Kambrya College teachers left, back: Mai Tran, Anna Nguyen, Tuong Nguyen, Sarah Treadwell and Maree Jarrett at the workplace laws rally in the city.By Sarah Schwager
A RALLY against controversial changes to national workplace laws in the city on Tuesday saw support from unionists and residents from across the southeast.
The Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) estimated 210,000 people turned up at Federation Square, making it Melbourne’s biggest political rally on record.
Teachers from Berwick’s Kambrya College offered their support to the cause, with 35 teachers involved.
Australian Education Union (AEU) Kambrya College subbranch treasurer Ruth Scott said at the rally that it was important for them to take part in the event.
“We are just coming together to support the AEU and unions in general,” Ms Scott said.
“We believe our rights are worth fighting for.
“We are also fighting for the future of the young people we represent.”
AEU Kambrya College subbranch president Glenn O’Shaughnessy said it was important to be there to support their fellow workers.
“We’re here as part of the community rather than as teachers in general,” Mr O’Shaughnessy said.
“In fairness, it’s not going to affect us for the next few years because we’ve got our current agreement.
“But in five years from now when the agreement runs out we don’t know where we will be.”
Lyndhurst Secondary College, Cranbourne North, principal Steve Phillips said 30 of the school’s 80 teaching staff had taken the day off work to attend the rally.
“We had to keep the year nines and 10s at home. The year 11 and 12 exams continued as normal. Year sevens and eights were still at school and attended classes,” Mr Phillips said.
A number of classes at Cranbourne Secondary College were also disrupted, with only students in years seven and eight at school.
Student union president at Monash University Berwick Campus Ben Maxfield also offered his support at the rally.
“Workers’ rights need to be protected,” he said.
“John Howard is deregulating our industrial relations system, shifting powers from the workers to the bosses in an unfair way.”
Mr Maxfield also represents the Shop Distributive and Allied Employees Association (SDA), which has 250,000 members across the country.
Victorian Trades Hall Council secretary Brian Boyd congratulated the crowd on its support.
“This is what we do best in Melbourne, turn up in our tens of thousands,” Mr Boyd said.
“A lot of this campaign will have to be fought back in the workplace.”
ACTU president Sharan Burrow urged the crowd to stand up for their values.
“For more than 100 years Australia has had an industrial relations system that … has ensured there is decent protection for people,” Ms Burrow said.
“This is a protection that the government will destroy.
“None of our conditions will be safe – penalty rates, holiday pay … John Howard, our prime minister, is putting it all up for grabs.”
