By NOEL MURPHY
A UNION jobs rally in central Geelong last week was a “fraud”, according to socialists
The far-left Socialist Equality Party (SEP) accused Geelong Trades Hall boss Tim Gooden of playing a “key role” in “helping destroy hundreds of jobs” at Geelong’s Ford plant and attacked his support of Labor politics.
Mr Gooden, who headed the rally, introduced state MP James Merlino as the “next deputy premier” but the SEP criticised Mr Merlino’s ministerial role in the previous Labor government for its “pro-business agenda of slashing social spending while presiding over huge job losses”.
Will Marshall, writing at the World Socialist Web Site, accused the union movement of actively orchestrating “ruthless restructuring measures against the working class”.
He claimed the working class could not defend jobs and living standards “within the framework of the trade unions”.
Geelong workers must develop their own independent forms of organisation, he wrote.
Mr Gooden dismissed the far-left attack, describing the SEC as a “spin-off of a spin-off of the old communist party”.
“There’s about four blokes in it and I think they’re all well into the 60s,” he said.
The SEC attack coincided with a National Institute of Economic and Industry Research study claiming Geelong would suffer 5000 job losses over the next three years as major manufacturing plants close, with the economic impact felt across the region.
The Trades Hall-led Jobs for Geelong rally comprised about 400 chanting members and supporters of various unions demanding more state and federal government help for local workers.
