Amwu News Spring 2010

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Secure Entitlements Within Our Reach SPRING 2010

INSIDE

AMWU National Conference 2010 Bob Hawke: An AMWU member for life New bonus payments for apprentices


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EDITORIAL

Minority government means major rethink

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The clearest message from the hung parliament was that the community wants ideas and vision at the heart of political leadership.

uring July and August, I visited AMWU members from Perth to Sydney and from Launceston to Townsville and many places in between. It was good to talk to so many members of our union – from different industries, in different parts of the country, in longstanding unionised shops and in newly organised workplaces.

Inevitably in that period, much of the discussion centred around the federal election. The Labor Party’s commitment to deliver on our longstanding campaign to secure workers’ entitlements was heartening, but after speaking to such a broad range of manufacturing workers, the election outcome was far from surprising. Many passionate AMWU members could recognise the benefits that the Labor Government had delivered, but still felt the political process had become too shallow. The clearest message from the hung parliament was that the community wants ideas and vision at the heart of political leadership. Australians are fed up with the spin and posturing that dominated the nightly news during the election. Election reporting reached a low point when journalists began writing articles about the Prime Minister’s ear lobes. To her credit, Julia Gillard was the first to acknowledge this after the campaign. While Julia Gillard has formed a government based on the support of independents, the fine balance in the federal parliament will mean politics will be done very differently from now on. Nonetheless, the AMWU will

AMWUNews SPRING2010

Dave Oliver meets with members in Gladstone

a strong manufacturing base in our economy. From production work and skilled trades, through to technological research and development, manufacturing provides good jobs for more than one million Australians. Dave Oliver at Sucrogen Mills, Townsville

continue to be at the forefront of political activity on behalf of our members whichever way the numbers fall. Our struggle for jobs, good conditions, fair pay, job security and better opportunities for ourselves and our children, is based on values that the community supports. If we continue the AMWU’s tradition of campaigning for what we believe to be right, we will continue to influence the community. Through community coalitions, we can lead progressive Labor, Green and Independent politicians to deliver real improvements to our society and economy. As manufacturing workers, we also know the importance of having

We must continue to fight for interventionist policies and not simply leave it to the market. In the next month, a meeting of the union’s leaders and lead organisers will map out an overall jobs campaign for the AMWU to fight for the next two years. The new minority government arrangements will not keep us from the important work we face – to secure Australian jobs, to strengthen Australian industry and to keep building your union.

Dave Oliver AMWU National Secretary

Dave Oliver's editorial ........................................................................... 3 Up-skilling on down days ....................................................................... 4

AMWU News is the official publication of the Australian Manufacturing Workers’ Union, (registered AFMEPKIU) National Office, 133 Parramatta Road, Granville, NSW, 2142.

Megabolt fight for wages........................................................................ 5

Editor: Dave Oliver

Election campaign delivers for AMWU members .................................... 6

AMWU Communications Team: Tim Chapman, Jennifer Kingwell

AMWU National Conference 2010 . ......................................................... 8

Design: dcmc Design, Melbourne All information included in this publication was correct at the time of publication, but is subject to change at any time. Please contact your union organiser for updates. © AMWU National Office Made in Australia by AMWU labour

Workers’ compensation warning ........................................................... 9 Let’s make Australia asbestos free . ...................................................... 11 Delegate Profile . .................................................................................. 12

AMWUNEWS

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NEWS

Training gives CMI workers an upside on down days W

orkers at the West Footscray CMI Forge site have benefitted from a government sponsored up-skilling program, aimed at enhancing the skills of workers to reduce the impact or prevent workers from facing redundancy.

