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Summer 2006

Union Activist Profile: George Robertson

George Robertson is a retired member of the AMWU and former boilermaker. Over the past 18 months or so George has been the ‘your rights at work’ campaign committee coordinator for North-West Tasmania. George is a great example of how retired union members can assist in building the ‘your rights at work’ campaign.

George explains how he became involved in the 'your rights at work' campaign by saying, "You could see what was coming with the new legislation, and I've been involved in various union campaigns in the past. I wasn't about to just sit there and let this happen without doing anything about it."

George and the North-West campaign committee have organised an array of events over the past year and a half, most notably the 8-hour day concert in Latrobe earlier this year.

The concert saw thousands of Coasters attend an outdoor concert to celebrate the 8-hour day holiday. The headline act, The Whitlams, lent their support to the 'your rights at work' campaign, with lead singer, Tim Freedman wishing those attending all the best in the fight against the new industrial relations laws.

George says the concert had a great impact on the North-West Coast. "It was a brilliant day, we tapped into lots of parts of the community that we don't normally reach, such as young families and young people. You could see when Sharan Burrow spoke that they really understood what she was on about."

The North-West campaign committee are keen to stage another 8-hour day concert in 2007 and are currently looking for a suitable headline act. Following the success of the North-Western committee the Southern 'your rights at work' committee are also thinking about putting on a 'your rights at work' concert, aimed at reaching young workers and young people who will vote for the first time in the 2007 Federal Election.

Another initiative of the North-West committee, which is likely to be implemented in other regions, has been to organise regular sausage sizzles outside local supermarkets. Volunteers use the sausage sizzle to reach community members and have a discussion with them about the Coalition Government's new work laws, and how these laws might affect them and their families.

Currently a number of smaller campaign committees are being set up across the North-West Coast with a Circular Head group already meeting in Smithton, a Burnie/Wynyard group meeting in Burnie, a Penguin/Ulverstone group set up in Penguin and new group to service then Devonport/Latrobe area to meet shortly in Devonport.

George encourages other community members to become involved in these campaigning groups, especially retired members, "It would be great to tap into retired members and other community members, so that we could use that resource rather than relying on paid officials," he says.

There is training available for anyone wishing to become more active in their local campaign committee.

If you would like more information on how to join or support your local campaign committee contact:
North-West: Jill Batt, jbatt@actu.asn.au, 0418 511 248
North: Cindy O'Connor coconnor@actu.asn.au, 0428 383 873
South: Susan Wallace, susan@unionstas.com.au, 6234 9553