The Australian Unions Support Centre provides free and confidential assistance and information for all workplace issues. We’re here to provide support, regardless of your job or industry. All Support Centre enquiries are 100% confidential.
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Imagine the furore and anger that would be unleashed in our newspapers and on talkback radio if workers on Australia’s wharfs decided to shut down the docks without warning.
Tasmanian workers earn on average $200 a week less than their counterparts on the mainland. That equates to a $10,000 year hole in Tasmanian pay packets.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2022/11/23/tassie-workers-demand-a-fair-pay-rise/
Despite 10 years of indifference and neglect from Liberal governments, union members in aged care have carried on tirelessly campaigning for decent wages and secure jobs in their sector, driven by their commitment to each other and those they care for.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2022/11/09/aged-care-pay-rise-a-big-win-but-theres-more-to-do/
“It’s really clear that the people who work at the ABC care deeply about it, and they want it to run properly. They want the ABC to be doing everything it’s supposed to be doing for the Australian public.”
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2022/11/02/media-workers-tell-the-abc-its-time-for-change/
When you’re adjusting your tray table and strapping your seat belt as your plane prepares to land, you assume that on the ground at the airport, there is a fully functioning firefighting team that meets all international standards and regulations ready and waiting. But that’s not always the case.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2022/10/28/aviation-fire-fighters-sound-the-alarm-on-safety/
It has been an absolute whirlwind of a year for workers across the country – and we still have a couple of months to go. Even though we had a massive Federal Election this year, it is still their everyday stories that keep us listening.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2022/10/19/on-the-job-reaches-100-episodes-and-still-not-out/
Do you ever ask yourself why your employer needs all that information about you and where it goes? What happens to it when you leave that job? Also, how much of that information is necessary to have in the first place?
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2022/10/18/not-ok-computer-why-workers-data-needs-protection/
This is a really important moment for CPSU members. We’ve been dealing with nearly a decade of the coalition bargaining approach across the public sector, and that’s included wage freezes, it’s held back wages growth, and it’s prohibited any improvement in conditions.
Paid pandemic leave was a result of union members coming together and making their voices heard in a time of crisis.
For hundred of thousands of Australians who work more than one job a week to try and make ends meet, there is never a time when they’ve truly knocked off work. Life is an endless and exhausting calendar juggle, mixing and matching shifts at different locations, on various days, at contrasting hours and for different…
Passion for your job can only take you so far though, so when your phone beeps late at night or you hear the ping of another email dropping into the inbox on the weekend, you start to wonder if it’s all worth it.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2022/09/21/why-the-right-to-disconnect-matters-to-workers/
The bad faith negotiation tactic from Tuftmasters was an attempt to erode wages and conditions that union members had bargained for over decades, such as a redundancy agreement that provided three weeks pay per year of service.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2022/09/14/tuftmasters-carpeted-by-union-win/
Joyce has tarnished Qantas’s image due to his treatment of workers. The CEO turned the tables against his own employees and stripped away everything that made Qantas so appealing in the first place.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2022/09/07/unions-call-for-joyces-departure-as-qantas-flounders/
“The parents at the centre I work at have been really supportive. They understand that you can’t pay the bills with love.”
“So if you’re living in pain, then you’ve got to make a decision about, ‘Well, I don’t have the savings. Where can I get the money from?’ Do you draw down on your mortgage? Or do you take money out of your superannuation? That’s really the only option that’s available to you.”
Challenging economic times call for bold thinking. So how about this for an idea? Imagine if Australia had an economy that worked for people, rather than one that exploited them.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2022/08/15/an-economy-that-serves-workers-id-like-to-see-that/
“Despite being in a high inflation environment, despite seeing the costs of everything going up, those settings would ordinarily point towards workers being able to get a decent increase in their wages, what we see is more money going towards profit, less money going towards workers pockets instead,” Dan Walton said.
“On the network, one person every day gets caught in the doors of one of our trains. That train is unsafe if it doesn’t have a guard to do a safety check before the train leaves the platform. What can start out as an inconvenience can very quickly and easily turn into a major incident.”
Australian workers struggling to pay their bills and feed their families had to absorb another blow on Wednesday as the inflation rate vaulted to levels not seen in decades.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2022/07/27/inflation-spirals-as-workers-wages-stall/
The RBA know it well. Profits, not wages, are the key driver of Australia’s inflation break out.
“What we need in this country is the cost of living crisis addressed through the wage packet. We need price caps on energy, and we need profits taken down a peg or two, because the people at the top of the economy, they’re having a disco”
When people say they need to help their communities in the face of climate disasters, we want our organisation to say, “What can we do to help?”
