"I think the loss of union power is one of the biggest dangers facing democracy in the western world," says Margaret Sims. "If you can't identify when an organisation is doing something wrong, and speak up about it, then that's really frightening. Workers are not adequately supported by legislation, the Fair Work Act offers few protections, and we stand to lose the kinds of rights our parents and grandparents fought so hard for."
A member of the National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) for 26 years, Margaret believes the "climate of fear" inspired by current economic conditions and the increasing casualisation of the Australia workforce puts younger people, especially, at a distinct disadvantage.
"I have a lot less to lose than most people; I am getting to the end of my career," Margaret says. "It's much harder to show courage if you have a young family and a mortgage and can't afford to lose your job. I have seen it happen during my career, where those who stand up and argue are disadvantaged; they don't get promotions, are the first to go when there is downsizing, and are targeted illegally. I've fought those fights. And it's doubly hard for casual staff, because they won't get another contract if they are seen as a troublemaker."
Margaret says she has seen a pronounced generational shift. "We don't educate our children today about unionism, and the new generation take employment protections for granted," she says. "We get someone coming up to us (the NTEU) when something awful has happened to them, and they want to join so we can help. They don't think to join when they first start the job."
The Australian Bureau of Statistics and research agency Roy Morgan have reported union membership rates as low as 15-17% of the workforce, and as low as 6.9% among workers under 25. Margaret attributes the decline to the entrenchment of neo-liberalism, typified by deregulation and free-market capitalism, and the growth in enterprise bargaining agreements.
"Neo-liberalism positions citizens as consumers, who need to do what they can to get the money they need to buy the latest products; it doesn't encourage critical thinking and supports inequality instead," she says. "Multiple layers of management also force workers to sit quietly in their place and do as they're told, without questioning what's happening around them."
"Enterprise bargaining agreements are founded on the whole divide-and-conquer idea. They make it so much easier for management to break unions and negotiate agreements in their favour because these days you only have a small number of union members fighting for the benefit of everyone."
So what is lost with the demise of unions? "We can easily overlook the benefits of having passionate staff who believe in something," Margaret says. "And it can leave a generation of people for whom work is not fulfilling, not satisfying and quite soul-destroying. That's terrible when you consider that people spend 40, 50, 60 years in employment."
Despite what she sees as an erosion in union power, Margaret remains committed to unionism as an effective vehicle for addressing workplace inequality. "If we work together and stand together, we are stronger," she says. "As citizens in democracy, we have a responsibility to stand up for what is right."
Margaret Sims is a Professor of Early Childhood at the University of New England and has been a member of the National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) since it was founded in 1993. She was UNE NTEU branch president for three years.