The 87 workers, who have had to deal with an average of ninety downdays per year for the past two years, received full wages while gaining new skills, instead of being forced to use their leave. AMWU project officer Mark Spyker is in charge of helping AMWU members in the auto and components sector take advantage of the program, which enabled the CMI workers to gain a Certificate III qualification in Competitive Manufacturing. “The response from the workers has

been extremely supportive. They are genuinely excited to be receiving training that they can use out in the factory. “The fact that this course is government funded has really eased the pressure on both the workers and the company. It will bring the company’s production methods up to the latest standards and enhance the skills of those workers who may still face redundancy in the future and help them find another job in the industry if they need to.” The program has been so successful that CMI management are now looking to roll out the training to their other plants in Campbellfield, Ballarat and Horsham over the next two years. “It’s a good process for the workers and it should also benefit the company in their workplace processes,” said AMWU organiser, Tony Hynds.

Workers at CMI gain a qualification and reduce the impact of down days

“The workers have really got a lot out of it. It’s given them skills which will help in finding new work in the industry. It’s been a good morale boost,” he said. All training is provided by a Registered Training Organisation (RTO), under

the Federal Government’s Structural Adjustment Places Program. Auto-industry workers experiencing regular down days are eligible to benefit from this scheme. Contact the AMWU Helpdesk on 1300 732 698 for more information. ■

Action at Forgacs delivers wage increases and apprentice benefits U

p to four hundred workers across Forgacs sites in the Lower Hunter Valley region of NSW, Sydney and Queensland have won a new agreement after taking industrial action. As a result of protected industrial action in June, the ship building company agreed to return to the bargaining table after refusing to meet with workers since April 29 this year. A national agreement has now been achieved. By taking action, the workers

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achieved pay increases totalling 15.5% over 3 years, which brought the workers’ pay up to the average wage around the Newcastle region. Delegate Benny Hills said a key demand was for apprentice wages to be made relative to the tradesperson’s wage under the union collective agreement, rather than the lower award rate. “Overall it’s an agreement we can be proud of. Getting the apprentices on the right rate

is important and a good thing for them. The opportunity to be assessed and advanced in a classification is also something anyone can take advantage of.” In addition, Hills said the union members won 18 key improvements, including arrangements for skills recognition and classification and income protection. AMWU Industrial Officer, Don Sutherland, said it was significant that the agreement delivered a requirement for the company to consult the workforce before a major decision is made. Sutherland also said work stoppages were a key part of the campaign, after many workers joined the union on the day of the action so they could take part. “The 48 hour stoppage started with mass meetings, which carried resolutions urging the company to return to

the bargaining table with an improved offer and endorsing further industrial action in the form of overtime bans. “The members also voted in favour of further 24 hour stoppages if necessary and then marched on the corporate offices of Forgacs in Newcastle to express their determination to achieve an improved outcome”, he said. “We maintained that the company could afford the claims, especially given the steady recovery in the economy and a number of defence contracts which are underway”, said Sutherland. “The fact that we won goes to show that our claim was legitimate, but we wouldn’t have got there without such a strong showing of solidarity.” ■


Megabolt workers fight to get off minimum wage U

ntil they joined the AMWU to fight for a better deal, some workers had been on only $15 per hour, for up to ten years. More than 25 AMWU members stopped work at the start of September, fed up with the company’s reluctance to finalise the negotiations. The members have negotiated in good faith from the start and given some ground from their original claim to keep things moving along, but Megabolt is still offering an increase 2% lower than workers will accept. Union members are seeking a decent wage rise, income protection, monthly RDOs and improved health and safety measures including a heat policy. AMWU Delegate, Zelko Cimboro, says the workers have had enough. “Negotiations have been going on for about nine months now – back and forward, back and forward – we just couldn’t get an agreement. “The company’s bargaining team just kept saying they couldn’t make a decision, that the company director had to make the decision, but he never came to any of the meetings, so nothing ever got resolved. “So we took a vote and we voted to take protected action, because in the end we just want this sorted out, but the company kept dragging their feet. “Now they want to meet again and we’ve said we want to meet with the company director so we can actually get this sorted out”, he said. AMWU Victorian Secretary, Steve Dargavel, said it was a disgrace that some employers still expect people to work for $15 per hour. Although the plant has remained open, with non-union workers and contractors remaining on site, morale has been kept up and the majority of Megabolt workers have joined the action. “It’s been a good action and it’s going to be a good agreement”, said AMWU Organiser Ali Mulipola. “We’ve had workers sign up to the union on the day so they can join

NEWS

Workers at Megabolt in Campbellfield, Victoria, have been forced to take protected action after negotiations to establish their first union collective agreement broke down.

