Briefings: ACTU/ALP Accord

BRIEFINGS / • MMMM • Cockatoo Dockyard construction. ACTU/ALP Accord A u s t r a l i a n L e f t R e v ie w 86 After almost a year of about to be set up — but it that the Australian operation, the prices and is a "toothless tiger" in Clif dockyards should get the incomes accord reached Dolan's words. Petrol, contracts. But the govern between the Labor Party postal and phone charges ment, heavily invluenced and the ACTU before the are the only areas to come by the bureaucracy, has election is in danger of within the authority's stuck to past traditions of becoming superfluous to jurisdiction! Control of using the main criteria as the Hawke government's non-wage incomes, like competitiveness with operations. The document doctors' fees, and share overseas dockyards, with negotiated over many dividends, has been job creation and industry months between Labor ignored. development relegated as spokespeople Ralph Willis The accord says: "On priorities. and Bill Hayden was taken taking office the govern The W illiamstown over by Bob Hawke and ment will substantially dockyard, of course, did Paul Keating and con restructure the income tax get contracts for the sequently underwent some scale to ease the tax construction of frigates for transformation of purpose. burden on low and middle the Navy — but only Although Willis, as income earners". The reluctantly, with dire Industrial Relations government has made warnings being given by Minister, retains some vague references about a the Defence Minister about involvement in the work review of the tax scales the need for fewer disputes ings of the accord, the main next year, which might lead if the contracts were to be control over its implement to some reform two years kept. But the real crunch ation rests with the after it has taken office. But came with the Vickers' deregulation advocate and substantial tax reform Cockatoo dockyard in neo-Howardite Paul • The main control (including the introduction Sydney — which had Keating. Inthiscontext.the over the implementation of wealth taxes) seems a pressured the government role of the accord as of the accord lies with Paul long way off. for the awarding of a The accord notes that contract to build a second facilitating an intervention Keating. ist economic policy has the "paramount objective new supply ship for the been reversed. been implemented have of economic policy is the Navy. The accord seems to be mainly been the supportive attainment of full employ The contract would developing into an policies, such as occupat ment. Industry develop mean the maintenance of agreement which limits ional health and safety, ment policy should be 1,000 jobs at the dockyard, union activity on wages, social security, education integrated with macro- and thousands more in the facilitates the redistribut and migration. And while a economic policy to achieve industry generally. It would ion of income from wages union interest in these this goal". This is an also mean retention of the to profits and enables matters is to be welcomed, unequivocal commitment skills of workers built up improvements in various they are, in a sense, which the government has with construction of the economic growth statis peripheral to the main managed to ignore first ship — in the past loss tics, without doing thrust of the accord. completely. of contracts has seen loss anything about unemploy The accord's crucial Although some fairly of such expertise, and the ment. This suits Hawke's sections relating to wages, cosmetic details of the consequent erosion of the purpose perfectly. As he prices, jobs and tax reform, industry development industry's ability to told the ACTU Congress in show the government's policy may have been become viable. September, "Only a real level of commitment. It implemented (such as the But no — the dockyard healthy Australian econ is in these areas which revamping of the Austral isn't competitive, the omy will provide employ could lead to substantial ian Manufacturing Coun money isn't there. There is ment and good standards redistribution of income cil), opportunities present a major gulf between the of living for all its people". and job creation, but the ed to the government for policies enunciated in the Potential use of the government has, instead, concrete industry develop accord and the operations accord to create jobs avoided pursuing either. ment have been missed. A of the government which through industry develop The accord provides for good example of this is the must be bridged. The union ment policies has appar the maintenance of real shipbuilding industry. movement has consistently ently been forgotten. w a g e s o v e r tim e . A A series of government seen the a ccord as This is perhaps a cynical centralised w age fixation defence contracts for something which needs view and, hopefully, will system has been set up, construction of various campaigning for. The rank prove to be wrong. But maintaining real wages to a ships was under consider and file must be mobilised there is not much else one limited extent (the wage ation for most of this year. to have the accord can conclude from the increases are not auto Thousands of jobs were implemented. government's actions over matic). As part of this under threat unless This is certainly happen the past nine months. system, the union move Australian dockyards, in ing in some industries — Although the govern ment has, almost unanim Sydney and Melbourne, such as at Vickers' ment, predictably, claism ously, agreed not to pursue received the contracts (as Cockatoo — but whether that much of the accord extra claims. promised during the these mobilisations can be has been implemented, a But the government has election campaign). sustained and eventually look at the actual delivered little on its side of When seen against the succeed remains to be document shows the th e d e a l. A p r ic e s background of the accord seen. reverse to be true. The surveillance authority (to commitments, there would areas where much has control price increases) is seem to be little question — Martin Peers. ALR Su m m er 8 3 3.

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