LinkedIn Blog - Death of the labour movement?... Options for survival
Death of the labour movement?... Options for survival
Given my background in employee relations, it was interesting for me to hear last week the announcement that more unions are considering merging; this time the AMWU and United Voice. (In October 2015 the CFMEU and MUA announced their merger).
I’ve been thinking a lot about these mergers and the state of the broader labour movement and the Australian Labor Party in general. It is clear that the economic climate will continue to impact union density (11% private and 39% public), whilst the Royal Commission has, to me at least, raised questions about how union organisers and officials can be trusted as government representatives, if they don’t have their own ships in order.
There is also an underlying issue about whether those attracted to the ALP because of its social policy agenda have the skillset to implement a mainstream economic agenda, which is needed in the years to come. This is evident in the current Shadow Ministry – where 75% of the Ministry have a background in unions, government and the law; whilst only 22% have any form of business background.*
My thoughts, from a labour movement perspective - the economic climate is likely to result in ongoing job losses. How can the union best support those that have lost their jobs? The focus and mindset needs to shift from maintaining job security at any cost to helping people create new opportunities so they can live their life to their fullest capabilities. We are teaching growth mindset in our schools; why not the broader community.
For government, the ALP needs to work harder to ensure its representatives more broadly represent the Australian populace. The ALP’s economic agenda needs to driven by those with skills and experience in business, who also believe in its social policies, in conjunction with those with a union/government/legal background.
* The ALP website details the backgrounds of its current Shadow Ministry (www.alp.org.au)
See also a Report commissioned by the Liberal Government and released yesterday regarding workforce trends for the future - https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/cdn.workplaceexpress.com.au/files/2016/16-0026_DATA61_REPORT_TomorrowsDigiallyEnabledWorkforce_WEB_160128.p
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