Sally McManus, head of Australia’s union apparatus, is incapable of speaking directly to even a few dozen workers because she represents a bureaucracy that has nothing to offer but sell-outs and defeats.
The Australian Council of Trade Unions is coordinating the campaign against the industrial relations omnibus bill, with a campaign, “For the Workers”, asking the government to recognise the “heroes of the pandemic”.
Unions are already reporting they have seen the most significant increase in their membership since the early days of the pandemic, as fears over work insecurity drive workers’ decision making.
Labor has warned the provision could result in cuts of up to of $11,000 for frontline workers due to loss of shift and overtime penalties. Porter claims such cuts would “never happen” because workers would not agree and the commission would not register an agreement against the national interest.