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 About Us  About Unions NSWAbout UnionsWho's WhoInformation Centre What's Going On? Annual Reports    
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John Robertson, Secretary’s
Report
OverviewThis report is an historic one, the final Annual Report of the Labor Council of NSW. After 133 years, the executive has taken the historic decision to change the name of the organisation that founded the Australian Labor Party (ALP) and represented generations of working people in NSW. It is a decision that has not been taken lightly; and it is made with no disrespect to the history of an institution that so many people have committed themselves to over the years. The decision follows a major research project looking into perceptions of the union movement, and the Labor Council of NSW in particular. The findings were so stark that we took the view that to ignore the research would be shortsighted and, ultimately, do a disservice to those who have come before us. And so, from 1st January 2005, we will be reconstituted as Unions NSW; as its name implies, the peak body for unions and their members in NSW. But more than a peak, we want to make Unions NSW the heart of the movement. That’s why we have been up front in saying, if all we do is change our name, we will have only changed ourselves cosmetically. Looking back on 2004, it is fair to say that much of our work has been preparing for this next leap forward. The highlights of the year in this report show two clear threads - the rebuilding of our union heritage and the re-casting of our message for new generations of workers. The history has been focussed on the refurbishment of Trades Hall, an ambitious project, which is now well advanced, and will create a state of the art home for the NSW union movement that doesn’t forget our past. The work has been exhaustive, with the piecemeal nature of the original construction creating real challenges for the builders, but we are on track to be moving back to our traditional home by the end of 2005. Part of the move has also involved the archiving and storing of literally truckloads of historical material by our newly appointed Research Director Neale Towart. Across Goulburn Street, within close distance of Trades Hall, is a more modern memorial to working people, commemorating those who have died at work. Designed by artist Ingrid Skirka, the Workers Memorial was launched on the 28th April 2004 the International Day of Mourning for Deaths in the Workplace. Its Darling Harbour home has now been dedicated by the Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority to be extended into a memorial garden, overseen by the Workers Memorial Trust Foundation, to be chaired by former Maritime Union of Australia, NSW Branch Assistant Secretary, Barry Robson. While we have been consolidating our past we have also been planning our future, and the launch of ‘Working NSW’ on the 3rd December 2004 was an important initiative in seizing the debate around the future of work. The think tank, to be funded through $1 million in seed funding by the Labor Council, will commission research focussing on how work laws will shape the way we live our lives in the future. The think tank will be chaired by former NSW Premier, Barrie Unsworth, with senior Labor Council officials including myself, President, Sandra Moait and Vice-Presidents, Annie Owens and Michael Williamson on its board. To launch Working NSW, we had the privilege of hosting a visit by Professor Robert Reich, former USA Clinton Labor Secretary and leading thinker on the future of work. Professor Reich’s visit was a tonic after the difficult year and, personally, gave me heart that there is a legitimate progressive agenda that we have a responsibility to fight for through the union movement. It is within this framework, Labor Council took part in the following activities in 2004. OrganisingFor many years, we have spoken of the need to organise, not just within workplaces, but also across industries. In 2004 the benefits of this long-term strategy began to bare fruit. The Combined Rail Unions undertook a high profile and ultimately triumphant campaign within RailCorp, which not only delivered a fair wages outcome but also has seen off an orchestrated attempt by management to marginalise rail unions. The secret to their success was unity, a strong delegates structure and a smart campaign that garnered public support around the quality of rail services. Labor Council’s Mark Morey deserves special credit for co-ordinating the campaign, but all involved performed brilliantly and can now appreciate the benefits of a sophisticated campaign. Construction unions continued to work together across historical fault lines to secure a series of project awards and re-build union density in one of our heartland areas. Central to the strategy were a series of group delegate meetings where all involved undertook to work together with mutual respect and integrity, putting members first. A particularly innovative and exciting initiative was the creation of the Mental Health Workers Alliance (MHWA). A body representing workers from affiliates who have members dealing with the mentally ill. The MHWA has members from the Nurses Association, Health Services Union, Police Association, Australian Salaried Medical Officers’ Federation and the Australian Services Union. The most notable aspect of the MHWA is that it was a grassroots initiative, with organisers from the various unions coming together to make something happen. I was proud to launch the MHWA on the 4th November 2004 and look forward to assisting it advocate on behalf of its members. But there was no campaign that was more pleasing to see come to fruition than the Rugby League Professionals Association’s (RLPA) success in securing a collective agreement. It was a tough fight against a hostile employer and the success is testimony to the tireless work of its President, Anthony Butterfield. There could have been no more deserving winner of the Labor Council’s 2004 Organiser of the Year Award than Anthony, who has built a trade union from the ground up, where several established unions had struggled. As Anthony noted on receiving his award, the RLPA’s model is now being viewed by other associations of sports people who are finding negotiations outside the industrial relations framework a tricky proposition. 