Megabolt workers aren’t exactly making mega-bucks

the picket line. They really want to see the company do the right thing. “Already we’re seeing a result in that the company director has finally agreed to attend a bargaining meeting for the first time”, he said. Delegate Robert Djurdjek, joined the union after he was subjected to workplace harassment, which he was able to

resolve with help from the AMWU. Now he wants to see a fair resolution for all Megabolt workers in the form of an acceptable collective agreement.

of the guys on minimum wage, but I want to see the workers get back pay, the wage rise and the RDOs, because there’s a lot of people here with families and kids and that one day off a month will make a big difference.

“I want to see us come to a fair conclusion with our claims, “It’s sad that it’s had to come because we’ve come down with our to this before the company will figures, but the company’s still take the workers seriously. But just dragging it out. we’ll stay out here for as long as “I like my job here and I’m not one it takes.” ■ AMWUNEWS

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NEWS

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Clockwise L to R: Tasmanian, ACT and Queensland members

It was a close call, but AMWU members played a key role in stopping Tony Abbott and WorkChoices at the 2010 federal election.

Julia Gillard with AMWU members at Komatsu in Perth

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NEWS

Election result means Labor can deliver on entitlements and apprentices Apprentice Income Bonus Scheme

Sense of entitlements after long campaign

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he ‘Trades Apprentice Income Bonus Scheme’ will increase the payments already introduced by Labor in their first term of government, to boost apprentice retention and help build skills.

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The policy will also help alleviate high rates of debt among apprentices.

The AMWU has been campaigning for 20 years for a scheme that will protect all employee entitlements when a company collapses. The Howard Government’s General Employee Entitlements and Redundancy Scheme (GEERS), only covers a maximum of 16 weeks redundancy pay.

The new payments will be paid on top of the existing ‘Tools For Your Trade’ payments. As apprentices like fitters, boilermakers and motor mechanics reach milestones each year they will get the following additional payments:

■ $200 - bringing the 12 month payment to $1 000.

■ $200 - bringing the 24 month payment to $1 000.

■ $500 - bringing the 36 month payment to $1 200.

■ $800 - bringing the completion bonus to $1 500.

During the election campaign, National Secretary Dave Oliver and Queensland Secretary Andrew Dettmer, met with apprentices at the All Trades Apprentice Centre in Brisbane. “It’s so important that we invest in skills and apprentices which are the key to our future. This is another welcome step forward from Labor, which has attempted to turn around the mess left by the Coalition last time they were in government,” Dave Oliver said. “The Liberal Party has consistently devalued trades training, allowed skills shortages to build up and then sought to solve the problem with temporary labour from overseas through 457 visas.” Ryan Bosworth, 2nd year apprentice fitter and turner, said that the money was welcomed. “We know that once we get our trade, we’ll be earning good money. It’s while we’re going through that we need some assistance.” Low rates of pay are a significant factor in the high drop-out rate among apprentices with up to 50% of apprentices failing to complete their training in some trade areas.

orkers at ACL Gaskets in Brisbane were among thousands of workers who welcomed Julia Gillard’s election commitment to introduce a ‘Fair Entitlements Guarantee’.

