Pressure Builds on Freeloaders

Date: 01 March 2002

The Queensland branch of the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union (AMWU-Queensland) today threw its support behind efforts to change the Queensland and federal platforms of the Australian Labor Party in regard to union service fees for non-unionists.

The proposed platform changes would commit ALP governments to legislative change that eliminates the injustice of non-unionists benefiting, through improved wages and conditions, free-of-charge from the efforts of unionists.

AMWU-Queensland secretary, David Harrison, said AMWU members want this injustice stopped and giving unions the right to charge service fees is well and truly an idea that's time has come.

"To this end I will be sponsoring a meeting in the next few weeks of unions that are affiliated to both the Queensland Council of Unions (QCU) and the ALP to discuss changes to the ALP platforms at the next Queensland and federal conferences of the party," Mr Harrison said.

AMWU members, around the country, have been vigorously pursuing the inclusion of bargaining agents fees in enterprise agreements for the last eighteen months. The concept was adopted as AMWU policy at its 2000 national conference.

Today's announcement by AMWU-Queensland follows last Friday's decision by the State executive of the Australian Services Union Queensland Services Branch (ASU-Services) to seek similar changes to the Queensland and federal ALP platforms and yesterday's decision by the QCU executive to run a political and industrial campaign over the issue.

As well as being AMWU-Queensland secretary, Mr Harrison is also president of the QCU.

"It is time for the ALP to take a stand against this type of freeloading in the workplace. It is a serious injustice for non-unionists to sit back and enjoy, free of charge, the industrial outcomes achieved by their work colleagues who are in the union," Mr Harrison said.

"In fact, AMWU members agree this is nothing but freeloading and they are increasingly annoyed that current laws prevent us from doing anything about it.

"That's why we now need to take this from the industrial relations arena into the political arena. Recent industrial commission and court decisions indicate that we need legislative change at a State and federal level and that's what AMWU members want achieved.

"In recent years politicians in all parties have been fond of lecturing working people about the need for user pays and mutual obligation policies. Well working people, who accept their social obligations and take a communal interest in workplace issues by joining the union, think it is time these ideas were applied to those people who sit back and take all workplace improvements won by unionists, but don't contribute a cent.

"And if there is any political party in Australia that should be listening to their concerns in this regard it is the ALP, which they have also supported over the years with their hard earned money," Mr Harrison said.

The next Queensland ALP conference is scheduled for June 2002. The next federal conference of the ALP is due in July 2003.

For further information

Contact:	John Moran
Union:	Labor Council of NSW
Phone:	07-3366 9010
Contact Mobile:	0410-603 278

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