Yvonne: working collectively for real change.

• Jurisdiction: Australia
• Date: 01 June 2012
• Author: Chaperon, Yvonne

In mid may, ANF attended the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) Congress in Sydney. Every three years unionists from around Australia, representing workers from every industry, every sector, men, women, migrants, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples come together and debate what matters to working people, their families, and their communities.

At Congress we all have a say on what is on the Australian union agenda for the next three years. If we look back over time we see the huge importance of these debates at Congress and the beneficial effects they have had for Australia. For example unions fought hard and won a national paid maternity leave scheme after 30 years of...