Around 20 workers at the gasket maker – a sister company of ACL Bearings in Launceston, Tasmania – are still working as the company goes through administration. Joseph Seguerra, a worker with 21 years service said it was a good thing that other workers would not have to go through what his colleagues had endured. “The laws will be great. All the heartache and uncertainty. All the hard work I’ve put into this company here, to miss out on our entitlements is not fair.” AMWU National Secretary, Dave Oliver, met with the workers just before the election. “It’s an important policy and a great victory for all the workers who have struggled through liquidations with no light at the end of the tunnel. “After 20 years of campaigning, we will be doing everything we can to make sure the Independents are on the same page as the Labor Party when the legislation gets to parliament.” Delegate Harry Faulkner, who has worked for the company for 18 years and, like all the workers, faces losing a significant amount of entitlements because of the old scheme, said he hoped Labor would bring in the policy as soon as possible, even though it was too late for ACL workers. “Anything that protects the right of workers has got to be a good thing. Hopefully the election outcome will allow it to get through.” ■

A survey of NSW apprentices conducted by the AMWU earlier this year found 30% of apprentices were using credit cards to pay everyday living expenses and many struggled to live independently. “Our survey found apprentices are living on credit during their apprenticeship and finishing up with a debt,” said AMWU NSW Secretary Tim Ayres. “The increased bonus payments throughout the training period and when they finish their apprenticeship will help them manage their debt and see them through until they get a job,” he said. The best way for apprentices to improve their wages and conditions is to join the AMWU. ■

Dave Oliver with apprentices at All Trades, Queensland

ACL Delegates, Joseph Seguerra and Harry Faulkner

AMWUNEWS

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NEWS

National Conference recognises our history and plans for the future T

he 20th AMWU National Conference met in Queensland in late July, laying out plans to ensure the union grows and stays relevant to our members and potential members in new industries.

With the timing of the conference coinciding with the federal election campaign, a key focus was the rights that workers had won since the end of the Howard Government and the need to fight for further improvements. As well as the visit to announce the ‘Fair Entitlements Guarantee’ by Prime Minister Julia Gillard, former Prime Minister Bob Hawke was honoured with AMWU Life Membership, after 51 years as an AMWU member. Mr Hawke told the conference that the

Welcome to country ceremony

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Life Membership award meant a great deal to him and said it was heartening to see unions still leading the charge for working people’s rights more than half a century after he began working for the ACTU. The conference had presentations on organising and campaigning from several Australian and international unions. AMWU National Secretary, Dave Oliver, said that the conference had taken key decisions which would see the union focus on growing in new areas and developing a new generation of AMWU activists to fight for workers’ rights in the 21st century. The conference endorsed several key initiatives, including goals for women in leadership positions to be achieved by the next National Conference in 2013. ■

Prime Minister Julia Gillard addresses AMWU National Conference

Dave Oliver and Paul Bastian present Bob Hawke with 50 years membership award.


NEWS

50 000

AMWU members get H-E-L-P

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very week, the AMWU Helpdesk takes hundreds of calls from workers who need to check their rights, rates of pay or who want to join the union. Since it was set up in 2005, the Helpdesk has helped solve the problems of more than 50 000 members over the phone or via email. AMWU Helpdesk Coordinators Dawn Comber and Laura Gregorace say that most members can get the answer they need when they call, while more complicated enquiries are generally resolved within a few days. “The most difficult kind of call we receive is workers’ compensation because everyone has unique personal circumstances. We can give general advice from the Act, but we also refer members on to their organiser, to the union’s specialist officers or union lawyers in some cases when they need extra help,” says Laura. The most common calls relate to wages, annual leave, overtime, public holidays and giving notice of resignation. “We have all the Awards and union agreements on file and can access agreements lodged with Fair Work, so most people get an answer straight away. The Helpdesk also refers new members to organisers, who can follow up and help nonunionised workplaces get organised and begin bargaining for better wages and conditions on an AMWU collective agreement. Over 500 such referrals have been made in the five years. More than 3 000 members have used the Helpdesk – either by phone, website or email –

Dawn Comber and Laura Gregorace from the Helpdesk

to join the union in defence of their rights. The Helpdesk is open Monday to Thursday from 8:30am to 8pm eastern time and from 8.30 to 5pm on Fridays.

AMWU members can also check common questions or submit queries through the Helpdesk section of the website or email on help@amwu.asn.au ■

Don’t get caught using Income Protection instead of Workers’ Compensation I

f you are injured at work, the worst way to ruin your chance of recovery and your long-term job prospects is to claim income protection instead of workers’ compensation.