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2022/07/15/young-workers-lead-the-way-on-climate-change-leave/
Don’t mess with workers who are organised and unionised.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2022/07/12/workers-carpet-company-for-dud-deal/
Workers keeping NSW roads safe and functioning are too important to be allowed to strike – but not important enough to warrant a decent pay rise.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2022/07/07/essential-transport-workers-face-a-real-wage-cut/
The lines snaking along the roads outside Foodbank’s warehouses in Dandenong and Epping on Melbourne’s suburban edge say more than any politician or pundit could about the cost-of-living crisis working people are facing.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2022/07/05/foodbank-besieged-as-cost-of-living-crisis-bites/
The Wages and Ages: Mapping the Gender Pay Gap by Age data report shows that men out earn women across every generation.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2022/07/01/gender-pay-gap-remains-a-national-shame/
The net has started to close on big-tech companies who have denied their workers’ rights with sophisticated sham contracting, following a landmark workers compensation decision in Sydney. Xiaojun Chen died while delivering food for the Tech platform Hungry Panda. He has been recognised as an employee of the company under New South Wales workers’ compensation scheme.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2022/06/28/landmark-ruling-a-huge-win-for-gig-workers/
As many Australians workers feel the cold bite of winter, they’re struggling to understand why they might be facing blackouts and power cuts while trying to stay warm.
“Many workers have been traumatised by their pandemic experiences. Finally, there is now hope for them that they’ve been recognised for the contribution that they’ve made to this country.”
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2022/06/20/a-wage-rise-is-great-but-what-happens-now/
When politicians pull out the term “forgotten Australians” what are the chances that they’re referring to you?
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2022/06/17/who-are-the-forgotten-australians/
The FWC has decided to increase wages for a quarter of Australian workers – 5.2 per cent for those on the minimum wage and 4.6 per cent or $40 per week for those reliant on award wages, whichever is higher.
University of Sydney staff have taken strike action over the universities’ addiction to casualised work, endemic wage theft, overblown class sizes and workload blow outs.
Is the social contract in trouble? Yes according to Dartmouth College Emeritus Professor of Sociology John L. Campbell in this week’s On The Job. Campbell says that there is a warning that we must heed as we watch the rise of billionaires like Elon Musk. “Personal interest, from the standpoint of the super-rich, can get…
Rather than offering pay rises to attract workers, employer groups want to lock in a real wage cut. It seems there’s never a time for a pay rise according to the bosses and their lobbyists.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2022/06/09/wage-rises-business-groups-tell-workers-tough-luck/
Have you heard the one about how business can’t afford to give a pay rise? The truth is business has never had it so good…
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2022/06/06/business-claims-about-a-pay-rise-are-beyond-a-joke/
Most Australians think slavery has been consigned to the scrapheap of history. They’d be shocked to know that it is very much alive in this country.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2022/06/02/how-your-super-is-fighting-modern-slavery/
Teaching is a challenging and rewarding job, but for the first time since 2004, union members in Catholic schools stopped work for a full day to attend rallies and marches.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2022/05/30/catholic-school-staff-strike-for-better-education/
If Anthony Albanese is going to meet the promise of “no one left behind”, then Tasmania will be the litmus test.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2022/05/24/an-election-won-but-the-works-just-begun/
Tomorrow, working Australians have the opportunity to raise their voices through the power of the ballot box and demand change.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2022/05/20/the-moment-is-now-to-change-the-government/
Scott Morrison’s plan for working Australians has been made clear. You will save for a house or you will save for your retirement – but not both.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2022/05/16/morrisons-housing-plan-a-super-failure/
At a time when rampant price increases are decimating family budgets, the ACTU proposed increase is necessary for workers to make ends meet. Not that Morrison gives a stuff.
“There were some tragic stories. Many of us faced a financial crisis. They just threw us on the scrapheap with very little notice,” said the former Qantas employee.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2022/05/09/workers-stand-tall-to-clip-qantas-wings/
Another rise in the cost of living is the last thing Australian workers need, but it is exactly what the Morrison government has delivered.
For the first time, workers on Australia farm are guaranteed a minimum rate of pay for all workers who were until now paid “piece rates.”
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2022/05/02/minimum-pay-on-australian-farms-another-union-win/
It’s an appalling reality that a worker is killed on the job once every two days in this country. That is one of the shocking findings of a new ACTU report into the work, health and safety failings that have occurred under the Morrison Government.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2022/04/28/morrison-missing-on-worker-safety/
“This is absolutely about our priorities as a country. Older Australians are the ones who built this country who came before us and who made life a little bit easier for us. We should be making life a bit easier for them.”
When it comes to reducing workers’ pay and conditions, stripping workers of a voice, reducing the power to bargain for a better deal, Morrison is obsessive.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2022/04/20/scott-morrisons-war-on-workers-is-far-from-over/
A new report from the ACTU called ‘Missing In Action on Secure Jobs’ has presented a damning indictment of the Morrison Government and its reckless indifference to creating decent, secure jobs for Australians.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2022/04/11/election-2022-so-much-on-the-line-for-workers/
When the price tags on the new shirt you’re about to buy seem too good to be true, that’s because they probably are. What you hold in your hands could well be the product of modern slavery.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2022/04/08/making-sure-were-not-dressed-in-modern-slavery/
Australian workers are grappling with the triple whammy of the soaring cost of living, flat wages growth and the prevalence of precarious work. It’s a dangerous economic equation that has seen many workers tumbling through the trapdoor into unmanageable debt.
Funny that. After nine years of keeping wage growth low, the Coalition Government have suddenly realised that people with empty pockets aren’t so easily convinced with their economic wand-waving and empty gestures.
Australian workers don’t need a pay out, they need a pay rise, something that this government has steadfastly refused to make happen over the last nine years.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2022/03/28/dont-buy-morrisons-budget-bribes/
Nine years of wage stagnation, rising cost of living and a gender pay gap are just as the Morrison Government intended.
“The economy is work. The economy is workers. Until we put them at the centre of this future building of our economy, we’re not going to solve this problem,” Dr Dean says.
Scott Morrison’s Government is trying to establish a new Agriculture Visa for migrant workers which would once again lock in a culture of underpayment and exploitation of migrant workers in Australia.
“There’s a high level of casualisation in the workforce there, insecure work, and I think unless people have got something to connect them to their employer, many are going to think – I’m just going to go.”
Morrison’s circus routine means he isn’t talking about the issues that are really hurting Australian workers: Job security, wages growth and the cost of living.
There has been lots of flowery prose and tributes delivered to frontline women workers, but applause and pats on the back don’t pay the bills, according to Ms O’Neil.
It’s about helping community groups in areas that have been completely impacted, where houses have been shattered.
If we can get the local dance school up and running or tennis facility or hockey field or scout group going it gives people a bit of hope.
After two years of a punishing pandemic, a failed vaccine roll-out, a staffing disaster that required the intervention of the ADF, and the incompetence of federal minister Richard Colebeck who’d rather spend his time at the cricket than do his job, the aged care sector is on its knees.
Claudia believes Honey Birdette needs to be held to the standards they themselves have sold to the public.
“They say they are still empowering women by providing a safe place to shop for their products. They’re less about empowering women, more about empowering women to buy their products.”
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2022/03/01/honey-birdette-selling-empowerment-trading-in-sexism/
There was no strike. This was a shutdown and lockout of the workforce by bosses and the NSW government.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2022/02/23/get-the-real-story-on-the-sydney-train-shutdown/
Amazon Flex drivers will now be the first in the world to enjoy enforceable rates of pay along with rights to dispute resolution, union representation and collective bargaining.
“We don’t have a choice about if we are going to be exposed to COVID or not if we are in receipt of daily care.”
“These things all fit together. If we’re going to fix the gender pay gap, if we’re going to make women more equal, we have got to have a commitment to free universal childcare and change the laws so that we can get proper recognition for the skills and jobs that women do.”
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2022/02/14/jumping-the-gender-pay-gap-still-a-leap-too-far/
“The removal of the threshold is a critical step in closing the gender gap in superannuation, and one which has been promised and re-promised by this government for almost 12 months,” Michele O’Neil said.
“The time for action is well overdue.”
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2022/02/10/nows-the-time-for-the-super-threshold-to-go/
Another worker told the inquiry that in one 64-hour work week his wage totalled $100 and that he had to share a kitchen with 60 other workers.
