THE Australian Council of Trade Unions have taken their Change the Rules campaign to the marginal electorate of Forde ahead of a federal election due this year.
About 200 union workers attended the ACTU's election kickoff event at the Beenleigh Bowls Club on Monday, February 18.
ACTU president Michele O'Neil was quick to attack the federal Liberal-National government.
"People in Logan and the Gold Coast need good, secure jobs and fair pay rises but the Morrison government and big business are standing in the way of this. We are ready to take action to change the government and win more secure jobs and fair pay rises," she said.
QCU secretary Ros McLennan said job security and higher wages were important priorities to workers in Forde.
"Bosses have too much tower to shift risk onto workers through labour hire, sham contracting and casual work arrangements that fail to provide the security that local families need.
"The local Morrison government MP Bert van Manen voted eight times to cut penalty rates for workers in this area, at the same time as wanting to cut taxes on the big banks."
In reply, Forde MP Bert van Manen said no one voted against penalty rates.
"Secretary McLennan's assertion is false.... penalty rates were adjusted by the Fair Work Commission on a limited number of awards. The decision was made independent of Government by the Fair Work Commission as a result of a mandated review set up by Labor when they were previously in Government," he said.
"Through a strong economy, we have created over 1.2 million jobs, provided better job security and higher wages." The ACTU released ReachTel polling of 828 Forde residents conducted on March 5 to coincide with their election launch.
The polling found 77.9 per cent of voters approved or strongly approved of legislation to increase the minimum wage, 75.7 per cent approved or strongly approved of giving workers more rights and protections to improve job security and 66.1 per cent approved or strongly approved of legislation to protect penalty rates.
It also found 43.4 per cent of voters considered getting paid sick leave or holiday leave to be a top order issue.
Mr van Manen said he had fought off strong union campaigns in the past.
"There was a union presence during both the 2013 and the 2016 elections, they are simply part and parcel of the Labor Party," he said.
The electorate of Forde is held by the LNP on a wafer thin margin of 0.6 per cent.
Both sides of politics have thrown extensive resources at the ultra marginal seat.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced $130 million toward upgrades for the M1, Mount Lindesay Highway and Ipswich Motorway during a visit to Forde on February 1. In January, Opposition leader Bill Shorten visited Logan Hospital to announce $33.4 million for an urgent specialist care centre to ease pressure on the emergency department.
