Unions launch advertising blitz   

7 October 2018
Sydney Morning Herald
 

The peak body for Australian unions has unleashed a new advertising campaign as it ramps up efforts to unseat the Morrison government.   

Launching today across television and radio, the ACTU campaign appeals to workers' concerns about CEO pay and stagnant wage growth, with the tagline: "We're all getting ripped off.  Let's stand together, and get things changed."

ACTU secretary Sally McManus will launch a new advertising campaign on Sunday.

It comes as Opposition Leader Bill Shorten heads to western Sydney on Sunday to deliver a pre-election pitch in Labor heartland which will place "standing up for workers" at the heart of a five-point "blueprint" to win over voters.

The "fair go action plan" - a slightly wordier version of Tony Abbott's 2010 slogan pitch - includes school and hospital spending, investing in cleaner energy and "easing pressure on family budgets".

The ACTU is demanding Mr Shorten also allow unions to bargain for pay across industries. It will use adverts to promote a string of rallies across the nation, beginning with what organisers are billing as their "largest ever" rally in Melbourne on October 23, when up to 150,000 workers are expected to bring the city to a halt.   


In one television advert, a young woman speaks of her struggle to keep on top of the cost of living, saying: "The CEO's pay is going up, again. And companies are making huge profits, but they won't even give us a pay rise ... Things are really out of balance."   

The month-long campaign follows a three-month advertising blitz launched in March, which the ACTU boasted was its largest advertising campaign since it lobbied against John Howard's WorkChoices laws in the mid-2000s.

The ACTU's willingness to plough millions of dollars worth of union members' fees into advertising is sure to grate on Liberal party officials, who are struggling to fill the coffers of its electoral fighting fund.

ACTU Secretary Sally McManus is pushing for Labor to make radical changes to Australia's industrial relations laws if elected, including the introduction of industry-wide bargaining powers.

"Working people in Australia are ready to change the rules so we can have fair pay and more secure jobs ... and negotiate on more equal terms with big business," Ms McManus said.

"The economy has changed and the narrow enterprise only bargaining system is failing a lot of people. Stronger rights for working people will help rebalance the system. Our campaign is about bringing back a fair go for working people."

Mr Shorten announced last week that Labor would force ASX-listed companies with more than 250 employees to reveal the ratio of their chief executives' pay to that of employees.   

And he did not rule out ceding to the ACTU's demand to bring back industry-wide bargaining, agreeing with Ms McManus that while the existing system of enterprise bargaining had "delivered some pretty positive benefits for workers", it was now "creating one-sided outcomes and we are seeing wages growth stagnant". 

Industrial Relations Minister Kelly O'Dwyer, who is trying to pass legislation aimed at curtailing union power, said on Tuesday that a Labor government would usher in "chaos and lawlessness across the board"

juliar wrote on Oct 8^th, 2018 at 9:17am:

whiteknight wrote on Oct 7^th, 2018 at 11:50am:


As soon as her name was mentioned the article lost all credibility along with Sally's lack of credibility.

Nothing to see here.......move along.

Historically, unions did a great job. Sadly, they are dying out at a great rate.

The big corporations simply stonewall unions until the membership gives up.

If not in a critical service industry or the remaining public service roles, unions are dead ducks. It's the sign of the times.

I was a union rep at IBM ... the union was strangled to death. Sad but true. 

Wowee! The Village Idiot Gecko Troll VIRUS strikes again with his silly neurotic childish attention seeking.

greggerypeccary wrote on Oct 8^th, 2018 at 9:31am:

juliar wrote on Oct 10^th, 2018 at 9:34am:

Wow!!! The Village Idiot Gecko Troll VIRUS strikes again with his neurotic childish attention seeking rot.


greggerypeccary wrote on Oct 10^th, 2018 at 9:46am: