Monday, February 27, 2012

ACTU: Unite against Abbott threat

27 February, 2012 | ACTU Media Release
The leadership of the Federal Labor Party has now been settled, and the Government must urgently focus on an agenda to improve the lives of all Australians, united against the real threat to workers’ rights and the economy of a Tony Abbott government.

ACTU President Ged Kearney said the leadership debate had been a harmful distraction from the real task of securing and creating jobs and managing the economy in the interests of all Australians.

She said today’s ballot was decisive and all Labor MPs must unite behind the Prime Minister to concentrate on the real issues that working Australians and their families care about.

“Australians care about real issues facing our nation right now, such as having access to reliable jobs, with good and secure wages and conditions, and managing the economy through the challenges it faces,” Ms Kearney said.

“These issues are what unions are focused on and what the Government must focus on too, through ensuring better conditions for the 40% of Australian workers who do not have secure work, making sure the benefits of the mining booms are spread equitably and not just taken out of Australia through super profits, increasing superannuation for working people to 12%, a national disability insurance scheme, and improving the delivery of health, education, and other important services.

“Labor needs to keep the rights of workers to a decent wage and fair conditions front and centre when it makes policy.

“The Government and its MPs must now knuckle down to do the job they were elected to do.”

ACTU Secretary Jeff Lawrence said the Labor Government had achieved much, including returning the rights at work which had been taken away by WorkChoices, navigating Australia’s economy safely through the Global Financial Crisis, funding Australia’s first paid maternity leave scheme, supporting manufacturing, delivering pay equity for workers in the social and community sector, tackling climate change and building the National Broadband Network.

“Australians chose to elect a Labor Government because they want a government that will stand up to business interests that are not in the national interest or who take an anti-worker line.

“Australian unions will work with the Government to deliver an agenda for working people and their families, and it is now time for Labor MPs to put aside any divisions and focus on the task at hand,” Mr Lawrence said.

“All Labor MPs should focus on the main game by getting out to their electorates to explain the government's agenda and work hard to deliver it. The alternative is a Tony Abbott-led Coalition government that would wreck this progress and is hankering to return Australia to the dark days of WorkChoices-style laws that take away workers’ rights.”

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