ACTU Congress celebrates wins, galvanises unions for fights ahead
IEU General Secretary David Brear has hailed the 2024 Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) Congress as “brilliantly organised and inspirational”.
“ACTU Congress provided a fantastic opportunity for the IEU to talk about our struggles and wins as a union and to learn from others, particularly around how unions are using some of the new hard won workplace rights we all campaigned for,” Brear said.
The Congress, held at the Adelaide Convention Centre, on 4th, 5th and 6th June, was the first such event held in person since 2018. Held every three years, the ACTU Congress is the major decision-making body of the Australian union movement, where over 1000 delegates attend, representing more than 38 affiliated unions and nearly 1.8 million workers.
Part of the Congress gathering, including Secretary Sally McManus and President Michele O’Neil, front right.
Gender relevant
IEU Deputy General Secretary Kylie Busk said, “As a Union Woman I was excited to be part of the first ACTU Congress with majority representation of women at 53%”.
“This is consistent with the percentage of women members in unions across Australia. The ‘average’ unionist in Australia looks something like me – a woman aged 45 years-old plus from the education, health or community sector. With the IEU being a female-dominated union the progress being made by the union movement to be more representative of us and having a gender focus to workplace issues is significant.”
Kylie was also inspired by the workers who shared their stories at the Congress, including IEU NSW Early Childhood Delegate Janene.
“Their wins were so motivating and reminded us that people working together build a better world”.
Federal Independent Education Union secretary Brad Hayes told the congress new multi-employer bargaining laws had freed up resources for our unions to recruit “free riders” – non-members on union agreements.
“We’ve been knocking out the union agreements now for almost 30 years, and we’re seeing diminishing returns – that membership spike that we saw in early agreements is getting smaller and smaller,” he said.
“Now we can free up single-site resources to focus on thousands of free riders that continue to benefit from our agreements.”
The ACTU leadership team of President Michele O’Neil, Secretary Sally McManus, Assistant Secretary Liam O’Brien and Assistant Secretary Joseph Mitchell were re-elected unopposed.
They issued a statement in which they said, “Working people are facing cost-of-living pressures and unprecedented technological change – it’s important now more than ever to campaign for higher wages, better conditions and safer workplaces”.
Images courtesy ASU, RBTU, QTU, Vanessa Badham, MEAA, Steve Murphy/Facebook.
Major policies of the ACTU Congress
A resolution on youth wages was passed unanimously by the Congress, as the Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees' Association (SDA) and the ACTU launched an application in the Fair Work Commission calling for the abolition of junior pay rates for more than half a million 18- to 20-year-olds working across the fast food, pharmacy and retail sectors.
“Young people don’t get discounts on their rent or youth grocery bills, so why should they get youth wages?” Ms McManus said.
Unions will also campaign for the Albanese government to set “strong” emissions reduction targets for 2035 and give unions a seat at the table on investment for clean energy projects as part of a just transition for workers.
Former Fair Work Commission president – and ex-ACTU assistant secretary – Iain Ross told the congress about his new role as head of the government’s Net Zero Economic Authority, set up to oversee a “just transition” for workers requiring new jobs because of climate change policies.
Australian Manufacturing Workers Union national secretary Steve Murphy said to ensure a just transition the government needed union input.
“We need to make sure that we’ve got a voice at the table because we’ve learned over many, many decades, if you’re not at the table, you can be sure that you’re going to be on the menu,” he said.
He called for a code to ensure green energy jobs were “decent, safe jobs” and that labour was “respected and valued”, and a green manufacturing competitiveness council so workers had a say on where jobs would be created and what conditions they would provide.
The Congress endorsed a campaign to win ten days of paid reproductive leave so that workers can take time to address a range of reproductive health issues. The ACTU is calling for the expansion of the National Employment Standards to provide access to 10 days paid leave to help workers manage fertility treatment, pregnancy, breastfeeding, menstruation, breast and prostate screening, post-vasectomy recovery and issues related to perimenopause and menopause. Unions are also looking to expand the rights to flexible work arrangements to include reproductive health issues.
The Queensland Government has already agreed to 10 days reproductive leave for all its public servants and entitlements to reproductive leave have also been won by workers through bargaining in industries such as healthcare, finance, education and the community sector.
The final word
Ms McManus urged unionists to build on winning a sweep of major workplace reforms, including multi-employer bargaining, delegate rights, same pay for labour hire and gig economy regulation.
“Australians depend on the trade union movement for their living standards. But let’s face it, 15 per cent cannot carry 100 per cent.
“We must redouble our organising efforts now we have an environment that is more favourable than we have had for decades.”