The International Metalworkers’ Federation (IMF) General Secretary, Jyrki Raina, is encouraging Australian workers to organise globally to tackle key issues such as job security and climate change.

Mr Raina, the newly elected IMF leader, is in Australia and has met with key officials from the AMWU and other unions, as well as delegates and members and government ministers.

At a meeting of Qantas delegates in Sydney, Mr Raina said that confronting issues at a global level was key if working people were to achieve lasting success.

“We must have a global counterweight to the major companies in the world. We must build cross border networks in the major trans-national companies and when there is trouble, be able to organise solidarity quickly.”

Mr Raina cited an example at Toshiba, where the involvement of Japanese unions had been able to help bring the company back to the negotiating table in Indonesia.

The IMF is also running a major campaign to tackle the rise of casual and insecure (precarious) work, which the AMWU is supporting.

“We have seen precarious employment really exploding in all parts of the world. In the industrialised countries it means temporary and agency work, part-time arrangements, which makes it easy for companies, but it means lack of social protection and insecurity for workers. In developing countries the situation is even worse because there are no social safety nets so it means that if you are a precarious worker you don’t have healthcare, you don’t have a pension, you don’t have social protection or anything.”

In October, AMWU members will join unionists from all over the world and take part in a week of action against precarious work, calling for better legislation, improving collective agreements and also working across borders in multi-national companies.