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N O R T H W E S T R E P O R T<br />
with Brad Upton<br />
AWU needs to join<br />
our fight for better<br />
outcomes<br />
Workers want more<br />
achieved by ALL unions<br />
working together!<br />
T h e<br />
GORGON<br />
agreement is<br />
delivering the best<br />
wages in Australia.<br />
But even the best can be<br />
improved. Workers must unite for<br />
better outcomes for their industry, take<br />
ownership of the struggle, attend meetings, show<br />
strength and give financial support to the cause – join your<br />
Union.<br />
The most important relationship a worker can have, to<br />
support the working class struggle, is to be financial, pay<br />
their union dues and spread the word in their workplace<br />
about the importance of joining their Union.<br />
We must educate all our workmates, and for that matter the<br />
AWU, not to fall into the right wing employers and clients<br />
trap – to de-unionise, encouragement greedy outcomes,<br />
which will eventually lead to lower wages and conditions.<br />
Principle based, Unionised workers have traditionally fought<br />
hard, lost many weeks of wages on strikes, to achieve the<br />
current wages and conditions enjoyed by your industry.<br />
New and old workers to the construction industry should<br />
respect what was handed to them through past struggles.<br />
We need to protect and improve conditions for future<br />
generations – our family, sons and daughters, who may<br />
choose to follow our footsteps and earn a living from the<br />
construction industry.<br />
One major <strong>issue</strong> is, that as individuals you are being<br />
encouraged to sell out future generations of<br />
construction workers’ rights not to be forced to<br />
share accommodation. This is happening by offering<br />
big money, relying on people’s greed, with no protection to<br />
existing workers’ rights, future workers’ rights, not to motel<br />
or share accommodation.<br />
In this modern era of communications such as email,<br />
internet and Skype, workers, loved ones and families rightly<br />
expect employers to provide effective communications.<br />
Communications with their loved ones and families that<br />
take place in private. Why is this not happening? Big<br />
businesses and corporate greed!! When bigwigs travel<br />
accommodation is in top notch hotels and restaurants, with<br />
absolutely the best communications available for them!<br />
Another major <strong>issue</strong> is rosters for the workers. Workers who<br />
actually create the wealth – without your hands and skills<br />
there would be no projects built at all! I would like to see<br />
them out in 40 degree plus heat, building these projects. We<br />
would be lucky to see them finished in the year 2040. In<br />
actual fact, they would never be completed, the first<br />
cyclone through would blow them down. The employers<br />
need to show respect to our family and loved ones left at<br />
home. For us, that is all that’s on our minds! To allow us to<br />
perform efficiently, our mental and emotional state of mind<br />
is extremely important. Effective time off with those<br />
important to us is absolutely essential for this outcome to be<br />
achieved.<br />
Don't know about you, but when I say to my loved ones,<br />
sorry I’ve got to go away to earn a dollar and I’m going to<br />
be working a 26-on, 9-off roster, they totally expect that the<br />
days off are fully, entirely the whole day at home with them,<br />
including an entire weekend at home (no travelling<br />
Saturdays or Sundays). I know from phone calls, emails,<br />
direct discussion that you want this too! MAJOR, MAJOR<br />
ISSUE!!!<br />
continued overleaf<br />
Construction Worker – <strong>Autumn</strong> 2013 Page 37<br />
CFMEU
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