“We contribute a lot in this economy, we need fairness, you should treat us like Australians,” another worker told the Senate Committee.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2022/02/08/exploitation-still-the-main-harvest-for-visa-workers/
What price for the vote of an aged care worker? For an increasingly desperate Scott Morrison, it would seem it’s a paltry $400.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2022/02/03/400-for-your-vote-aged-care-workers-say-no/
When speaking with On the Job, Whiting was quick to point out that several Australian companies were already producing RATs, but had shifted their manufacturing offshore to North America and Europe due to lack of government support.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2022/01/31/making-our-own-rats-id-like-to-see-that/
When you’re at work, it’s the little things you look forward to that can get you through the day. That cup of tea and a biscuit mid-morning to clear your head, or that coffee you’ve promised yourself later in the afternoon that will help you get to the finish line for another day. Those breaks…
It has been another uneasy summer for teachers around much of Australia. Having navigated nearly two years of challenging online learning, teachers watched as the Omicron variant sent COVID-19 infections through the roof, making a return to the classroom in 2022 a challenging proposition. “This was the time of the year when teachers and principals…
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2022/01/24/are-back-to-school-covid-rules-protecting-workers/
Of course, it was all smirk and mirrors, and as we head into the third year of an increasingly gruelling pandemic, Australian workers are under no illusions about whether the Prime Minister is putting their health and safety first.
Well, that’s another year that can get in the bin!
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2021/12/09/2021-another-year-that-showed-union-values-matter/
Alice Leung is devoted to her job as a science teacher at a school in Sydney’s inner west.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2021/12/06/why-teachers-in-nsw-are-striking-today/
There are some things that are easy to understand. Like the simple principle that you if two people are doing the same job they should get the same pay.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2021/12/02/ending-the-labour-hire-racket/
The world of work will never be quite the same after the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. How it will look and what impact it will have on workers is still to be determined.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2021/11/29/making-our-workplaces-safe-is-a-race/
The Prime Minister has managed a unique feat in creating a piece of history by doing as little as he possibly can.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2021/11/22/scott-morrisons-great-strollout/
In one fell swoop, the king of spin has decreed that our weekends are safe from the tyranny of electric vehicles (EV’s).
Sending a parcel in the mail and expecting it to arrive on time has become a set and forget ritual for millions of Australians. As we approach Christmas, we could all be in for a rude shock as global supply chains buckle under the strain of a post-pandemic restart. It’s not just customers who are…
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2021/11/08/workers-deliver-a-message/
Clothing giant Country Road has had itself a good pandemic. The ubiquitous fashion company likes to project itself as being the height of domestic sophistication, neat, dignified and considerate. The truth is that this company that made bumper profits amidst COVID-19 online shopping boom is none of those things when it comes to looking after…
As many parts of Australia head toward the 80% target of double COVID-19 vaccination for eligible people, a sense of excitement is building for a life free of long lockdowns and pandemic restrictions that have disrupted so many lives. At the same time, reaching that vaccination benchmark is a source of real anxiety for hundreds…
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2021/10/28/the-pandemic-trap-secure-jobs/
Queensland LNP Senator Matt Canavan is a great pretender. The economics graduate, whose career path led him to Canberra and a gig at the Productivity Commission loves engaging in dress ups with a high vis top on and coal dust on his face. This is our newest rendition of the fake tradie. There he is…
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2021/10/25/queenslands-great-insecure-work-plague-exposed/
Clothes can say a lot about a person, but they can also reveal a lot about who made them too.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2021/10/22/ethical-shopping-workers/
Meet one of the frontline workers getting us through this Pandemic; veteran registered Nurse Michael Dawes.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2021/10/18/michael-dawes-on-the-job/
This pandemic is not over – and nor is the economic hardship that millions of Australian workers are facing as 2021 draws to a close. Scott Morrison’s decision to tether the removal of disaster payments for affected workers to when a jurisdiction reaches 80% of eligible people being fully vaccinated is certain to leave many…
As NSW opens up, already battle-weary healthcare workers are feeling anxious about what it could mean for them, writes Francis Leach
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2021/10/11/nurses-face-the-unknown/
With workplace mental health risks on the rise, Fracis Leach asks ACTU Assistant Secretary Liam O’Brien how workers can protect themselves.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2021/10/08/protect-mental-health-at-work/
Healthcare workers share their stories of working on COVID-19 frontline as our hospitals fight to keep on top of the wave of infections.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2021/10/05/healthcare-workers-covid-stories/
A new visa arrangement for farmworkers threatens to further exploiit workers in the agriculture sector, writes Francis Leach
A paramedic shares what it’s like working on the frontline of a pandemic, and how the support of his coworkers and union are getting him through.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2021/09/27/on-the-frontline-paramedic/
Unions are about coming together to build fairer and safer future for all, not the ugly scenes witnessed in Melbourne this week, writes Francis Leach
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2021/09/22/unions-thats-not-us-this-is/
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit the city of Shepparton in late August, unions rallied to help a community in need, writes Francis Leach
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2021/09/21/unions-rallied-for-the-city-of-shepparton/
