A union activists’ meeting called by the Victorian Trades Hall Council on 20 May called for action against Abbott’s class war budget and demanded that the ALP and the Greens block it in the Senate.

A motion to call an all-union delegates’ meeting to co-ordinate strike action and mass protests was carried unanimously by the 250 people present. The motion was taken to the Trades Hall Executive, which met on Friday 23 May (after Red Flag went to print).

There was strong support from the union delegates present for the argument that organised workers had to take the lead in mobilising everyone who has been savaged in this budget.

Socialist Alternative union delegates from the RTBU, AEU and NTEU were among those who spoke from the floor.

Emma Kerin from the National Union of Workers reported that a northern area delegates’ conference had already voted for a general strike.

An announcement by ACTU President Ged Kearney that the ACTU is organising a national day of action in October was not well received. People don’t want to wait five months and watch everything fizzle out.

We have a real opportunity to defeat this budget if we act decisively and determinedly now.