Page 4 - ETU Journal Autumn 2017

4
tHE Etu > AutuMn 2016
www.facebook.com/etuvic
mESSAgE from ThE SEcrETAry > TROY GRAY
frOm strengtHMessage froM the secretary / troy gray / etU Victoria Branch
2016 is seeing the branch continue to go from strength to strength. With a great team of officials and supporting roles such as welfare, research, legal, administration and communications, the union is a formidable machine that is recognised as one of the strongest labour organisations Ain the country.
nd we need to be. 2016 sees 15,000 of our 19,000 members out of
an agreement, and 1,000 enterprise agreements up for negotiation. This is complicated by the threat of the ABCC being reintroduced and the draconian Building Code that will gut
the living standards of many
of our members unless
we resist it.
High stakes Federal election
We believe that members have a clear choice at this year’s Federal election. The union has never
told its membership how they should vote, but all members are urged to make an educated decision when they go to the ballot box.
The branch has debated this issue and has come to a clear decision. Put the Liberals last. If you value
your industry agreements, if you value EBAs, if you value your hourly rates, if
you value
health
and safety —
then you have
to put the Liberals last.
If they get their
way with
the ABCC,
the Building
Code and the
Registered Organisations
Bill, the world as we know
it will change for the worse. But
we have a secret weapon with which to fight back. That secret weapon is you. Together we have built a union that today is at its strongest. Standing together we are an unbeatable
force that is more than capable of defending our heritage and fighting off this anti-worker offensive.
We look forward to these challenges, and know that all 19,000 members will seize the day, stand together and defend 114 years of ETU history.
training for the future
After years of planning, our state-of-the–art industry training facility is now up and running. We are looking forward to Futuretech
assisting all of our members
to increase their skill levels. Futuretech has been a dream of the union for 20 years and with a great
partnership with one of the state’s strongest TAFEs, Holmesglen, we’ve already trained 250 people, a number we intend to increase
dramatically in the coming years.
Over the next 10 years the branch will be working
closely with the Solar Council and Holmesglen
on training up as many members as we can on solar installation. This is
one of the growth areas for the industry and the union
into the future. Watch this space for some new
solar installation courses that the union will be
promoting through 2016-2017.
Don’t risk it: Don’t Work live
This year we have witnessed several deaths
of workers from contact with electricity. The toll from electrocution now stands at 75 over the last decade. Thankfully none of the recent deaths have been of ETU members. This demonstrates the value of ETU- regulated safety on worksites, but the fact remains that every single one of these deaths is an absolute tragedy for the individual, their family and the communities they leave behind.
..fffffIF You value YouR IndustRY agReements, IF You value ebas, IF You value YouR houRlY Rates, IF You value health and saFetY — then You
have to put the lIbeRals last.
turnbull’S AbCC WIll rEMOVE YOur rIGHt tO SIlEnCE, A lAWYEr OF YOur CHOICE AnD FInE YOu $36,000 FOr AttEnDInG A unIOn MEEtInG
YOur VOtE MAttErS!
The DeATh toll from electrocution now stands at 75 over the last decade. none of the recent deaths have been of eTU members
To address this situation and to remind all members of the absolute primacy of safety, we are launching a Don’t Work Live campaign.
See page 16 for details.
ff..