Postal
CEPU congratulated Ged Kearney as new ACTU President
(5 July 2010) The CEPU congratulates Ged Kearney in becoming the new President of the Australian Council of Trade Unions.
Ged has been active member of the Australian Nurses Federation since she first became a nurse, and for the last 6 years has been part their leadership team.
She reshaped the aged care debate in Australia, making sure quality aged care was put on the national agenda, campaigning hard for proper funding of the sector with the successful ‘Because We Care’ campaign.
Under her leadership, the ANF has been a growing vibrant union, not only supporting and advancing the interest of its members, but a union that has fed into the policy debate of quality health care and a better society.
Ms Kearney takes on this role at a crucially important time for working Australians. In the upcoming Federal Election, the union movement will be running its, 'WorkChoices - whatever the name, never again' campaign.
The worst elements of WorkChoices, the removal of unfair dismissal protection and reintroduction of individual contracts (that last time cut thousands of workers’ pay and conditions) are back on the Coalition’s policy agenda.
With Ms Kearney's considerable campaign experience, the ACTU is well poised to stop Tony Abbott and the Coalition in their tracks.
We look forward to working with Ms Kearney along with other Australian unions in working for a better life – for all Australians.
Ged Kearney succeeds Sharan Burrow, who was recently elected unopposed as the first woman General Secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation.
We wish Ms Burrows well in new role, representing working across the globe.
The full announcement from ACTU Secretary Jeff Lawrence, can be found here (http://community.rightsatwork.com.au/Blogs/RAW-News/July-2010/Welcome-aboard-to-Ged-Kearney,-another-formidable-.aspx)