Social Justice

Migrant workers take a stand against gendered workplace violence

Date Published: 21/02/2024
Category: Campaign Social Justice

Twelve migrant women workers are suing their employer, Perfection Fresh, for failing to provide a safe working environment and enabling sexual harassment.

https://www.australianunions.org.au/2024/02/21/migrant-workers-take-a-stand-against-gendered-workplace-violence/

Medicare 40th Anniversary

Date Published: 02/02/2024
Category: Social Justice Working Life

It’s thanks to the dedication of unionists over many years that we have Medicare today. 

https://www.australianunions.org.au/2024/02/02/medicare-40th-anniversary/

Cost of living bonus for all working people

Date Published: 25/01/2024
Category: Politics and Big Business Social Justice Working Life

Good news – the Albanese government’s new tax-cut plan will provide cost-of-living relief for those who desperately need it most: Australian workers and their families.

https://www.australianunions.org.au/2024/01/25/cost-of-living-bonus-for-working-people/

Beyond the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence

Date Published: 07/12/2023
Category: Social Justice Women Working Life

Today is Human Rights Day, and the final day of 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, a global campaign held every year.

https://www.australianunions.org.au/2023/12/07/beyond-the-16-days-of-activism-against-gender-based-violence/

Shocking stories from the frontline of the Price Gouging Inquiry

Date Published: 15/11/2023
Category: Politics and Big Business Social Justice Working Life

The final hearing for the Inquiry into price gouging and unfair pricing practices – chaired by Professor Allan Fels AO – wrapped up in Canberra yesterday, with the Inquiry report to be released later this year.

https://www.australianunions.org.au/2023/11/15/shocking-stories-from-the-front-line-of-the-price-gouging-inquiry/

Australians agree: big business have too much power

Date Published: 14/11/2023
Category: Politics and Big Business Social Justice Working Life

Reckon big business have too much power?

You’re not alone – nearly two thirds of Australians think so too.

https://www.australianunions.org.au/2023/11/14/australians-agree-big-business-have-too-much-power/

There’s nothing spookier than a Big Business scare campaign

Date Published: 31/10/2023
Category: Politics and Big Business Social Justice Working Life

Happy Halloween to the Big Business lobby groups who for months have been telling spooky stories about why we can’t close the loopholes.  The truth: They’re scared of what will happen to their mega profits if they have to pay people properly.  Let’s take a look at the downright lunacy of Big Business scare campaigns….

https://www.australianunions.org.au/2023/10/31/theres-nothing-spookier-than-a-big-business-scare-campaign/

Once upon a time in America…

Date Published: 06/10/2023
Category: Social Justice Working Life

We extend our solidarity and congratulations to every unionist on the Hollywood writers’ strike picket line, who have achieved a provisional deal following a 146-day strike – one of the longest writers’ strikes in US history. 

https://www.australianunions.org.au/2023/10/06/once-upon-a-time-in-america/

It’s time to listen by saying “Yes”

Date Published: 26/09/2023
Category: Campaign First Nations Workers Alliance Social Justice

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.

https://www.australianunions.org.au/2023/09/26/its-time-to-listen-by-saying-yes/

The Allan Fels Inquiry into Price Gouging kicks off in Melbourne

Date Published: 22/09/2023
Category: Politics and Big Business Social Justice Working Life

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.

https://www.australianunions.org.au/2023/09/22/the-allan-fels-inquiry-into-price-gouging-kicks-off-in-melbourne/

Qantas high court ruling in favour of workers

Date Published: 18/09/2023
Category: Campaign Politics and Big Business Rights at Work Social Justice

In a historic victory for unionists and workers, the Federal Court’s ruling was upheld: Qantas are responsible for the largest case of illegal sackings in Australia’s history, and it’s time for them to take responsibility.

https://www.australianunions.org.au/2023/09/18/qantas-high-court-ruling-in-favour-of-workers/

It’s time to hold big business to account

Date Published: 22/08/2023
Category: Politics and Big Business Social Justice

From food to petrol to electricity to flights: prices everywhere are skyrocketing. As are corporate profits and executive salaries and bonuses.

https://www.australianunions.org.au/2023/08/22/its-time-to-hold-big-business-to-account/

How employers get away with stealing wages

Date Published: 15/06/2023
Category: Social Justice Wages

With two-thirds of workers in Australia having experienced wage theft, chances are it could be happening in your industry too.

https://www.australianunions.org.au/2023/06/15/how-employers-get-away-with-stealing-wages/

Do Millennials and Gen Z really have it that tough?

