30-40. So would have I but that doesn't mean I regret doing it on the day.

I certainly don't regret getting out of bed for less than my normal exorbitant appearance fee!

We helped spark off a bit of a debate and awareness around a General Strike on 'THE LEFT' and maybe even further afield.

We even got a picture of a General Strike placard behind the newsreader on the SBS National News as well as in the main story! Howzat!

Some 'Anarchists' would probably be more effective if they didn't worry about looking so cool.

Kim Sleazley
by marcusneofitou@hotmail.com Saturday July 08, 2006 at 11:54 PM

Just a little footnote to this story. Kimbo was quoted in the press as saying that he would stop Government's fining individual workers for striking. Before you get excited about our 'champion of the working class', he said that didn't have a problem with fining unions for the striking. Way to go Kim! It's now apparently perfectly acceptable and normal (according to the ALP) to criminalise unions for striking.

Go ALP!

One more thing!
by marcusneofitou@hotmail.com Sunday July 09, 2006 at 12:19 AM

Another positive thing about the General Strike Bloc Fiesta! was the number of different Anarchist groups who came to-gether for the event and a General Strike!

There was people from:
Industrial Workers of the World (Wobblies)
Anarcho Syndicalist Federation
Anarcho-Communists
Barricade Bookshop
People for Constitutional Human Rights
and another one I can't remember (sorry)

It was good to see Anarchist groups working to-gether. There numbers may be relatively small but they can be stronger when they are united. Anarchists don't need to all join the same group but it they can unite for different actions.

Remember, anyone who disagrees with you is a fascist and it is a 'negative' if they can operate 'unhindered'.

Free speech only extends to those with whom you agree. Other views must be hindered in being expressed.

Remember these basic principles of protest and you won't go wrong.

just for the record it is really foolish to consider that the general strike block was a failure because it was made up of 20 - 30 ppl.

The block was organised and promoted as an anarchist gig from day one. do you really believe anarch has much more support than than in the melbourne organised labour movement today?

it is very shocking to read a blog that describes a mass rally of 100,000 workers in an illegal anti govt protest as "crap". Talk about being far removed from the working class!

The general strike discussion could and should be happening more broadly as a seriour tactic to be considered by millions of active unionists and workers. Branding it with the anarchist tag is historically mistaken, strategically confused and sectarian in the extreme.

Melbourne anarchists in their organising of the block for the rally and their bleating afterwards have shown themselves to be as sectarian, arrogant and removed from working class concerns as the worst elements of the dsp and iso.

finally the alp supporters were around u not because of some coincidence but because the alp was afraid that u would make kimbo & braksy look bad on tv. So they surrounded u like that. So much for your strategy: u helped the alp make it look like there was much support for the alp at the rally, which if you had walked around a bit, there wasn't.

please think ahead & grow up a bit comrades.

ps yes the aust first had to be pushed out and they were not. this is a big problem. after some research it appears that aust first (who used to b racists & fascists) have been taken over by much harder line nazis with links to euro brownshirts & usa nazis. this development should be considered before next rallies & events.

A group calling itself Building Contractors for the Glorious Liberation of profits from Excessive Safety Costs has claimed responsibility for today's terror accident, which took the lives of yet another 3 construction workers....

yes it seems as usual the "left" is busy squabbling with itself ironic as we approach the great disaster of the Spanish Civil War/"Revolution" 70th anniversary which gave the uprising against the coup away to that Reaction lead by Franco (with Hitler & Mussolini & Salazar)
result the mass murder of millions of working class organisers.
Here we are again faced with a right wing revolt/attack on the hard won conditions and wages of millions by generations of struggle for what ?

ALP is racist!
by marcusneofitou@hotmail.com Sunday July 09, 2006 at 07:29 PM

The General Strike Bloc Fiesta! was advertised as an Anarchist gig. It was inititated by Eureka Sedition and endorsed by the IWW, neither of which are specifically Anarchist groups. So there!

As far as I am concerned the ALP is not much better than Australia First. It was the ALP which helped to institute the White Australia policy. It was the ALP that started up mandatory detention of refugees under the Keating Government.

We only have to look at the words and actions of Beazley in regards to the Tampa incident. He was more than happy to jump on the racist bandwagon.

Grow up and leave the ALP!

Correction!
by marcusneofitou@hotmail.com Sunday July 09, 2006 at 07:37 PM

The last comment was meant to say that the General Strike Bloc Fiesta! was not advertised as an Anarchist gig. It is not the fault of the organisers that mainly Anarchists turned up. This says more about the herd mentality of other people on 'THE LEFT' who won't do anything unless the ALP and so-called militant unions give them permission (including agitating for a General Strike!).

As for Kimbo and Bracksy looking bad on TV. They can do this quite well by themselves with their weasel words and hypocritical posturing (with their hands out begging for corporate donations.)

Where were you on the day, Uncle Trev, Comrade? It would have been nice to have you with us.

