Defending CFMEU and the broader union movement against unprecedented Government overreach
23 August 2024
Dear comrades,
I am writing on behalf of the Central Committee of our Party at what is a watershed moment in the history of the labour movement of this country. There have been many adverse developments in the struggle for workers’ rights in recent times and they were said to be a calamity from which we might never recover. A relevant example would be the de-registrations of the Builders Labourers’ Federation in previous decades. The spirit of resistance of workers disproved those predictions with the rise of a well-organised and militant Construction and General Division of the CFMEU but there are a number of features of the current attack on that union that confirm that this is a qualitatively different and far more consequential development.
As noted in the pages of the Militant Worker from its inception, legal, democratic, civil and human rights have been eroded in recent decades with the excuse that the measures were necessary to combat terrorism, illegal motorcycle gang violence, and so on. People have fewer protections under the law than they previously had. Workers have become accustomed to this new reality. Some on the ‘left’ don’t consider these rights important because they are established under ‘bourgeois law’. There is a grain of truth in this attitude but it is a luxury and dangerous at this time.
The latest moves from the federal government, with the assistance of state governments, to place the CFMEU under hostile administration is a deadly and devious plan. Already, reactionary forces are talking openly of pursuing this tactic against any union daring to show commitment to the interests of their members. A de-registration might not have played out so smoothly for these forces so this tactic of ‘administration’ has been adopted. No Royal Commission where the role of employers might accidentally come under the spotlight, no waiting for the result of criminal proceedings containing the same danger – just the mass sacking of 270 officials of the union and banishment for them without the right to their day in court or to even hear the accusations against them.
It is worth looking back at the effect of the Cole Royal Commission into the Building and Construction Industry in 2001 to 2003 and the Royal Commission into Trade Union Governance and Corruption in 2014 to 2015. The first-mentioned inquiry did not result in the brace of prosecutions of CFMEU officials and organisers that was expected by reactionaries and their spokespersons in the media. In fact there were none. The second inquiry did end up with court proceedings against corrupt and opportunist elements, particularly in the Health Services Union. We should not be surprised that such people insinuate themselves into leading positions in trade unions in the current political environment. The struggle against them must be waged by all workers committed to the well-being and effectiveness of their unions.
The lack of respect of governments for their own, limited legality in the present situation is breathtaking. We are faced with an attack on our unions unprecedented in its seriousness. Put simply, we need to drop everything to deal with this crisis. Preparation of our response is made difficult by the constraints placed on the CFMEU and the usual opportunism of groups seeking to ride this issue for their own ends. We need to contribute what we can in the most selfless spirit possible. The only consideration is how best to defend our trade unions.
The next few weeks must be ones of intense activity on these questions by all workers. All possible initiatives must be tried – from the simplest petition, letter to the editor or visit to the electorate office office of your local member to the more ambitious collective actions. The important thing to remember is that our response to this outrage can’t wait.
In socialism,
Bob Briton
General Secretary
Australian Communist Party