The aged care system faces uncertainty as the deadline for mandatory vaccination of aged care workers expires today, writes Francis Leach.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2021/09/17/aged-care-workers-face-staff-shortages/
With one in five jobs lost across the sector, urgent help is needed to save Australia’s universities, writes Francis Leach
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2021/09/14/how-can-we-save-our-university-sector/
From Respect@Work legislation to the Women’s Summit, Morrison is all talk and no action when it comes to women’s safety, writes Francis Leach
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2021/09/10/womens-safety-no-action-from-scott-morrison/
As the Morrison Government defends big business’ $30 billion rort of JobKeeper, it’s up to working people to take a stand, writes Francis Leach.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2021/09/06/rort-nation-why-its-on-us-to-fight-for-change/
Amidst the tumult of the COVID19 crisis, Australian families were given a glimpse of what a transformation to their lives – universal and affordable early childhood education – could bring.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2021/09/02/early-education-and-childcare/
Australians have never been more dependent on the hard work and diligence of transport workers, writes Francis Leach
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2021/08/30/vital-transport-workers-take-a-stand-for-secure-work/
The power of unions has been on display as ASU members rally to help diability workers reach vaccination targets, writes Francis Leach
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2021/08/27/asu-vaccination-campaign/
Parliament is getting set to ratify the RCEP trade deal, but at what cost to human rights, writes Francis Leach
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2021/08/23/australias-latest-trade-deal/
Contrary to misconceptions, Australia’s health and care sector is still facing a vaccine crisis, writes Francis Leach
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2021/08/20/workers-facing-vaccine-crisis/
This week on On the Job, guests from the IMO discuss the 250,000 seafarers stranded by COVID-19 travel restrictions, and thier efforts to support them.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2021/08/18/the-pandemics-forgotten-seafarers/
COVID-19 has continued to expose vast inequalities, drawing back the curtain on who we really are as a nation and what we stand for, writes Francis Leach
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2021/08/17/the-fair-go-is-all-but-gone/
The latest IPCC report has shown that time is running out. Now is the time for bold and urgent action towards net zero emmisions, writes Francis Leach
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2021/08/12/climate-clock-nears-midnight/
When demand outsrips supply, mandating vaccines for workers is not the key to a successful vaccine rollout, writes Francis Leach
A High Court ruling rubs salt in the wounds of casual workers already vulnerable to the Morrison’s attacks on secure jobs, writes Francis Leach
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2021/08/05/high-court-falls-for-morrisons-insecure-work-scam/
Journalist and host of Primer podcast Alex Press joins On the Job to discuss the worker exploitation fuelling the billionaire space race.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2021/08/04/billionaire-space-race/
In a watershed moment for all Australian workers, union members have taken on Qantas and won back their outsourced jobs, writes Francis Leach
The PM must put aside magical thinking and act now protect workers from the econmic realities they face, writes Francies Leach
Teachers are paying a high price their committment to their jobs as unsustainable workloads overwhelm the profession, writes Francis Leach
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2021/07/27/teachers-paying-the-price/
Australian farm’s dirty secrets about worker exploitation currently being challenged in the Fair Work Commission, writes Francis Leach
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2021/07/22/australian-farms-dirty-secrets-exposed/
Recently retired mine worker Rob Foot speaks with On the Job about the damaging effect of labour hire on mining communities.
When it comes to Respect @ Work for women, Australia needs urgent and decisive action not spin and rhetoric, writes Francis Leach
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2021/07/19/time-to-act-on-respect-work/
The inequalities that existed before COVID-19 are widening as workers in insecure jobs suffer the worst of the pandemic, writes Francis Leach
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2021/07/16/the-war-against-covid-is-also-a-fight-for-equality/
American journalist and author Sarah Jaffe spoke with On the Job about how ‘doing what you love’ can be a recipe for worker exploitation.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2021/07/14/work-wont-love-you-back/
Being employed at an Australian university has become a poverty trap for thousands of workers across the country, writes Francis Leach
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2021/07/12/australian-universities-casualisation-must-end/
Workers in insecure work continue to pay the price for the Morrison Government’s vaccination mess, writes Francis Leach
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2021/07/08/meet-the-workers-paying-the-price-for-morrisons-mess/
Interpreter Giuseppina Pungitore spoke with On the Job about the vital work of interpreters and the professional challenges they face.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2021/07/07/interpreters-covid-and-the-importance-of-being-heard/
While new anti-wage theft legistlation is welcomed, restoring union rights is what will stop it in its track, writes Francis Leach
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2021/07/05/restoring-union-rights-is-the-way-to-stop-wage-theft/
Successful strike action taken by General Mills workers in Sydney has shown what is possible when workers stand united, writes Francis Leach.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2021/07/01/general-mills-workers-show-the-fight-is-worth-it/
Unions call for an immediate reinstatement of JobKeeper as workers pay the price for another lockdown, writes Francis Leach
Underemployment report shows employment figures aren’t reflecting the economic reality for millions of Australians, writes Francis Leach
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2021/06/25/australias-forgotten-people-the-underemployed/
ACTU President Michele O’Neil spoke with On the Job about why resisting the Government’s plans to dismantle superannuation is so important.
