The following is an open letter to the leaders of the Australian Labor Party, Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard. It was written by Michele O’Neil who is the Victorian State Secretary of the Textile Clothing and Footwear Union of Australia (TCFUA).

The TCFUA, like UNITE are extremely disappointed at Labor’s latest sell out in regards to their industrial relations policy. UNITE calls on all sections of the union movement to join with us and begin to seriously discuss the question of political representation of working people. Workers deserve much better than Rudd’s Labor Party.

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Only 12% of people aged under 25 are a member of a trade union. This Friday August 17th the ABC’s JTV program will investigate why this is so. Are unions irrelevant to young people or is there a problem with the politics and approach of the established unions. If this trend continues what will it mean for the future of trade unions in Australia?

Reporter Steve Cannane spoke to several people including Anthony Main Secretary of UNITE, Jeff Lawrence Secretary of the ACTU and Danielle Archer from the Young Unionist Network in Victoria to get some different points of view. Click on the link below to watch the Vodcast on the JTV site.

Click here to watch the JTV vodcast – Young over unions?