Our Campaign in the Community Sector Builds Momentum for Success in 2011

Congratulations to ASU members in community services and other areas on your hard work during 2010 towards a strong community sector!

Adelaide National Hour of Action for Pay Equity 15 December 2010

Our active and strategic role in the community services sector and our groundbreaking campaign to address workforce issues like low pay which affect the sector's future ability to provide quality service to vulnerable Australians continued during 2010 and is building momentum.

We had an excellent National Day of Action in June 2010 with strong participation in Adelaide and Darwin. Everyone who participated left moved, invigorated and committed to campaigning for as long as it takes to achieve our goals.

Our Hour of Action on 15 December in Adelaide was again well attended and with many members speaking about their work and how important pay equity will be for the future of that work; those who attended left again with a strong commitment to working together to ensure we win. Please see photos of the Hour of Action at http://www.flickr.com/photos/asu-national/sets/72157625475871377/

It was significant that on the morning of that day the Federal Government publicly reaffirmed its commitment to supporting pay equity and the sector. Thank you to all of you who took the time to attend and helped in so many ways to make the hour such a success at short notice!

Thank you also to all of you who signed and asked your co-workers to sign Christmas cards to state parliamentarians letting them know that all you want for Christmas is their support for the sector and pay equity. Close to 5000 cards were signed and delivered - an effort for which all involved should be applauded!

With another National Day of Action being planned for April/May 2011, we aim to make this the biggest ever action in support of the community sector and pay equity; to do this, we will ensure we work with those of you in regional areas towards activities in areas including the South East, North and Riverland areas of South Australia and Alice Springs. We anticipate outcomes from our pay equity case towards the middle of the year and will do everything we can before that time to secure territory, state and federal government funding for these outcomes; we will then continue our collaborative work on other workforce issues and plan how we promote bargaining in the community sector beyond the pay equity case in order to ensure we no longer fall so far behind other industries in terms of ongoing wage improvements.

During the second half of 2010, at national and state conferences and in meetings around the Territory and the State, planning was undertaken by active ASU members to ensure the momentum of our campaign continues. It was agreed to focus on four key campaign elements in 2011 to secure funding for the outcomes of our pay equity case -

• Organising in Workplaces
• Lobbying
• Undertaking Public and Workplace Actions
• Building Alliances

Our work is and will continue to focus on these areas. During 2011 it is imperative to our success that we -

• systematically ask every worker to join their Union and be active in support of their campaign;
• ask every employer to get behind it and to publicly show their support;
• continue to talk with parliamentarians and engage them with the important work the sector does in order to secure their commitment to supporting the sector and funding the case's outcomes;
• continue to publicly highlight and raise the profile of the sector, the work it does and how important our campaign is to its future; and
• have strong and supportive relationships with all who are involved in and influence the sector.

To discuss our plans for 2011 a meeting will be held in Adelaide at your ASU Office, 5 - 9 Rundle Street, Kent Town from 5.15pm to 6.30pm on Thursday 20 January 2011.

Please RSVP to Jude Price at jprice@asu-sant.asn.au or by phone on 8363 1322.

A meeting will be held in Darwin in late February once new ASU Organiser in Darwin Jason Newell commences in mid February. More details will be provided.

If you cannot attend these meetings but want to get more involved in your campaign, please get in touch via email or telephone.

Your ASU Office looks forward to campaigning with you towards success.

In solidarity

Katrine Hildyard
BRANCH SECRETARY