The AMWU’s income protection (IP) project officer, Tristan Adolphe, is sounding the warning after seeing too many cases where workers have a legitimate workplace injury, but decide to claim income protection thinking that a workers’ compensation claim will not look good on their work history. “The worst thing you can do is not report a workplace injury. While income protection will cover

your wages, it doesn’t guarantee cover for medical expenses or operations or any of the other help workers’ compensation legislation provides. That includes a return to work plan and protection from dismissal,” he says.

protection, but you shouldn’t.”

Tristan says it’s often the case that workers get to the end of their income protection cover and can’t return to work because they still have their injury.

2. Get medical advice/treatment from your

“It’s too late to make a workers’ compensation claim then. By claiming IP, you’ve admitted that you did the injury away from work so workers’ compensation won’t cover you. If it flares up again and you’ve got no IP left, it’s that much harder to prove it’s a new injury at work.”

compensation claim with your employer, call

“An employer might want you to claim income

the AMWU Helpdesk. ■

If you are injured at work: 1. Report the injury to your employer (you have up

to 30 days to do so) own doctor

3. Fill out all workers’ compensation forms and keep copies

4. Claim workers’ compensation before income

protection

5. If you have difficulties lodging your workers’

AMWUNEWS

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Economics with Nixon Apple

Wages should rise higher than the cost of living Too many employers are offering workers annual wage increases of 3% or less in the current round of enterprise bargaining. Any such offer if accepted will result in a reduction of real wages. As shown in the table below from data compiled by the Australian Bureau of Statistics, Australia’s inflation rate as measured by the consumer price index is currently increasing at an annual rate of 3.1% (12 months to June 2010). The table also shows that during periods of strong growth like the 2004-2007 resources boom, inflation tends to go even higher.

It’s always worth looking at what senior management at your company is paying itself while telling workers to accept 3% or less. In Australia, between 1990 and 2005, the average cash remuneration for a chief executive in a top 50 listed Australian company rose 564%.

continues to show that the average union collective agreement continues to provide wage increases in excess of 4% per annum. AMWU members have always sought wage increases above the cost of living to reflect a number of factors including economy wide and enterprise specific improvements in productivity or employers’ profitability. ABS data again suggests that in the manufacturing industry in particular, productivity is surging and better economic conditions are flowing through to profits.

Workers know that higher prices are squeezing the household budget. According to the ABS over the last 12 months, beer prices are up 6.1%, alcohol and tobacco up 8.7%, electricity prices up 18.2%, gas up 10.3%, water and sewerage charges up 14%, childcare up 5.5% and hospital and medical services up 6.7%. In addition, since 1998 the ABS does not include mortgage interest rates or consumer credit card charges in the CPI. For a worker with a 25 year 250 000 home loan, a 1% increase in mortgage interest rates costs an extra $37 a week. Given these facts, it’s not surprising that the Reserve Bank of Australia expects inflation to average around 3% per annum over the next two years. Nor is it surprising that the Federal Government’s database on enterprise bargaining

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Finally, it’s always worth looking at what senior management at your company is paying itself while telling workers to accept 3% or less. In Australia, between 1990 and 2005, the average cash remuneration for a chief executive in a top 50 listed Australian company rose 564%, while average weekly full time earnings for fitters, boiler makers and production workers increased by around 85%. So the next time an employer suggests that you settle for wage increases of 3% per annum or less, contact your AMWU organiser and get ready to negotiate a much better deal. ■

Dues for 2011 Schedule of Union Dues for 2011 per quarter Section (Including GST and Rounded)

