Published: 26 May 2015
Maritime Union of Australia National Secretary Paddy Crumlin has wholeheartedly endorsed the Australian Council of Trade Unions National Executive to take the union movement into the next election.
Yesterday, at the ACTU Congress, the Executive team of President Ged Kearney, Secretary Dave Oliver and Assistant Secretaries Michael Borowick and Scott Connolly were elected unopposed.
Crumlin said it was a great show of unity that no other opponents put their hat into the ring.
“It’s a ringing endorsement that these talented individuals were able to run unopposed, given the turbulent times,” he said.
“Now more than ever, we need to be united as one, as one union movement, to ensure we don’t need to endure another term of Tony Abbott, or whoever his conservative replacement may be.
“I congratulate Ged, Dave, Michael and Scott on their re-election and I look forward to working with them and the ACTU affiliates into the future.
“Particularly encouraging is the fact that the ACTU has set out a campaign plan going forward, drawing from the strong points and the failures from the ‘Your Rights At Work Campaign’.
“The MUA has consistently prosecuted the view that the first priority for the ACTU is workplace and community organising and campaigning around the real issues confronting Australian working women and men and their families regardless of broader political alignments.
“Job security, personal and recreational leave, penalty rates, participative and consultative health and safety standards and genuine dialogue and social partnership between workers and their employers through assured and properly regulated industrial recognition are all essential to a healthy workplace and a functional working community.
“We are fundamentally a movement promoting activities building an industrial presence that insures respect and decent work to all Australian workers.”