With new super laws threatening retirement savings, staying on top of your super fund has never been more important, writes Francis Leach
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2021/06/22/do-you-know-your-super-balance-heres-why-you-need-to/
A free trade agreement with the UK may leave workers vulnerable to exploitation, writes Francis Leach
Ed Husic and Labor are preparing for tomorrow’s work today, and the steps we need to put in place as we come out of a pandemic
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2021/06/16/how-to-prepare-for-our-working-future-today/
Superannuation is under attack again as the ‘Your Future, Your Super’ legislation reaches the Senate, writes Francis Leach
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2021/06/15/war-on-super-hinges-on-senate-vote/
Morrison must do more as a rent crisis emerges and the pandemic continues to wreck havoc on those without job security, writes Francis Leach.
Author and anti-inequality Ben Phillips spoke with On the Job about how people, not government, are the key to ending inequality.
According to a new decision by the Fair Work Commision, putting on PPE should be done on work time, not personal time, writes Francis Leach.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2021/06/07/wearing-ppe-at-work-is-part-of-the-job/
The campaign to undermine Australia’s world class retirement savings program that most of us call “Super” is continuing in Parliament, writes Francis Leach.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2021/06/03/the-liberals-great-super-con-goes-on/
Can people with a disability achieve equality in the workplace? Sam Connor is fighting for their rights in a pandemic economy.
In a display of incompetance and indifference, the Morrison Government has abandoned workers needing assistance, writes Francis Leach
Another lockdown has again exposed how the insecure work economy is hurting workers, writes Francis Leach
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2021/05/28/insecure-workers-punished-as-lockdown-strikes-again/
Former Treasurer Wayne Swan tells On The Job his take on the state of the Australian economy and the issues facing workers today.
It’s say one thing, do another as the Government banks on consumer spending for our recovery while arguing against a pay rise for workers.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2021/05/24/frydenbergs-economic-strategy/
A landmark ruling has changed the game for gig workers and the tech-giant platforms like Deliveroo and Uber Eats, who try to exploit them, writes Francis Leach.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2021/05/19/deliveroo-decision-changes-the-game-for-workers/
Award-winning journalist Ginger Gorman joined On the Job to discuss the plethora of problems journalists face in today’s media landscape.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2021/05/19/is-journalism-in-australia-under-threat/
The Morrison Government’s obsession with wage suppression is now threatening Australia’s economic recovery, writes Francis Leach.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2021/05/17/josh-frydenbergs-wages-trap/
While Australian workers face a job security crisis, Frydenberg delivers a budget focused on one thing – the re-election of the Morrison government.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2021/05/12/self-serving-budget-leaves-workers-out-in-the-cold/
ACTU Assistant Secretary Liam O’Brien talks to On the Job about the urgent need to better protect workers from mental health injuries.
From ‘Back in Black’ to ‘Lifters and Leaners’, get your bingo cards out as we run through some of the infamous hits of past Liberal budgets.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2021/05/10/liberal-party-budget-bingo/
Australian workers are being pushed to breaking point – we need better legal protections for our mental health.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2021/05/06/time-to-make-mental-health-at-work-matter/
Economist Professor Ross Garnaut tells On the Job that while the economy may be coming out of some of its darkest days, we shouldn’t be happy to return to the status quo.
US President Joe Biden had used his first speech to Congress to tell the world what we already know – unions improve the lives of workers, their families and communities. Will the Morrison government catch on?
The Australia Club exposed as another business that increased its profits during the pandemic while drawing on millions of your tax dollars.
May Day is a celebration of the solidarity and achievements of workers’ movements. What is its back story and what is Australia’s unique role in the history of May Day?
ACTU President Michele O’Neil to call for a fair and inclusive plan for economic recovery in her address to the National Press Club on April 27
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2021/04/26/actu-president-to-keep-the-heat-on-morrison/
National Assistant Secretary of the AWU Misha Zelinsky joins On the Job this week to discuss how Labor and the union movement can better connect with working Australians to win the next election.
