A TOP Victorian union leader wants Cathy McGowan to support workers rather than pose for selfies.
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The independent MP for Indi was criticised by Victorian Trades Hall Council secretary Luke Hilakari at a rally in Wodonga on Wednesday.
“Cathy McGowan needs to stand with working people,” Mr Hilakari told unionists at Woodland Grove.
“You can’t put up all this fancy stuff on Facebook, all these wonderful selfies and yet vote against local workers right here receiving penalty rates.
“For many working people that was a cut of $2000 to $4000.”
More than 100 unionists with health, trades, education, emergency service and factory ties joined the rally and a subsequent northward march on High Street to Ms McGowan’s office.
The event was part of a national Change The Rules campaign which is aimed at lifting job security and pay for workers.
A placard signed at the rally was presented to Ms McGowan’s chief of staff Di Thomas, with the MP in Canberra for parliament.
In a statement, Ms McGowan said she would seek to meet union delegates’ request to meet her before May 21.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull also came under fire.
While marching along the group chanted: “Malcolm Turnbull thinks we’re fools – throw him out and change the rules.”
Mr Hilakari called the federal budget a “disgrace”, while Albury deputy mayor and Greens party member Amanda Cohn blasted its priorities.
“We’ve just had a federal budget that is going to spend more on a statue of Captain Cook than domestic violence,” Dr Cohn said.
“You can’t make this stuff up.”
Dr Cohn said she would be donating her tax cut to organisations helping the needy and handed over a $10 note at the end of her speech to North East and Border Trades and Labour Council secretary Chip Eling.
Other speakers included Kiewa dairy plant delegate Andrew ‘Snags’ Cameron, defence contractor Broadspectrum union organiser Alan Grant, Charles Sturt University academic Helen Masterman-Smith and National Union of Workers member Gary Wohlhagen.
“If the unions don’t stick together and change the rules then insecure jobs will go more and more and more,” Mr Wohlhagen said.
“We’ve heard that from defence, we’re heard that from the universities, we’ve heard it from the hospitals.
“We need to change the rules.”
