ACTU: Dave Oliver and Ged Kearney re-elected

ACTU Secretary Dave Oliver and President Ged Kearney have been re-elected unopposed at the union movement’s Congress in Melbourne today.

Mr Oliver pledged to strengthen the ACTU’s capacity to campaign on the issues that affect Australian workers.

This includes stopping the Abbott Government’s agenda to undermine workers’ rights and living standards via:

• The Productivity Commission review into workplace relations, which puts all workplace rights, penalty rates and the minimum wage up for grabs.
• The Fair Work Amendment Bill that seeks to take away protections around individual contracts, gives an employer veto over industrial action and makes it harder for workers to be represented by their union at work.
• Freezing increases to the Superannuation Guarantee that will see a 25-year-old on average earnings, over their working life, have $100,000 less when they retire.

ACTU President Ged Kearney and ACTU Assistant Secretary Michael Borowick were also re-elected unopposed.

Scott Connolly from the Transport Workers Union was elected as a new Assistant Secretary.

Quotes attributable to ACTU Secretary Dave Oliver:

“The union movement is at its strongest when we stand together and campaign on issues that affect working Australians.

“Whether it’s the business lobby trying to cut penalty rates or the Abbott Government trying to take away rights at work – unions will not stand by while the living standards of millions of Australians are under attack.

“There is a passion across the union movement to ensure that the rights we have fought so hard for are protected.”

Quotes attributable to ACTU President Ged Kearney:

“I look forward to working with Dave for another three years to advance the union movement’s agenda to help improve the living standards of Australian workers.

“As a movement, we are at our best when we and united as one.”