2007 Biennial Australian Workers' Union National Conference

AWU National President and Queensland Branch Secretary Bill Ludwig opened the National Conference with this address.

Welcome delegates to the Australian Workers' Union National Conference 2007.

Delegates, as we all know these are not easy times to be a unionist.

Working conditions and the rights of ordinary Australians are under attack. Workers entitlements have been reduced to just 5 basic conditions. Nothing else is guaranteed.

It has not been since the Shearers' Strike of 1891 that we have had to operate in such a hostile industrial relations environment.

Today, we need to ask ourselves a simple question-are we strong enough to withstand these challenges?

Are we worthy successors of those shearers who were prepared to face jail in order to secure better wages and conditions through collective action? Or will we allow all that has been achieved since the early days of our union to be squandered and trampled into the dust?

When I look at the faces in this room I can clearly see that everyone here is committed to joining in, and winning, this fight.

Similarly, out in the workplace we are seeing AWU members standing together against these regressive, unfair IR laws.

At Viking Shipyards in far north Queensland last year the workers banded together to reject individual contracts being offered by management. Instead they held out for a collective union agreement that delivered higher wage increases.

During 2006 we also saw AWU Members at Masonic Care in Queensland negotiate a state-wide agreement with wage increases of 13.5% over 3 years. Not only did the union manage to protect all existing conditions but we were able to make significant improvements. These included increasing weekend penalty rates. Membership had continued to increase at these sites despite the introduction of the Howard Government's IR laws.

However these wins are not enough on their own. Just as those shearers made the decision to form the Australian Labor Party under the boughs of the Tree of Knowledge in Barcaldine all those years ago we need to take the fight from the workplace to the ballot box.

Not only is it important that we support The Your Rights at Work campaign in the lead-up to the federal election. We also need to send committed unionists to parliament to ensure that our members obtain the representation that they deserve.

Here with us today is the AWU National Secretary Bill Shorten and Queensland Branch Senior Industrial Advocate Yvette D'Ath. These people are both running as federal Labor candidates this year and both will be strong representatives of workers interests in Canberra.

Delegates, it is important that we are completely honest with ourselves in this fight ahead. It will be tough. John Howard and his henchman are nothing if not cunning. We will see them dangle many an empty promise in front of the eyes of the Australian electorate in the lead-up to the polls. But make no mistake-if the Howard Government gets another term in office they will have a mandate to implement workplace changes that further compromises working conditions for Australians.

Therefore, delegates if we hope to restore our industrial relations system to one based on fairness and collectivism, then we must ensure our efforts in installing a federal Labor government are disciplined and focussed. This is not a fight we can afford to lose.

When you visit your workplaces and go out in the community you need to be on message-the Australian Labor Party is the only political party committed to eradicating these IR laws. Labor is the only political party that has maintained an ongoing commitment to ensuring collective bargaining in the workplace and delivering fair wages and conditions. We also must encourage workers to be properly enrolled to vote so that they can have a say at this election. This could be the difference between Labor winning and losing government.

Be assured that the only relief to working Australians will come when this miserable government is removed from office. Only two things can adequately stand up for Australian workers-a strong union movement and a federal Labor government. Just as the shearers in Barcaldine did back in 1891, in standing together we can triumph.