2004 was also a year when we began to harness the tremendous organising potential around workplace safety issues. The annual UnionSafe OHS Safety Delegates Conference was held at the Parramatta Riverside theatre on the 29th October 2004 and attended by more than 500 safety delegates who received an overview of emerging safety trends and received safety awards from newly elected federal Member for Kingsford Smith Peter Garrett. Labor Council also held a successful conference on workplace bullying at the Sydney Opera House on 8th September 2004 and took the first steps to addressing what is a complex health issue that is a growing source of pressure on the workers compensation system. IndustrialThe year has finished on an industrial high, with the successful resolution of the long-running negotiations with James Hardie. Labor Council played a key role in negotiations alongside the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU). The behaviour of James Hardie and their attempt to walk away from their responsibility was a cautionary tale, not the least because the company ultimately bowed to community pressure even while maintaining they had no legal responsibility to provide compensation to its victims. The year saw, the Labor Council launch the Secure Employment Test Case in the Industrial Relations Commission of NSW (IRC) in the face of comprehensive and, at times, frivolous employer objections. Our three key propositions - conversion rights for casuals, host pay rates for labour hire employees and consultation on contracting out - remain in place and we are hoping for a decision from the full bench some time in 2005. We had more success achieving a speedy resolution of the State Wage Case with the IRC flowing through the full national decision of a $19.00 per week increase. An historic breakthrough was achieved for workers in the hospitality industry this year when the Premier announced a ban on smoking in pubs and clubs. As the Premier stated at the announcement, this was a move to protect the health of workers and can be racked up as another advance secured by the union movement. At the end of the year, I was invited to address a conference of Industrial Officers organised by the ACTU to analyse the state of play in the wake of the federal election result. The ACTU is to be congratulated on developing this network and it is something that Unions NSW will be developing in NSW in 2005 under the co-ordination of our newly appointed Industrial Officer, Alisha Hughes. As Labor Council Secretary, I was also called upon to speak on behalf of our movement at a number of public rallies organised by affiliates including: -
PoliticalThe federal election result was disappointing for all of us, particularly the outcome in the Senate, which will create direct challenges for the union movement in 2005. It will also focus our attention on the need for the union movement to play a greater role in the political processes. Indeed, in differentiating ourselves through our name change, I believe we can build on the work commenced in 2004 to have a greater say in the way the ALP projects itself to the Australian public. The cornerstone of this is to re-build respect for the union movement within the political wing. To this end, Labor Council held regular briefings to backbench members in NSW through 2004, keeping them informed of key issues and giving them the chance to argue on our behalf within Caucus. I can point to several outcomes, including the securing of e-mail surveillance privacy that was directly linked to their support. Labor Council also issued regular newsletters to ALP branches, which were well received with positive responses from many branches that see unions as a partner rather than an opponent within the ALP. With a State ALP Conference scheduled for 2005 it is an alliance we will work hard to develop further. Labor Council also created opportunities for affiliates to keep informed about key debates within government, the half-day seminar on public private partnerships was one example of a complex debate where affiliates were given all sides of the story and given the chance to make up their own minds. On a national level, the Howard Government continued its assault on construction unions and Labor Council was given the opportunity to outline the NSW union movement’s concerns with the findings of the Cole Royal Commission and the government’s response to the Senate Committee into Building and Construction Industry. Labor Council also placed a priority in 2004 on building ties with other peak union councils and in February I travelled to Perth at the invitation of Unions WA to share ideas about campaigning and working co-operatively across the movement. RegionalBuilding a stronger union presence in regional NSW has been a key priority and in 2004 this was further progressed by convening a seminar of all Regional Trades and Labor Councils on 21st May to discuss ways we can work closer together to build stronger union centres across the states. It was a candid and productive discussion, which sets the scene for some exciting work in the years ahead, while recognising that the regions have their own unique histories. A major step forward in the project of building a stronger regional base was achieved in February when the South Coast Labor Council voted to officially become a regional branch council of