NSW Liberals’ increased strike fines a sign of weakness

The NSW Liberals have ramped up their attacks on public sector workers with a plan to increase fines for striking.

The Perrottet government is facing a wave of strikes from nurses, teachers, rail workers and others.

The government has relied on the bosses’ tribunal, the Industrial Relations Commission (IRC), to rule the strikes “illegal” so it can then go on a media offensive.

However, so far the union leaderships have defied these orders and called members out on strike anyway. This defiance has been spurred by pressure from rank and file members, such as in the nurses’ union where members are fed up with conditions in hospitals.

The Liberals want to increase the fines on unions for going ahead with strikes that defy IRC orders from $10,000 for the first day and $5000 a day after that, up to $55,000 for the first day and $27,500 a day after that.

The Liberals want to scare workers into backing down and silently accepting the cuts to real wages and further erosion of conditions.

But even with the increase, these fines are paltry in comparison to the funds that large unions like the teachers and nurses have accumulated over decades. Just one dollar collected from each member of the teachers’ union would cover a fine from the last strike. And individual members cannot be fined under the NSW industrial laws.

In the federal industrial system, the Fair Work Act allows for much more severe fines on unions, and in extreme cases individual union members can be fined.

In 2017, the construction union was fined $2.4 million over industrial action at Barangaroo. Yet even despite this, the union continues to take unprotected action successfully to win disputes.

Perrottet’s fine increases should not be feared. They are a sign that his government is on the back foot. Further strikes uniting all public sector workers, in defiance of the IRC’s fines, can topple his rotten government.

By Miro Sandev

Magazine

Solidarity meetings

Latest articles

Read more

Victorian university staff move into action

University workers across Victoria are moving into action over enterprise bargaining, with a Melbourne-wide strike-day meeting overflowing Trades Hall on 3 May.

Strikes at Onelink win higher pay

Over 50 workers at hospital and health care supplier Onelink in western Sydney have won higher pay and improved redundancy payments after five days of strike action over two weeks at the end of May.

Onelink workers strike for a cost of living pay rise

About 50 workers at hospital and health care supplier Onelink in western Sydney took four days of strike action this week for wage rises to keep pace with the cost of living and higher redundancy payments.

Comments

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here