RMIT Professor of Work, Gender & Regulation Sara Charlesworth says rather than a decrease in sexual harassment, evidence suggests “it is just as prevalent, if not more prevalent.”
National Manager of Ethical Clothing Australia Angela Bell says fashion companies and major conglomerates have created an industry of low cost, disposable fashion at the expense of workers.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2021/04/15/supporting-workers-with-the-clothes-on-your-back/
Food delivery tech operator Menulog has finally come around to what Unions have been saying for years – that its contracted riders and drivers should be considered employees and given the same rights and entitlements as other workers.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2021/04/14/workers-rights-finally-on-the-menu/
As it becomes increasingly difficult for workers to switch off, unions are pushing for the “right to disconnect” after work hours.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2021/04/12/remember-when-knocking-off-work-meant-just-that/
The world’s largest online retailer, Amazon, is not phased by much, but when workers at one of its biggest warehouses in the United States started to organise to join a union, the tech shopping monster lost the plot. US-based journalist Jessa Crispin joins On the Job this week to discuss the campaign by Amazon workers and the company’s attempts to silence critics.
The IMF has released its latest Fiscal Monitor Report calling for continued and sustained government spending to stave off the catastrophic economic consequences for working people if government stimulus ends too quickly – but the Morrison government still doesn’t get it.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2021/04/07/the-imf-gets-it-so-why-doesnt-scott-morrison/
Financial journalist and commentator, Michael Pascoe, says the proposed withdrawal of Government stimulus over the next three years is going to be ‘genuinely scary’.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2021/04/01/frightening-times-ahead-with-end-of-jobkeeper/
It seems someone has poked the Amazon bear.
The online retail behemoth likes to present itself as a consumer nirvana ¬ all good vibes, with its “fulfilment centres” and promises of giving you whatever you want, whenever you want it.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2021/03/31/amazon-gets-cranky-as-workers-get-organised/
Alexander Roxbrough has done a lot of kilometres on his bike. In his four years as a Deliveroo rider, he’s knocked on thousands of doors all over Sydney delivering meals to hungry customers.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2021/03/29/investors-are-saying-no-to-deliveroo-heres-why/
Continued wage theft has been waved through by the Morrison Government after it scrapped its own legislation to deal with the issue last week.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2021/03/25/morrison-government-green-lights-wage-theft/
Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) Assistant Secretary, Liam O’Brien, says vaccination is the “only ethical way that we move beyond the pandemic.”
What is it about the Morrison Government and its continued attempts to sabotage Australia’s superannuation system?
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2021/03/22/whats-with-the-liberals-obsession-with-your-super/
A year ago this week, the World Health Organisation (WHO) made an announcement we never imagined would happen in our lifetime – the outbreak of a global pandemic.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2021/03/18/covid-19-a-year-on-our-plan-for-a-better-australia/
Journalist and media advocate Karen Percy says when it comes to dealing with sexual harassment in the workplace, “it’s time for men to stand up”.
An immediate and comprehensive overhaul of the system is literally a matter of life and death for tens of thousands of Australians living in aged care.
Performer and producer Maeve Marsden said it has been a tentative return for many in the arts industry post the pandemic shut down.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2021/03/12/risk-far-from-over-for-the-arts-industry/
A federal Senate inquiry will today hear that the Government’s proposed Industrial Relations Omnibus Bill will be a disaster for workers who are already struggling to make ends meet amidst the worst economic downturn this century.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2021/03/11/wage-theft-back-if-ir-bill-passes/
The COVID-19 recession has been an economic calamity for millions of Australian women and its impact on their financial wellbeing could linger for decades to come according to a new report released by the Grattan Institute.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2021/03/09/women-hit-hard-by-covid-recession/
Like most women, speaker and journalist Meggie Palmer felt frustrated when confronted with gender pay gap data. But within the disheartening stats, she also saw possibility.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2021/03/05/closing-the-gender-pay-gap-theres-an-app-for-that/
When it comes to looking after our elders, Australia simply must do better.
That was the powerful theme that emerged from the report from the Royal Com-mission into aged care released on Monday.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2021/03/02/aged-care-report-demands-swift-reforms/
Australian dinner plates are carrying an uncomfortable secret.
The abundance of high quality, relatively cheap fruit and vegetables that we are serving up at mealtimes comes at a much higher price to those whose job it is to harvest it.
Hospo Voice activist Grace Dowling has a clear message when it comes to sexual harassment in the workplace, “Just because it’s everywhere, just because it’s common, just because it’s rife, doesn’t mean it’s fine.”
