ACTU mass strike plan: unions want 250,000 at ‘political’ action

A planned mass strike by the ACTU during the federal election will put workers at risk of massive fines, employers warn.

Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) Secretary Sally McManus.

Unions will hold nationwide anti-Coalition protests during the federal election campaign, with more than 250,000 workers expected to walk off the job on April 10.

A meeting of the ACTU executive in Melbourne today passed a resolution calling on workers to join the capital city protests next month.

ACTU secretary Sally McManus insisted the protests were political and not designed to impact on employers whose businesses will be affected by the mass walkouts.

“The ACTU calls on working people to stand up for the fair go, for fair wage rises and better job security, by participating in national political protests on the 10th of April 2019,’’ the resolution, seen by The Australian, says.

“If we do not stand up for the fair go and demand political parties take action to turn around inequality, we will see the Americanisation of our society.

“This is not something Australian unions are prepared to accept.’’

Australian Industry Group chief executive Innes Willox. Picture: Kym Smith

Planned strike ‘illegal’

Employers condemned the rallies, accusing the ACTU of exposing workers to hefty financial penalties for unlawful industrial action.

Australian Industry Group chief executive Innes Willox attacked the union movement for engaging in class rhetoric, calling on Labor and the Coalition to reject the union tactics.

“The rallies will be bad for investment and bad for jobs,’’ Mr Willox said.

‘They are not in the short or long term interests of workers, businesses or the broader community.’’

“Employees who stop work to attend the rallies could face hefty penalties for unlawful industrial action, and it is unfair for the ACTU to expose workers to these consequences.’’

He said only successful businesses could offer superior wages and conditions, and genuine job security.

“The ACTU’s rallies and its class-war rhetoric needs to be decisively rejected by all political parties,” he said.

“Australian workplaces have moved on from the strike-plagued 1960s and 70s. The retrograde approach of the ACTU has no place in modern workplaces.’’

‘An income recession’

The union resolution condemns the Morrison government for policies which have seen workers “suffer the largest declines in living standards in decades while the wealth of billionaires continues to soar’’.

It also criticises the government “for its refusal to even acknowledge that Australia is in an income recession’’.

“The policies and actions of the successive Abbott, Turnbull and Morrison led Liberal/Coalition governments are responsible for creating this insecure work and low wage crisis.’’

ACTU secretary Sally McManus will announce the rallies at a media conference scheduled for 12.30pm today.

The Australian Building and Construction Commission has six investigations into workers who joined ACTU rallies last year.

About 150 Lendlease workers could be prosecuted and hit with penalties of up to $42,000 for stopping work to attend an ACTU rally in Sydney after the ABCC used special powers to force the company to hand over the private addresses of employees.