With less than two weeks to the federal election, AMWU members are campaigning for the protection of workers entitlements, rights at work and investment in manufacturing jobs.
In Launceston, Tasmania this week, AMWU National Secretary, Dave Oliver joined ACTU Secretary Jeff Lawrence and workers from ACL Bearings who lost their entitlements when their company collapsed 12 months ago.
AMWU members Phil Summers and Jeff Burton welcomed Labor’s policy to protect workers entitlements, and also said that WorkChoices was the single biggest reason to stop Tony Abbott from being elected on August 21.
“Why should you have to work your whole life only to be ripped off?”, said Jeff Burton.
Phil Summers said that he was glad that Labor had promised to introduce laws that would protect workers entitlements in the future.
“I’m happy that there will be laws that are there to protect other workers and future generations from having to go through what we went through,” he said.
AMWU National Secretary, Dave Oliver said that Labor must be re-elected so that the ‘Fair Entitlements Guarantee’ could become law.
“After 20 years of campaigning, now only one man stands between us and protecting workers entitlements, and that man is Tony Abbott.”
Dave Oliver also took this message to workshops in Perth this week, where it was revealed that the WA State Liberal Government had been conspiring with the federal coalition to re-introduce parts of WorkChoices.
Mr Oliver also said that it was clear Mr Abbott wanted to re-introduce parts of WorkChoices, after he said he couldn’t give an absolute guarantee on what he would do with every aspect of workplace relations.
AMWU National President Paul Bastian and ACTU President Ged Kearney spoke to workers at FMP in Ballarat on Thursday.
All across Australia, AMWU delegates and officials are holding meetings and campaigning to make sure all workers know about the coalitions workplace policies and the Labor Party's Federal Entitlements Guarantee.
The AMWU has set up a federal election resources page, with information to help delegates and activists conduct meetings in the days leading up to the poll.
Click here to visit our Election Campaign Resources web page.