After more than 30 yrs as an official of the WA Branch of the ETU I’m retiring at the end of September. It has been some journey.
To say it has been a privilege and honour to be paid to represent not just my class, but my trade too, for that amount of time is an understatement.
As an apprentice I was taught the general principles of trade unionism & socialism in my home town of Liverpool, and came to Sydney in 1981 as a young immigrant electrician. I soon realised that those principles & values were universal, being pitched into a strike within weeks of landing!
Moving to WA in 1987 I worked mainly on Perth & Kwinana construction projects as well as a stint in the Goldfields. I was elected as shop steward and safety rep on a few jobs, was fortunate to be appointed as an organiser in ’94, then every representative role within the branch, before having the great honour of being State Secretary.
I’ve also had the privilege of representing the branch on a federal level, standing alongside some of the best union officials in Australia as the National ETU grows in strength, both industrially and politically.
These 30 years have been a whirlwind of too many disputes and strikes to mention, as well as major political turmoil with both major parties practising neo-liberalism with zeal, undermining previous decades of working-class collective gains for the benefit of tax dodging billionaires and corporate Australia.
It’s impossible to express how grateful I feel to all the people whose path I’ve crossed, but I’d like to thank every ETU official, both in WA and other branches, for the help and mentoring (and drinks) we’ve shared. That gratitude extends to our staff in WA too – the union couldn’t operate without your unseen work in the background.
And, more than anything, I’d like to give a massive shout to the ETU members, past and present, who I’ve stood alongside on the many picket lines we’ve shared while fighting for better wages & conditions, as well as the protection of our trade, apprenticeship and licensing systems.
Our branch is built on a solid foundation with a growing membership and sound financial position. The new Secretary Adam Woodage and his team of organisers – a good mix of experience and relative youth – will bring new ideas and new energy to the branch as our trade embraces the next industrial revolution in the essential transition to renewable energy. I wish them, and all ETU members and their families, the very best into the future.
Keep fighting comrades.
PC.