Our ASU – Tens of Thousands of Reasons to be Proud

Yesterday we made history!

Around the country, tens of thousands of community sector workers, employers, clients and supporters gathered, rallied and marched.

We came together - with ambition, with pride in our objectives and with determination - to ensure that the work of community sector workers is valued, to celebrate the launch of our pay equity case for community workers, to send a strong message to State, Federal and Territory Governments that they must fully fund the outcomes of our case and to say that - once and for all - the inequity between men's and women's wages must end.

A huge media contingent resulted in hundreds of news bulletins highlighting the value that community sector workers provide to our community, to some of our most vulnerable and disadvantaged citizens, and to our economy.

In Adelaide, around 750 gathered and after several moving speeches, the biggest contingent ever of community sector workers stepped onto King William Street and loudly and proudly marched to Parliament House. Petitions signed by 2500 supporters calling on State, Territory and Federal Governments to fund the outcomes of our pay equity case were presented to Minister for Status of Women Gail Gago. Minister Gago said that she would be proud to present them to Parliament.

In Darwin around 100 gathered and heard from ASU members working in community services, employers and NTCOSS and then also took to the streets to present petitions to Minister for Health, Children and Families Kon Vatskalis.

Around the country, community sector workers formally resolved to campaign for as long as it takes to secure funding for the outcomes of our pay equity case, to have the community sector valued and to ensure that the pay gap between work peformed in industries dominated by women and other industries disappears.

Yesterday showed that community sector workers and indeed the whole community sector are a forced to be reckoned with.

I thank everyone who got behind yesterday's action in so many different ways. There is no doubt that all present left with a renewed determination to work and campaign together until our voices are heard!

Where to next?

It is imperative that we turn the spirit and determination we created yesterday into ongoing campaign action.

From 21 to 24 June, around 50 ASU members along with ASU officials will take our message to Canberra where delegations will meet with as many Federal Ministers and Members of Parliament as possible. In August a conference of community sector workers will be held to focus on our next steps. We will continue to collect our pay up postcards and we will be lobbying in a range of ways over the next few months. On 19 November we will hold a further national day of action to ensure we achieve our goals.

What can you do?

• FILL IN THE QUESTIONAIRE HERE: SACS 2010 Survey
• Celebrate yesterday's historic action!
• Join your Union the ASU if you are not already a member.
• Talk with others in your workplace and community about our campaign and organise an ASU presentation in your workplace, with your Board or in your community, in fact, with anyone you would like us to speak with!
• Keep signing the pay up postcard; ask your ASU office for more if you need them.
• Look out for more detail on ASU lobbying activities; in the meantime, write letters to the newspaper or call talkback radio about our campaign.
• Put 19 November in your diary.

10 June 2010 was all about what being Union is - working together to make a difference.

I commend everyone involved and look forward to working with all ASU members and supporters and the community sector at large until we achieve pay equity and funding for pay equity and until all of the issues which threaten the community sector's ability to keep providing the quality services that it does are resolved.

Thank you for taking a step forward - as a sector and as a Union.

In solidarity

Katrine Hildyard
Branch Secretary
ASU SA+NT Branch

PS: Further information from community workers is needed to take on our lobbying trip to Canberra. If you are a community sector worker, please urgently fill in the survey at SACS 2010 Survey