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Public sector shuts down
ADELAIDE — Historic strike action closed down most of the South Australian public service on March 26. For the first time in more than 20 years, members of the Public Service Association walked out en masse in support of a pay and conditions campaign.
The state Labor government has described the PSA as unnecessarily militant, and even accused the union of trying to bully the government.
The PSA is claiming a 12% wage increase over two years plus additional conditions, including more flexible hours, greater access to part-time work, bargaining fees for non-members and 14 weeks' paid maternity leave.
Industrial bans, refusal to collect government revenue and occasional walkouts have been growing over the last two months, demonstrating that public servants are fed up with being undervalued and ignored.
The government has consistently argued that its current offer of 3-4% per year is "fair and reasonable". The paltry four weeks' paid maternity leave will only increase to eight weeks over the next three years under this offer.
PSA general secretary Jan McMahon pointed out to a lively picket outside the state library that judges and ministerial staff had received a 12% increase for just one year and Victorian and Tasmanian public servants had received higher increases.
The mood from the strike indicates that action across workplaces is likely to increase.
Melanie Sjoberg
'Vote socialist on May Day'
HOBART — Voters in the Tasmanian upper house electorate of Elwick have the opportunity to vote for a socialist candidate on May 1, the traditional day on which working-class struggle is commemorated.
A by-election for Elwick, in Hobart's northern suburbs, has been called following the decision of David Crean, the Labor state government's treasurer, to retire from parliament for health reasons.
Socialist Alliance candidate Kamala Emanuel pointed out that "Labor and the Liberals routinely disregard the legitimate interests or ordinary workers, students and pensioners. For instance, David Crean was responsible for huge reductions in payroll tax [in his role as state treasurer] as demanded by the Tasmanian Chamber of Commerce and Industry."
Payroll tax is one of the largest sources of income for the Tasmanian government, after Commonwealth grants. "After Labor and the Liberals have spent years handing out tax breaks to the big end of town, they still make excuses for the chronic underfunding of the health system."
She argued that the state Labor government had "embarked on a privatisation spree, selling or announcing plans to sell land and other government assets like the Civil Construction Corporation, which was one of the assets sold last year."
"The Socialist Alliance", Emanuel told 91×ÔÅÄÂÛ̳ Weekly, "is running on a platform of tackling the pressing needs of people in the northern suburbs, such as improving public housing, health and women's and youth services."
"Forestry is another issue in which the Labor government dances to the tune of its corporate masters but is right out of touch with ordinary people", Emanuel said. "We're profiling our support for preserving old-growth forests by moving to an ecologically sustainable, publicly owned timber industry."
Alex Bainbridge
From 91×ÔÅÄÂÛ̳ Weekly, March 31, 2004.
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