Union Songs

Solidarity Forever (2005)

Updated for the 2005 industrial relations battle

They seek to crush our spirit
Steal the workers' hard fought gains
Make us sign their dirty contracts
As the blood boils in our veins
We will fight them in the trenches
As we sing our grand refrain
That the union makes us strong

Chorus:
Solidarity forever
Solidarity forever
Solidarity forever
For the union makes us strong

The shearers struck for freedom
Back in 1891
For fair reward for effort
Beneath the burning sun
Exploited by the monied men
They all resolved as one
That the union makes us strong

And so was born our Party
The mighty ALP
To give to every worker
The right to bargain collectively
To be treated by the bosses
With respect and dignity
For the union makes us strong

The tories are determined
In their stinking zealotry
To cut the lowest wages
And remove the referee
To take away our rights at work
That we never more would see
But the union makes us strong

We will fight for workers' freedoms
And defeat our enemy
We will storm their feeble barricades
To secure our victory
The unions and our Party
In solidarity
For the union makes us strong

In achieving workers' freedoms
We will go to any length
We are of the union movement
As we grow from strength to strength
We've had nine years of Howard
Workers don't deserve a tenth
For the union makes us strong!

Notes

Australian Labor MP Craig Emerson emailed this with the comment:

"Comrades ... At the Greg Combet Progressive Essays dinner last Wednesday (02/11/2005) we
circulated updated words of Solidarity Forever for the 2005 industrial relations battle."

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union songs..........a selection by mark gregory