Secretary’s wrap

“In short, the very wealthy have too much power in our country and ordinary Australians – working people – do not have enough.”

That’s how ACTU Secretary Sally McManus summed up today’s Australia at her Press Club address on Wednesday – and she was spot on.

She painted a picture of a country where wage growth is the lowest it has been since records were kept. Where our industrial relations laws are out of step with international law. Where families are kept awake at night worrying about unemployment, underemployment, underpaid wages, unpaid super, and pressure on our social welfare systems because of tax dodging by the very wealthy.

But she also pinpointed exactly where hope for the future lies – and it’s in the union movement.

True to form, the Murdoch press have already started to attack Sally. In a recent article they were so eager to undermine her activist history that they forgot to check their facts before publishing. Clearly News Corp has a problem with the union movement. But given their track record (remember their treatment of Julia Gillard?), it has to be asked – do they have a problem with powerful, strong and intelligent women too?

I want to thank all of you for being members of your union, and the union movement. There’s a lot of work to do, but together we’ll fight to bring fairness back for working people.

I trust you’ll enjoy this edition of Loco Express.

Stay safe on the tracks,

Bob Hayden

Loco Division Secretary