Dues

GST

Total

Section A1 & Q1 - 1st Year Junior Apprentices

7.09

0.71

7.80

Section A2 & Q2 - 2nd Year Junior Apprentices

14.77

1.48

16.25

Section A3 & Q3 - 3rd Year Junior Apprentices

33.09

3.31

36.40

Section A4 & Q4 - 4th Year Junior Apprentices

66.77

6.68

73.45

Section B - Part-time & Casual (less than 20hrs per week) 53.18

5.32

58.50

Section C1 - 1st Year Adult Apprentices

33.09

3.31

36.40

Section C2 - 2nd Year Adult Apprentices

43.14

4.31

47.45

Section C3 - 3rd Year Adult Apprentices

58.50

5.85

64.35

Section C4 - 4th Year Adult Apprentices

68.55

6.85

75.40

Section G - Food and Confectionery

108.14

10.81

118.95

Section J - Juniors (under 21yrs)

49.05

4.90

53.95

Section M - Adults earning between $670 and $1280

121.73

12.17

133.90

Section N - Adults earning less than $670

104.00

10.40

114.40

Section P - Vehicle Division Adults

115.82

11.58

127.40

Section V2 - Vehicle Division Adults Lower Rate

114.64

11.46

126.10

Section Q - Vehicle Division Juniors

54.36

5.44

59.80

Section R - Vehicle Division Part-time or Casual

57.91

5.79

63.70

Section T - $1280 to $1925 per week

160.73

16.07

176.80

Section U - Over $1925 per week

236.95

23.70

260.65


NEWS

Let’s make Australia asbestos-free by AMWU National President, Paul Bastian

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espite decades of litigation and lobbying, Australia is still riddled with asbestos and it’s time our Federal Government stepped up to provide leadership on this public health issue.

Asbestos still lurks in the bathrooms, kitchens, roofs and garages of two out of every three Australian homes built between 1945 and 1980. Australia’s obsession with homerenovation is uncovering much of this asbestos and the danger is compounded by poor community awareness and different laws relating to safe asbestos handling and disposal in each state and territory. The other problem is that up until the late 1970s, nothing was written on asbestos to identify it, so you can’t necessarily tell if a material contains asbestos just by looking at it. The World Health Organisation states that there is no safe level of exposure to asbestos and the inhalation of asbestos fibres is known to cause mesothelioma, lung cancer, asbestosis and other respiratory diseases. Australia has the unenviable record of having the highest incidence of asbestos related diseases in the world and it’s estimated that up to 18 000 Australians are likely to die from mesothelioma by 2020. That’s why the AMWU, the Australian Council of Trade Unions and Cancer Council Australia convened a national summit in June to call for coordinated national action on asbestos removal. The summit was the beginning of what we hope will be a successful coalition involving unions, asbestos disease experts, regulatory bodies and asbestos support groups coming together to work towards making Australia asbestos-free by 2030. The aim of the summit was to call for the establishment of an independent national authority on asbestos to work across all jurisdictions.

Paul Bastian with Cancer Council Australia Chair, Professor Ian Olver, Asbestos victim Ray Colbert and Karen Banton, widow of asbestos activist Bernie Banton, at the Safe Asbestos Free Environment (SAFE) Summit

It’s estimated that asbestos is still present in more than one million Australian homes and many schools, public buildings and workplaces are still contaminated. Poor community awareness and a disjointed approach from national, state and local governments are two factors we need to address.

Royal Australian Navy.

The AMWU, the ACTU, the Cancer Council Australia and asbestos support groups are also calling for the removal of all asbestos from public and private buildings by 2030.

We need an education campaign to ensure there is not a third wave of victims exposed to asbestos in the home.

That may sound like a costly exercise, but the long-term cost of inaction is far greater. Sixty three year-old Queenslander Ray Colbert is someone who knows just how costly exposure to asbestos can be. Ray worked with asbestos for nine years while he was in the

He now suffers from asbestosis, is wheelchair bound and can only breathe with the help of a respirator. Ray is part of the second wave of asbestos victims who were exposed to the product through work.