Writer and academic Professor Catherine Lumby says shifting workplace cultures of sexual harassment is “a very, very long historical process.”
Is the jig finally up for the gig economy?
Last week’s landmark ruling in the British Supreme Court that Uber drivers in the UK were employees rather than sole contractors may have kicked a giant hole in the low pay, no responsibility business model that the tech giant and others like it have relied upon.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2021/02/24/uk-uber-ruling-a-huge-win-for-workers/
Ange Roper is struggling to make ends meet.
She lost her gig, one built upon insecure working hours and no job security, and suddenly things looked very bleak.
It means making heartbreaking decisions about your kids that no parent wants to make.
Senior Associate at Maurice Blackburn Lawyers Patrick Turner joined On the Job with Francis Leach & Sally Rugg this week to discuss some of the legal questions around working from home.
Remember, “We’re all in this together”?
That was Scott Morrison’s slogan of the week at the start of the COVID19 pandemic in 2020.
As a wise person once told me, it’s more important to watch what they do, not just what they say. In the case of our current Federal Government, what they’re doing is attempting to erode workers’ pay and conditions.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2021/02/12/opinion-scott-morrisons-same-tired-old-song/
After spending time abroad working on solar energy projects in early 2000s, Lucinana Giangiordano decided to return to Australia to set up his own solar company, but it wasn’t the simple transition he had hoped for.
Australia’s industry superannuation system is a national treasure that has delivered generations of workers a decent and secure retirement.
Liberals like MP Tim Wilson and his gang of like-minded, free market zealots remain fixated on destroying it.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2021/02/09/opinion-the-truth-behind-the-liberals-war-on-super/
Australia has the potential to create 76,000 new clean energy jobs in regions hardest hit by COVID-19, according to researcher for the Climate Council, Dr Simon Bradshaw.
A long-time climate action campaigner, Dr Bradshaw spoke with On the Job with Francis Leach & Sally Rugg about the economic opportunities of a transition to clean energy.
It seems Scott Morrison can’t help himself.
As he races toward the economic cliff created by the impact of the COVD-19 pandemic he’s asked himself, “Shall we keep going”? Rather than slamming on the brakes and guiding Australia’s workers to safety, he’s determined to take us over the edge.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2021/02/04/opinion-wrong-way-go-back-scott-morrison/
Navigating the dangers of a global pandemic is not the only threat that Australian workers and their families have to deal with in 2021.
They are also faced with a threat to their job security and livelihoods posed by Scott Morrison’s proposed new workplace laws.
Director of the Young Workers Centre, Felicity Sowerbutts, says the Morrison Government’s newly introduced Industrial Relations laws are a “kick in the guts” for already vulnerable young workers.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2020/12/17/new-ir-laws-a-kick-in-the-guts-for-young-workers/
This episode; a Victorian Aboriginal owned social enterprise that is a dynamic fashion label managed by health professionals and the Federal Government’s latest industrial relations bill.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2020/12/13/clothing-the-gap-and-the-new-2/
This episode; a Victorian Aboriginal owned social enterprise that is a dynamic fashion label managed by health professionals and the Federal Government’s latest industrial relations bill.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2020/12/13/clothing-the-gap-and-the-new-3/
We travel to Canberra to talk with Chief Economist and former Executive Director of The Australia Institute, the well known and hugely insightful Richard Denniss.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2020/12/07/richard-denniss-on-the-job-ahead-and-sally-mcmanus/
Economic writer for The Guardian Australia, Greg Jericho, says despite reports of an economic bounce back, the post-pandemic economy is a “horror show”.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2020/12/04/insecure-work-creating-economic-horror-show/
Shadow Minister for Education and Training, the Hon Tanya Plibersek MP says Australians deserve a “better normal” for the sacrifices made during the pandemic including jobs “that are secure with decent pay and conditions”.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2020/12/02/a-better-normal-after-covid-19/
Shadow Minister for Education and Training, the Hon.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2020/11/30/investment-in-renewable-energy-a-no-brainer/
There’s a new book, very questionable conditions for food delivery drivers, Sally’s found some low-stress jobs and we chat to Greg Jericho about changing employment thanks to Covid-19.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2020/11/30/tanya-plibersek-stressful-jobs-christmas-and-greg/
On Saturday 14 October, Australia will have the opportunity to vote in a once-in-a-generation referendum. The question is a simple one and proposes a modest change to our constitution – to recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the practical form of a Voice to Parliament.
Yesterday the inquiry into Price Gouging and Unfair Pricing Practices commenced in Melbourne, convened by economist and former ACCC chair Professor Allan Fels and commissioned by the ACTU.
