The state government’s treatment of public sector employees encourages management to flout industrial awards argues Judith Kiejda.

The state government’s surrender on regional hospital privatisation shows the effectiveness of “grassroots, on the ground organising”, Assistant General Secretary Judith Kiejda told annual conference.

“Today’s campaigns are won or lost on the ground – the air war is great to set the scene but the real winning comes from the people who are invested in the issue,” she said.

In 2016, the government announced it would call for private tenders to build and run more than $1 billion in hospital projects at Wyong, Goulburn, Shellharbour, Bowral and Maitland.

Over the following 18 months, a union-led, community campaign forced the government to abandon – hospital by hospital – its plan to have the five facilities privately built and operated.

“In this campaign we tried a new model; we joined with the HSU (Health Services Union) and the doctors union (Australian Salaried Medical Officers Federation) under the coordination of Unions NSW, to ensure success,” Judith said.

“It was our members and those of the other unions who were the campaign drivers coached by union officers.

“I want to thank everyone here and back at your work-places for making sure this government knew that we were not for turning, that our public hospitals are sacrosanct and not to be handed over to the highest bidder.”

She said NSWNMA officers were experiencing unprecedented difficulty in getting into public sector workplaces, which made it even more important to find new ways of working with members.

“The union’s development organisers provided specialised training and support to give workplace member-leaders an understanding of how union work can be carried out effectively and efficiently at the workplace.”

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