It’s difficult to be a union activist in the current climate. I’ve only got experience to talk about my very limited time with the union I currently work for, but, upon reflection, I imagine that it’s never an easy time to be a union activist. Even in periods when there is a Labor government in power, when one might think that it would be simpler to gain workers’ pay and conditions increases, I know that the work of a union organiser is not as straightforward as one might hope. After all, it was the Labor government that gave us the Fair Work Commission – and with it some of the most restrictive labour laws in the world.
The challenge is amplified whenever there is a royal commission into unions – and there have been a few in the last couple of decades. Of course, these commissions get a few scalps and the usual journos shout from the rooftops that this is a clear indication that unions are fundamentally corrupt and we should destroy them. Strangely enough, the same journalists aren’t quite as vocal when ICAC finds that members of the Liberal party acted inappropriately – surely, by that standard, we should have de-registered the party a long time ago (and, to be fair, probably the Labor party, too).
Taking that as a starting context, then, one might begin to imagine the challenges faced by union officials negotiating a new enterprise agreement. This was the first real campaign that I’ve been involved in – both as an organiser and as part of the workforce represented by the union when I was still in the industry last year – and it’s dragged on for more than 18 months. What have I learnt?
1. It’s all about momentum – you have to have the initiative. You have to be taking the steps forward.
2. Coverage counts – in the news, in social media, in the press. You have to craft a narrative that resonates both with your members but with the wider public.
3. Density matters – if you can’t count on the support of the membership – and that membership is high, you’re going to struggle.
4. It’s about winning the peace, as well as the war – regardless of the outcome, you have to be able to present the new EA to your members in such a way that they can understand what they have gained and why that’s as good thing.