Australian Left Review

Article Title

Comment: ALR 55-56

Authors

Abstract

As the first year of the Fraser government ended the signs were multiplying that a confrontation between government and unions could occur at any moment. The simmering tension between governments and business on one hand, and unions and workers on the other has come very close to open struggle on a number of fronts. Victorian government moves to limit union action on social and environmental issues such as Newport, Fairfax intransigence over printers’ demands and the use of scab labor (backed by plans to introduce sweeping technological changes to the printing process) and various threats to ‘get tough’ with unions are all indications that the conservative forces are itching to smash union militancy and shackle unions’ ability to act in either the narrow or wider interests of workers.