the Labor Council of NSW. This is a historic move that integrates union activity on the South Coast, while retaining political autonomy. Another sign of the shift in focus to the regions was the fact that many affiliates are increasing their presence in the regions. I was honoured to open a new office for the Independent Education Union (IEU) in Lismore in March and hope there are many more such openings in the year ahead. CommunityLabor Council continued to build its links with representative community groups with our relationship based on the principle of mutual support. We have consciously shifted our focus from being a source of token support for every community cause and have worked to develop a criteria for support that looks at both the structure and the values of the organisation. Instilling this rigour is good for Labor Council and good for the groups we have relationships with. A new community group that Labor Council has been active in developing is the Working Students Union Network – a campus based network of activists who support the movement by promoting the benefits of unionism amongst fellow students as well as supporting broader campaigns. The Working Students Network was launched at Sydney University in March with the team from ‘The Chaser’ TV show and is building a strong profile across campuses. One of the original members of the Network, Asren Pugh, is now working as an organising trainee with the Labor Council. Labor Council also worked with a range of other community initiatives including: -
Labor Council also participated in the ACTU Indigenous Conference where the focus was on the need to move indigenous issues into the mainstream work culture. International SolidarityLabor Council weekly meetings continue to be a forum to hear from visitors from around the world and learn first hand about the struggles for justice by workers from every corner of the globe. In particular, the Labor Council provided support and assistance for groups seeking democracy and self-determination in West Sahara (via Polsario) and Burma, through provision of office space in our building. Labor Council is also an active supporter of Australian People for Health, Education and Development Abroad (APHEDA) and the good work it does assisting the training of workers in nations including East Timor, Vietnam and Cambodia. A delegation of Labor Council representatives continued our ties with Rengo Tokyo – the local of the peak union body for Japanese workers. Annie Owens, Russ Collison, Judith Kiedja, and Peter McClelland were our representatives on this year’s exchange. And as mentioned above, Labor Council sponsored the visit to Australia of Professor Reich, organising a series of seminars, a public lecture and an address to the National Press Club. All involved were inspired and stimulated by the visit. FinancesGeneral FinancesThe results for the year to 30th June 2004 include the activities of the Trades Hall Association Limited. As in previous years the Property Account and the Wireless Committee are in surplus and both contribute to offset the reported deficit on the Management Account. In the Management Account, Sustentation Fees increased by $60,200.00. Total income was $97,352.00 higher than the previous year. Expenditure increased marginally by $63,704.00. The Property Account income increased by $8,932.00 and expenditure increased by $36,202.00 due mainly to increases in insurance costs. Wireless CommitteeThe Wireless Committee Income was $307,116.00 higher than the previous year of $2,334,091.00. Once again this is mainly due to the excellent return received on a Managed Fund Investment. Expenditure of $561,283.00 is $513,617.00 lower than the previous year due mainly to lower property expenses. CurrawongThe Currawong Account recorded a deficit of $95,039.00 and this was an improvement of $147,130.00 over the previous year. Rent from cottages was $56,881.00 higher than the previous year and total expenditure was $90,249.00 lower than the previous year. The Trades Hall Association LimitedThe Trades Hall Association Limited recorded a net loss for the year of $674,988.00. Refurbishment of the Trades Hall substantially impacted on the company’s activities. ResearchIf we are going to transform the movement, we must do so with a clear understanding of the environment we operate in, which is why we have been keen to extend our base of qualitative and quantitative research. Labor Council undertook a number of research projects to better understand the needs of its members and the attitudes of the broader community, including: -
Labor Council also participated in a linkage grant with Australian Centre for Industrial Relations Research and Training (ACIRRT) to look into the increased use of lockouts by employers and other hostile industrial tactics under the Federal Government’s industrial relations framework. As part of this project ACIRRT researcher Chris Briggs has been working out of the Labor Council’s offices once a fortnight. While maintaining our commitment to member and public research, the missing link is academic research and that is where the ‘Working NSW’ initiative will be so important for actually seizing the debate and providing the intellectual rigour to support our values MediaLabor Council’s media services were provided by Essential Media Communications (EMC), headed by Peter Lewis who has had a long association with the Labor Council. The media team managed Labor Council’s relationship with key media outlets, generating a large amount of mainstream news coverage for the Council including: -
Our media team also continued to publish Workers Online the Labor Council’s weekly newsletter, which remains the most popular and influential publication in the union movement. Other ResponsibilitiesAs Secretary I sat on the following boards and committees: -
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