The AMWU and ACTU are calling on the Federal Government to establish a National Asbestos Authority to act as an information hub and coordinate this asbestos removal and education. We need to help the public identify what products were made containing asbestos and ensure there is a role for local government in asbestos removal. A first step in this process would

The AMWU, the ACTU, the Cancer Council Australia and asbestos support groups are also calling for the removal of all asbestos from public and private buildings by 2030.

be to introduce asbestos safety certificates on the sale of any property or commercial dwelling. This would enable vendors to identify if there is asbestos, where it’s located, what condition it’s in and how it can be removed. The public health challenges posed by this asbestos time-bomb are great and we need supportive public policy to prevent further suffering and disease. ■ AMWUNEWS

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PROFILE Graham Murray NRG Gladstone

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’ve been the delegate here at NRG for five years. I’ve been on site since 1995 and when the last delegate retired, I thought I’d give it a go.

I joined the union as an apprentice at the Boyne Smelter, before they went to individual or personal contracts. I was only there for one year as a tradesman before the contracts came in and I saw the damage they did to the whole community and to morale on the job. I never wanted to have a personal contract

ESSENTIAL CONTACTS

NSW Branch Location: Level 1, 133 Parramatta Road, Granville Postal: PO Box 167, Granville, NSW 2142 . ....................................................(02) 9897 4200 Albury/Wodonga ............................................ (02) 6024 1099 Newcastle ....................................................... (02) 4954 3215 Western Region .............................................. (02) 6337 7162 Wollongong .................................................... (02) 4229 7611 VIC Branch 1st Floor, 251 Queensberry St, Carlton South, VIC 3053 . .......................................................(03) 9230 5700 Albury/Wodonga............................................. (02) 6024 1099 AMWUNEWS

right conditions and the wages follow.

The decay in morale and conditions when the personal contracts came in was the big thing. I really believe that conditions are more important than wages – if we get the right conditions, then the wages will follow. I’d rather a place where I like to work. A lot of workplaces in Gladstone pay good wages but people hate the conditions they’re working in every day. What the union pushes for is the

You can hold your head high if you’re part of the union, because you’re contributing to the community and helping to raise standards. Education is a key part of being a delegate and keeping the union strong. The AMWU course that I did up at Rockhampton was great, because what I learnt there I’m able to pass on to the members and keep our site up to date with the issues. The courses are very valuable. ■

www.amwu.org.au email amwu@amwu.asn.au

AMWU National Office Location: Level 4,133 Parramatta Road, Granville Postal: PO Box 160, Granville, NSW 2142........................................................(02) 8868 1500 2nd Floor, 251 Queensberry St, Carlton South, VIC 3053 . .......................................................(03) 9230 5700

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so that’s why I’ve always been really strong for the union.

Ballarat ............................................................ (03) 5332 2910 Bendigo . ......................................................... (03) 5442 5101 Dandenong .....................................................(03) 9701 3044 Geelong . .........................................................(03) 5229 9358 Latrobe ............................................................ (03) 5134 3306 Portland ..........................................................(03) 5523 2525 Shepparton ..................................................... (03) 5822 2510

Whyalla ........................................................... (08) 8645 7115 WA Branch 121 Royal Street, East Perth, WA 6004..........................................................(08) 9223 0800 Bunbury ..........................................................(08) 9721 7933 Henderson....................................................... (08) 9410 1400

QLD Branch Location: 366 Upper Roma Street, Brisbane Postal: PO Box 13006 George Street, QLD 4003.........................................................(07) 3236 2550 Gladstone . ...................................................... (07) 4972 5319 Mackay . ..........................................................(07) 4953 0550 Rockhampton . ................................................ (07) 4927 1487 Townsville .......................................................(07) 4771 5960

ACT Office Canberra ..........................................................(02) 6273 2412

SA Branch 1st Floor 229 Greenhill Road, Dulwich, SA 5065 ..........................................................(08) 8366 5800

NT Office 1st Floor, 38 Woods Street, Darwin NT 0800............................................................(08) 8941 1511

TAS Branch 28 Station Street, Moonah, TAS 7009 ........................................................(03) 6228 7099 Devonport ....................................................... (03) 6424 7177


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