We are so sorry to see the rest of society suffer now because
it is your livelihoods now and way of life and existence.
Some first nations peoples are still facing up to $40,000 in legal fees and fines and up to ten years jail for trying to charge this government with the continuing genocide of our people, the difference between us and youse at the moment is that they already took every thing of us so there is not much more they can take of us hey,so now every one else is going to know what it feels like to have conditions of life forced upon us that is not of our own choosing.
but you union mob it is within your hands to cripple a whole country if you dare.do you dare.come on you mob you can do it you can prevent all trade from entering or leaving the country if you really want hey.
And guess what talk about illegal well under any law a country that is invading another country can have no legal jurisdiction in that country that they are in fact still occupying illegally hahaha so yes who and what is illegal or legal in a country that has no legal jurisdiction.????
well we have a legal law system here that we have lived by and with since the beginning of creation itself and it is called the universal rule of natural law.( the law of nature)where all of nature is for free.we not allowed to make money of it we did,nt need to because the land provided every thing for free haa haa again it is so ironic if people only ask us we will share what we have because this is how we survived by shareing and you wouldnt have to buy land or get out when you lose your jobs and cant pay the rent and go to jail and worry about food or medicine or water or shelter.or our kids having to eat vegemite sandwhiches for a week.I remember when our families was droving and it was a couple of days before we could get stores again so we was on a diet of
sweet black tea and flower to make dry bread on the coals and maybe some fat what kind of feed could we make with that quiet yummy actually until they started to poison the flour they put plaster of paris in the flour when you mix it up and eat it the plaster of paris would harden in their guts and kill them sick eh.
dont lose hope with these dictators in control and good luck dont give up we might just go bush us mob and let every one else have a go fighting with them now for their livelihoods we been trying for over 200 years to get some form of human rights in this country.but then who cares right we are just the scum of the country they need us to die off so they dont have to get our consent to ligitamise their occupation and jurisdiction.
so in reality what i am saying here is that we are dealing with an illigitamite government how does that work and they have us all so deceived that we are actually voting for them to keep this illigitamite government in place hahah.
OH MY GOD.thats sick and i do not mean that in a christian way
either. we do love you all though,

of course i was there mate.

u are arrogant u know? it is arrogant to think that i write like this & i was not there.

it is arrogant that you think i am alp just because i didn't stand with your mates & your signs. u are the one who speaks of autonomy & diversity & then u give me shit like this.

who exacly is the movement, u or the workers? if its the workers should u not talk with them, and look & learn & listen sometimes, or u know everything already?

and all the shit about the alp and aust first being the same is a good reason to stay away from your block. u can't tell the difference between the people u must argue with to get them to change politics & tactics (workers who are alp members) and the people u must defend yourself from because they will hit you with a baseball bat (such as the aust first nazis - who are calling cronulla an example of self defense on their website).

Please by all means read about spain, but u not the only one who ever opened a book, and some of us have been marching for workers rights in union rallies & fighting nazis for some time. some respect might build our common fight better.

Finally the story about the law of aust being not valid because of invasion & genocide is all true.

but we are talking about the laws that are applied, not what is morally right. the laws that are applied have been against blacks & have pushed racism & genocide. now the laws that are applied target workers. this is the time to talk to workers about the history of this country and to build one struggle against the government & capitalists.

of course the workers don't know this history. where could they learn it? of course most workers are racist. the whole society is built on racism. but when workers move they have the power to change things. we need to present strong arguments against racism, and also solutions that are for all workers. this is not easy because it means much serious discussion while there is a lot of effort and noise. but this is the time to say important things that unite workers and say them like we mean it. maybe many will listen.

----------------------------------------
but we are talking about the laws that are applied, not what is morally right. the laws that are applied have been against blacks & have pushed racism & genocide. now the laws that are applied target workers. this is the time to talk to workers about the history of this country and to build one struggle against the government & capitalists.
------------------------------------------

Never in my life have I heard any Australian actually speak like this - not even from the whackiest of unintelligible post-modernist arts students.

Know what I'm sayin', mofo?

A few statements about the General Strike Block

- it was not an advertised anarchistic gig
- it was open to anyone who supported the tactic of a General Strike
- it was intended as a public intervention into the ACTU/Trades Hall ALP cheer squad rally as a way to promote debate over a General Strike
- it was intended to confront the Union leadership over their bullshit electoral strategy to fight the IR laws
- it deliberately involved being rude to ALP/Union hacks both on and off the stage who are gambling the rights of the workers of this country on a Kim Beazley victory
- it was not intended to be counterposed to other forms of organising. Even if there was 10,000 people there it was not an end unto itself
- not everyone at the General Strike Block believe it or not was homogenous and agreed about all political matters
-making observations about who attended the Block is not secterian - it is just that - making an observation

Rather than just bag people who attended the Block - I would love Melbourne Indymedia to be a forum where people actually swapped ideas on how to move the workers struggle to the industrial field - the only field upon which workers stand a chance. Personally I believe that it will take a combination of all tactics - community campaigning, working within unions AND noisy public confrontations with Union/ALP hacks to move this campaign out of the electoral sphere. Those who insist upon all of us travelling in the same lane will only cause a traffic jam!!!!
Remember kids - GENERAL STRIKE NEEDS YOU!!!!

Support the union campaign for Aboriginal workers stolen wages

Uncle Trev, Sorry if I came across as arrogant. I didn't assume you belonged to the ALP or that you were not at the rally. I was just stating that I have no problem with knocking the ALP and that it would have been nice if you had stood with the General Strike Bloc if you so fervently believe in in as a course of action. I didn't say that it was compulsory!

Personally, I am over people like you talking abstractly about the "workers". I am a worker. I am entitled to an opinion about working class matters.

I am sick of the puerile competition to see who has more working-class cred. It is true I am not a construction worker and don't drink beer or even follow the footy or am excessively macho but I am still a part of the class known as working.

The workers are not over there, they are right here. They are us!

As far as the ALP is concerned, recently and historically, it has behaved in a racist fashion-scapegoating refugees etc...

The ALP is an organisation and should be held to account. I did not say every member was racist but people should be aware of the policies of the party they belong to. The fact is the Keating ALP Government set up concentration camps for refugees. The fact is the ALP has been selling workers, the environment, indigenous people, etc... down the river for some time now.

I realise that this may be a harsh truth for some workers who belong to or support the ALP but they may as well find out sooner or later. It is either this or rely on them to solve our problems which would be a big mistake.

Peace out.