So who is engaging in thuggery?
Remember those ridiculous big business-sponsored ads showing three thugs (supposed to represent union members) switching the lights off at a dress-maker store? Needless to say that militant unions and textile industry (especially small tailor shops) are not a realistic combination. In fact, somewhat ludicrously, one of the purported "union thugs" is wearing a CFMEU symbol - it is hard to see how CFMEU would be involved in dress-making shops, but obviously there is not need for reality in the favourite past-time of big business and Howard government - constructing union activists as thugs.
But with this ad the big-business sponsors have shown a closer associated with thugs than the union officials they are keen to defame. The Age reports that two of the three actors in the ad are real life criminals, convicted of a host of offences, including drugs, dishonesty crimes and sexual crimes against under-age girls.
The ad was pulled after the identity of these "actors" was revealed, but it has served its purpose - showing that the big business unions may well have closer association with thuggery than the unions that defend workers' rights. This is yet another embarrassment in the WorkChoices advertising campaign: a little while ago an ad had to be discontinued when it was discovered that actor in the ad ripped off his workers to the tune of about $13K and is now being prosecuted. Perhaps it is just too hard to get honest actors who could even pretend to support the Howard government's unfair workplace laws.
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