On 1 November 2018, sixty retired unions attended the launch of Vintage Reds at the Queensland of Unions building where Ros Mclennan, QCU General Secretary, spoke about the Change the Rules Campaign and how retired unionists can be involved.
Uncle Bob Anderson delivered a welcome to country of the Jagerra and Turrubul First Nations peoples and spoke about his life-long commitment to the trade union movement as a member and then an official of the BWIU.
Ros spoke about all the ways the industrial relations is broken for working people:
- 40% of workers in insecure work
- Penalty rates cut twice for retail, hospitality, and pharmacy workers
- Restrictions on unions’ right to enter workplaces to check safety
The campaign vision is to increase union power, end insecure work, insist on people being put before profits, secure long overdue wage increases – even the Reserve Bank agrees – and regain the right for workers to withdraw their labour.
As Sally McManus said on her first day in the job as ACTU Secretary, bad laws deserve to be broken. The tide is turning as Ros said, quoting a recent report in the Brisbane Times, unions in QLD are thriving with 11848 new members in the last year, bring the total membership to 237,945 – a 4% rise. Ros also reported that as the campaign’s momentum to win pay rises takes hold, there are massive levels of union activity.
Vintage Reds is active in the Change the Rules campaign, so if you're the Brisbane area, get in contact and get involved!
