Industrial Workers of the World

Hey there agitators !

Melbourne Union Solidarity members went along to Bourke Street central melbourne event part of international cleaners day.

Multi-cultural speakers in Greek and Spanish revved up those gathered and Latin-American style percussion on inverted metal rubbish bins warmed us up as we chanted along the Mall.

Lots of leaflets were distributed to the passers-by and some stopped and joined in shouted out too as we called for justice and a "CLEAN START"

I used to work as a cleaner in 1989 in Perth Western Australia at the Children's Hospital when we were each on individual contracts renewed monthly depending upon your "attitude"...The corrupt Union delegate was in bed with the hire and fire Supervisor and they jointly used overtime as a reward to favorites especially family members.

The amalgamated union has come a long way since 1973 when as a Nurses' Aide member we had a general stoppage at the major hospitals as part of a mass refusal of Essential Services legislation enforced by the Liberal regime. we also got a pay rise too after voting in the open at a football oval for strike action the bosses panicked somewhat.

In 1989 due to Accord the automatic pay tick off of dues meant union dues were given over without ever seeing a delegate alas and industry and class wide there has been a decline in unionism since.

Now Howard Inc has attacked workers with "work-choices" the ACTU and its affiliated business unions are battling to regain all that lost ground and good will built up by struggles of mass mobilisation and militant delegates in decades past.

Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous Union (LHMU), supremo Jeff Lawrence is the new Secretary of the Australian Council of Trade Unions which represents more than 1.9 million workers. Lawrence served as National Secretary of the LHMU since 1990. The LHMU is one of Australia's largest unions representing more than 130,000 workers in hospitality, property services, health, manufacturing and community services. (LHMU is known to some less formally as the 'Missos and Pissos'.)

Former ACTU Leader Greg Combet resigned to get "bumped into Parliament" by the Another Liberal Party.

Viola Wilkins