Brianna Pike & Emma Clancy
Since its re-election last year with control of the Senate, the federal Coalition government has moved to introduce a range of new attacks, targeting disability pensioners and sole parents, trying to force through the misnamed "voluntary student unionism", planning to open the doors to a massive expansion in uranium mining and openly discussing massive tax cuts for the rich. But the centrepiece of PM John Howard's neoliberal agenda is industrial relations "reform", which some argue amount to the most concerted attack on the working class's rights and standard of living for at least a century.
Young people are already especially vulnerable in the work force, as many work casual jobs with poor conditions and only a small minority are organised in trade unions. A study of young workers carried out by Unions SA entitled "Dirt Cheap and Disposable" found that up to 36% of young workers were pressured to work overtime without pay, and 17% were fired or lost shifts after a birthday.
These conditions will be worsened by the government's new legislation, which will remove unfair dismissal laws for employers with less than 100 workers. Howard is also taking aim at apprentices by dumping award provisions that fix the duration of traineeships and apprenticeships, and by introducing separate minimum wages for all categories of trainee.
The changes also aim to sideline trade unions — individual contracts, called Australian Workplace Agreements (AWAs), will become the norm, forcing workers to negotiate conditions with their boss as an individual, which will particularly disadvantage inexperienced young workers.
This is why we in Resistance are telling other young people to join us in hitting the streets on November 15, the national day of action against the IR laws, in young workers' and students' contingents to tell Howard exactly where he can shove his AWAs.
In Perth, Resistance is organising an "Up yours, Howard!" contingent of young workers and students to the Unions WA-organised mass demonstration. The contingent will meet at 11am outside Hungry Jacks (in the Murray St Mall). The contingent will meet up with and march to the demonstration with the Queer Bloc, a group of young queer-rights activists who are concerned that the new IR laws will make the workplace worse for queers.
Perth Resistance activist Trent Hawkins told 91×ÔÅÄÂÛ̳ Weekly that Resistance has been organising campus students opposed to VSU to join the contingent.
He added: "Resistance high school members will be organising students from their schools to come along. We will also be going around to a number of TAFEs and fast-food restaurants to get people to come along. On November 12, we will be having a planning session for the rally in the Resistance Centre where we want to make banners, flags and placards demanding justice for young workers."
In Sydney, Resistance is calling on high school students to join their teachers and strike on November 15. The NSW Teachers Federation is organising their members to stop work for two hours to attend the Unions NSW mass meetings on the day.
"We are planning a student and workers' contingent to meet at 8am in Belmore Park to rally alongside the thousands of workers expected to participate in the mass meeting there”, Sydney Resistance activist Simon Cunich said.
Explaining the reason for targeting students, Cunich said: "For many high school students who work a casual job this is not a distant issue, but one that affects them every week. Likewise for the majority of university students who have to work part-time jobs to support themselves, the IR reforms are a threatening prospect. It is crucial for students to join with workers to oppose these changes."
In Brisbane, Stella Riethmuller reports that Resistance is calling for an after-school rally on November 11 in the lead-up to the November 15 protests. Resistance is also initiating a youth and student contingent on November 15 that will march from Queensland University TAFE Gardens Point campus to join other workers at the South Bank.
Resistance activist Tom Morrison explained that in campaigning outside TAFEs and high schools, activists had found a near universal negative response to Howard's workplace reforms, with many already in highly exploited situations.
Like Brisbane, Resistance activists in Adelaide have initiated a protest for young workers' rights on November 11, to be held at 4.30pm outside Malls Balls in the Rundle Mall. Supporting the campaign, a new zine produced by Adelaide high school students, The Bench, argues that with the introduction of the new laws the "young workers of Australia will be disadvantaged in obtaining jobs and making sure their employers provide them with acceptable conditions ... AWA — Australian Workers Arsed."
The militant unions in this country have a slogan that has never been more important than now: Dare to struggle, dare to win! If you don't fight you lose!
[For full details of November 15 protests around the country, see the advertisement on page 5. Contact your local Activist Centre (details on page 2) to find out how to get involved in the campaign for young workers' rights.]
From 91×ÔÅÄÂÛ̳ Weekly, November 2, 2005.
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