Which Labor Prez backs unions?

Date: 01 October 2003

All eleven candidates running for the top job in the ALP have been asked to put their hands up to back working people and their right to have strong and powerful unions.

The candidates contesting the ALP National President elections have received a questionnaire from one of Australia's biggest unions, the 130,000 member LHMU.

" We've asked them to outline their plans to improve and strengthen the relationship between the industrial and political wings of the labour movement," Jeff Lawrence, the LHMU National Secretary, said.

" We are keen to tell our union activists, who have a vote in the Labor Party ballot as rank-and-filers, what the union values and attitudes are of each candidate.

" We hope that this questionnaire will inform the way our members vote in the ballot," LHMU National Secretary, Jeff Lawrence, said.

The ballot for the election opens today and closes on November 1 The new President will chair the next National Conference of the ALP in January.

" Our union is eager to see an ALP President elected who is prepared to work with the union movement to maintain and grow unions as the force for social justice in the workplace. Our Fair Go Australian traditions will only be maintained if working people have a strong voice in the workplace," Jeff Lawrence said.

" We also want to ensure that we have a Party President who will look to create new opportunities for working people to have a strong voice inside the party structures.

" The answers to the six-part questionnaire will be published on the union website in a few weeks. Already some of the candidates have responded to these questions."

The questions sent to the candidates are:

1. Do you currently belong to a union? If so which one

2. Can you provide one or more examples of your history of activism within the union movement - or support for working people in their day-to-day workplace struggles?

3. Please outline your views about what should be the role of the union movement in a modern Australian Labor Party?

4. What do you think your contribution could be, as ALP President, to helping the union movement grow in this country?

5. What do you think your contribution could be, as ALP President, to finding new and innovative ways for union members to participate in local ALP activity and the broader ALP processes?

6. The union movement at the last ACTU Congress adopted five common priority objectives for the next three years (outlined below). As ALP President what proposals could you put forward to help unions to implement this agenda?

- The right for employees to collectively bargain and to be represented by a union;

- Improved rights and portability of entitlements for casual and labour hire workers, including the right to permanent employment for long term casuals, and a code to regulate contracting and labour hire;

- Improved minimum wages through the national and state wage cases;

- Win better work and family rights, including paid maternity leave;

- Improved right of entry and empowering union delegates with specific rights at work and through education and training

The LHMU proudly represents around 130,000 hard working women and men throughout Australia

For further comment:

Jeff Lawrence, LHMU National Secretary, 028204 7200 or 0425 242 724

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