SACS membership up 20 per cent since campaign launch!!

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The doomsayers happily declare that the number of union members in Australia is falling by the year. While today’s numbers are not as grand compared to the well-publicised glory days of the 1970s, the value of unions to workers of this country cannot be underestimated. In fact, in some areas, such as the social and community services sector of the ASU, numbers are reaching all-time highs.

Since the launch of the Respect The Workers! Sustain The Services! campaign, ASU has witnessed a 20 per cent rise in union members in the SACS sector, a number growing by the day. The increase in people joining the union highlights the importance of better pay and conditions for employees working in the industry, says Assistant Branch Secretary Lisa Darmanin.

“For a long time, the social and community services sector has had a stable but modest level of union membership.  Our industry-wide campaign has deliberately set out to build our density, in order to win.  Workers are starting to realise that without a united, active and vocal workforce, we are not going to achieve the campaign outcomes both union members and community services in Victoria so desperately need.” 

“The message we’ve been taking to workers across Victoria is that if the majority of the SACS workforce is not in the union, how can we expect the government to take our claim for millions of dollars in increased funding seriously?  If you’re serious about better funding for social and community services, you need to be in the ASU!”

In order to keep the campaign fresh in the minds of SACS employees, management and the general public, two ASU members have organised for staff at their workplace to wear the popular red ASU ‘Respect’ t-shirts to work on a designated day once a week.  

Paulene Richardson, from Bethany in Geelong, and Jan McKenzie, from WAYSS in Frankston, recognise the important role union members play in this campaign for better pay and conditions in the SACS sector.

Jan announced that she was pleased with the interest from a wide range of people when wearing the t-shirts. 

“When I went to a recent OH&S meeting, people came up and asked me what the meaning of the t-shirt was, and were really interested to hear about the campaign put together by the ASU. We are trying to lift the profile of the union, but we are also trying to say to people that we are proud to be union members,” said Jan, who believes the portability of long service leave is an area within the SACS sector that needs fixing.

“We are going to keep wearing the t-shirts until we get what we are after. Portability of long service leave (LSL) is really important to me. Wages are also high on the list, and OH&S in the workplace is something that is also very important to us. We deserve proper remuneration for what we do, especially considering that most of us have degrees. Amazingly, I am getting paid less than I did 10 years ago. It explains the high turnover within this organisation, which at one stage included three resignations in one week.”

Paulene explained why wearing the t-shirts to work weekly is important at her workplace.

“One of the main reasons behind wearing the shirts is to keep the momentum and the motivation going. There are some people among this organisation who are helping to drive the campaign in Geelong, so we want to keep the issue in front of other workers to try and gain energy for the campaign. The other reason is to keep the issue alive in front of non-members and management and anybody else who we might come into contact with during the day. Sometimes on my way work I have people say to me ‘what are those t-shirts about?’, so the more people we have wearing the t-shirts, the more awareness we can raise about the campaign,” said Paulene, who was happy with the progress to date.

“I think it’s going well. Wil Stracke is a great organiser and we have put together an enthusiastic group of people in the area to help drive the campaign. People get enthusiastic when there is something happening, something to do, which is what the t-shirts are helping to drive. It’s symbolic and you can wear the t-shirt every Wednesday and have solidarity with others.”

Paulene explained why the campaign is so important for the sector in years ahead.

“For me the campaign is about adequate reward for the job. It really isn’t about me as an individual; I'm enthusiastic about the campaign because workers in the sector should have adequate reward for their qualifications and the important work that they do. To not have paid maternity leave available for a sector that is full of female workers is just ridiculous. You have positions that are not filled for weeks or even months because it is hard to attract people to work at the level of the wages that we pay. Many of the people who have left this workplace were really gifted in their range of programs and they were a very diverse group of workers. You get demoralised when you feel that your work is not rewarded by the community.”

Support the campaign and buy a red ASU “Respect” t-shirt. Visit the ASU shop at http://www.asushop.asn.au/ . Shirts available in a range of men’s and women’s sizes.

The proactive union members at Bethany in Geelong wear their red
t-shirts every Wednesday.

Jan McKenzie (far right) with her fellow workers from WAYSS housing
and support services.