Journal - Rail, Tram and Bus Union

TALKING PICTURES
Quarter Of A
Million Reasons
To Roll Howard
Rail, tram and bus workers joined 250,000 people in capital cities and regional centres around Australia at
the ACTU’s third national protest against the Howard government’s IR legislation, on November 30.
RTBU flags, banners and t-shirt were prominent from
Townsville to Hobart, and Perth to Newcastle, as Aussies
launched another display of mass defiance to workplace laws that
threaten job security and living standards.
They listened to local speakers and watched the Sky broadcast
from Melbourne’s MCG that featured ACTU Secretary Greg
Combet, singer Jimmy Barnes and comedians Corinne Grant and
Dave Hughes.
Attendance figures embarrassed Coalition polititians who tried
to write the day off as a fizzer.
In NSW about 150,000 people attended 200 venues across the
state, in Queensland around 15,000 flocked to the centre of the city,
and in South Australia 30,000 hit the streets of Adelaide in blistering
temperatures.
In Victoria, more than 50,000 attended the Melbourne Cricket
Ground where former Labour leader Kim Beazley promised an
ALP government would rip up the WorkChoices legislation.
“You and the Labor Party stand as one. We believe in fairness, that
everyone should be treated decently, with respect,” Beazley said.
“Now that the High Court has said it can’t stop John Howard’s
IR laws, the issues are clear. The only way to get rid of these
extreme laws is to throw Howard out.“
That line was repeated by speakers across the continent.
Asbestos campaigner Bernie Banton told demonstrators
James Hardie would have got away with its multi-billion dollar
compensation rort under WorkChoices.
“We would not have been able to have stood here today with
victory at our grasp because these new IR laws forbid the unions
from supporting us,” he said.
Retail worker Annette Harris opened the rally by telling the
crowd her permanent part-time job was switched to a casual
position without penalty rates and holiday loading.
“John Howard used to be my hero,” she said.
“ I’d always voted for him but his new laws have changed
that.”
Unions NSW secretary, John Robertson, told the Sydney
rally that rank and file committees were already working in
every marginal seat in the state for the overthrow of Howard
Government.
He flagged that while the next federal election would be
decisive unions wouldn’t be sitting on their hands. Unions NSW
is already planning a major rally for a Sunday, next April, at
which it hopes to get 100,000 people.
14 | Australian Rail Tram and Bus Worker December 2006