This week, the ETU WA branch held our two-day Biennial Conference at Crown Perth. Over 185 state and national comrades attended to discuss and learn about developments in industrial relations, the economy, member experiences, and to gain insights from our guest speakers.
The biennial conference is a significant event for our delegates and organisers, providing a platform to solidify our key objectives and align our planning processes with our member base, national branches, and the broader Union movement.
We thank our national and interstate secretaries who joined us to report on the state of affairs in their branches. Despite positive IR changes, the familiar challenges persist—ongoing disputes, small wins, and the overarching theme of big business refusing to acknowledge and value the contribution of the workers via fair remuneration.
Workers are currently striking in NSW and Tasmania, particularly those from Transgrid and Saputo Dairy. We encourage our members to show solidarity and support for our comrades who are bravely standing up for their rights.
Matt Grudnoff, Senior Economist from the Australia Institute, delivered a riveting presentation titled “Wages, Inflation, and the Rigged System.” He detailed the state of the economy, the true contributing factors of inflation—hint: it’s not increasing wages—and what could be done to combat it. We are grateful for his insightful contribution, and his expertise was highly valued by all in attendance.
Thank you also to our sponsors, Protect, Cbus Super, Eureka Lawyers and Unity Bank for their continued support of our members and our branch.