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By Dave Mizon MELBOURNE — When the federal elections were announced, significant industrial disputes that had been simmering around the country, and especially in Victoria, were put on hold. Rather than helping to resolve these ongoing attacks on jobs, wages and conditions, union officials and the ACTU were far more interested in touting for votes for the ALP. A Victorian Trades Hall Council-sponsored rally on February 13 was attended by hundreds of building and public sector workers. State opposition leader John Brumby and federal deputy leader Kim Beazley spoke for at least one and a half hours on why workers had to re-elect the ALP government. On February 21, Melbourne Town Hall was packed with delegates from the National Union of Workers, the metalworkers' union and the CFMEU to hear Paul Keating, ACTU head Bill Kelty, the general secretary of the NUW and the state secretary of the metalworkers all hold forth on the virtues of the ALP and the evils of the Coalition. Speaking from a podium with "Thanks Paul!" emblazoned on it, Kelty told the meeting that war would erupt if the Coalition won the elections. Keating thanked Kelty for his collaboration and boasted that the number of working days lost to strike action was the lowest since 1940. But times are difficult for many workers. While the IRC decision in favour of equal pay for equal work in the Weipa dispute is a victory, the strings attached to the pay issue put a question mark over further struggle by the Weipa workers. It does not bode well for future militancy that workers have been persuaded to agree to the company's personnel procedures manual, which links further pay rises to the company's personal performance assessments. Another dispute put on hold was the Yallourn power workers wages and jobs campaign. Late last year the Kennett government unveiled its plan to sell Yallourn to a US company. Kennett also wanted to push through an enterprise agreement that ensured that the private company bought not only a power station and coal mine, but also a multi-skilled and compliant work force. In response to this and the likely loss of jobs, power workers issued a log of claims. When locked out by the state government, they occupied the plant and set up pickets. At a mass meeting in late December, the workers agreed to return to work on the proviso that there would be another mass meeting in early January. If the state government hadn't met their demands on job security and a wage rise, further action would take place. However, this year officials from the unions concerned were able to convince delegates that the main action had to take place in the IRC rather than on the shop floor. Last year Bass Strait rig workers fought Esso to a standstill after a 15-week strike in defence of jobs and conditions. An ACTU-brokered truce was obtained on the following points: that a long overdue 8% pay rise be paid along with the $8 "safety net" payment; that support staff sacked by Esso and P&0 be reinstated; no more staff cuts. The two parties were to begin negotiations on a new enterprise agreement within two months. An agreement should have been reached in late December. By late February, it looked like Esso's offer would be the same as that which sparked the dispute. Meanwhile, federal AWU officials have been hosing down any sparks of solidarity or militancy at the Esso onshore plants in an attempt to undermine rig workers' ability to wage another struggle. The last dispute consigned to the deep freeze before the elections was the firefighters'. Late last year they lodged a 16% pay claim and called for an increase in staffing levels. On January 24, the THC called an emergency services rally ostensibly to support the firefighters and ambulance officers. However, the rally resolved to do nothing more than call on the state government to reopen negotiations. Since then there have only been muted protests at the state government refusal to talk, while firefighters are still being stood down for supporting their bans. All these disputes were suppressed to bolster the electoral fortunes of the ALP by underscoring the "responsible" attitude of the ACTU and union leaders under the Accord. These tactics do not in any way advance the cause of the working class or the union movement. Labor and the Liberals share the same economic rationalist agenda; unions have to defend workers' jobs and conditions, not parliamentary seats for mates.