Date Published: 21/04/2023
Category: Social Justice Wages Working Life

They grew up during the Global Financial Crisis, survived a decade of conservative governments, and now are well and truly adults. Millennials are thirty, flirty and so not thriving.  

https://www.australianunions.org.au/2023/04/21/do-millennials-and-gen-z-really-have-it-that-tough/

Yes! Unions for a Voice to Parliament

Date Published: 03/03/2023
Category: Campaign Social Justice

ACTU Indigenous Officer Lara Watson joined us on The Bulletin this week, to share what a win for “Yes” in the upcoming Voice to Parliament referendum would mean for her as a proud Birri Gubba woman.  Later this year, the Australian public – some for their first ever voting experience – will be asked if…

https://www.australianunions.org.au/2023/03/03/yes-unions-for-a-voice-to-parliament/

Pinkwashing examples that take the (rainbow) cake

Date Published: 22/02/2023
Category: Social Justice Working Life

Here are some examples to help you figure out what is genuinely queer friendly, and what is undermining the LGBTIQA+ community – and not just during Mardi Gras.

https://www.australianunions.org.au/2023/02/22/pinkwashing-examples-that-take-the-rainbow-cake/

Share Buybacks: the Billionaire Get-Rich-Quick Scheme

Date Published: 07/02/2023
Category: Social Justice

When I finally get around to writing my bestselling dystopian novel, it would go something like this…  There would be a handful of very powerful corporations, and they would find a way to hoard wealth amongst and for only each other.   They would manipulate a system that was already bitterly unfair and weighted against…

https://www.australianunions.org.au/2023/02/07/share-buybacks-the-billionaire-get-rich-quick-scheme/

Myanmar human rights abuses can be stopped – here’s how

Date Published: 01/02/2023
Category: Social Justice

Two years ago on 1 February, the Myanmar military took over the country in a coup and since then has deployed a brutal crackdown against citizen dissent.

https://www.australianunions.org.au/2023/02/01/myanmar-human-rights-abuses-can-be-stopped-heres-how/

All across the country it’s Action, Action, Action!

Date Published: 14/11/2022
Category: Campaign Social Justice

Everyone has a bad boss story. Robyn Peeples is fictional but I could swear I’ve met him several iterations of him in various workplaces before. 

https://www.australianunions.org.au/2022/11/14/all-across-the-country-its-action-action-action/

The Youth is on Fire and They’re Unionising

Date Published: 19/10/2022
Category: Social Justice

The conditions that union members fight to strengthen and improve, are conditions that affect young people in a very tangible way. 

https://www.australianunions.org.au/2022/10/19/the-youth-is-on-fire-and-theyre-unionising/

Teachers or millionaires: who deserves a bigger break?

Date Published: 13/10/2022
Category: Rights at Work Social Justice

This week on the Bulletin, we spoke to primary school teacher and Australian Education Union member, Lauren Duncan.  Lauren effused warmth and decency. Exactly the sort of person who you would want tasked with teaching your children in their formative years.   Exactly the sort of person that it would be a national shame to…

https://www.australianunions.org.au/2022/10/13/teachers-or-millionaires-who-deserves-a-bigger-break/

We as a country are better, stronger and happier when we work together

Date Published: 29/09/2022
Category: Social Justice Working Life

Sally McManus Address to the National Press Club, Wednesday 28th September 2022 Watch the address here. I want to acknowledge the traditional owners of the land we are meeting on – the Ngunnawal people, and pay respects to their elders, past, present and emerging. The Australian union movement supports the Statement from the Heart calling…

https://www.australianunions.org.au/2022/09/29/we-as-a-country-are-better-stronger-and-happier-when-we-work-together/

CEO fat cheque factcheck: what’s really driving inflation? 

Date Published: 20/09/2022
Category: Social Justice

My abhorrent crime for which I am forking up well over a week’s pay was keeping my poorly insulated house warm through a bitter winter. I did this mostly for my baby daughter.

https://www.australianunions.org.au/2022/09/20/ceo-fat-cheque-factcheck-whats-really-driving-inflation/

The Jobs and Skills Summit: what can be achieved when we listen to everyone

Date Published: 13/09/2022
Category: Social Justice

ACTU Secretary Sally McManus joined us on The Bulletin this week to reflect on what came out of the Jobs and Skills Summit. 

https://www.australianunions.org.au/2022/09/13/the-jobs-and-skills-summit-what-can-be-achieved-when-we-listen-to-everyone/

Resorting to child labour instead of bettering wages and conditions?

Date Published: 06/09/2022
Category: Rights at Work Social Justice

Hiring 13-year-olds is a recipe for exploitative disaster. They would be paid even less than their 15-year-old counterparts and, owing to their age, would have so little voice and agency in their workplaces.

https://www.australianunions.org.au/2022/09/06/resorting-to-child-labour-instead-of-bettering-wages-and-conditions/

The fair, simple and accessible way we will boost wages

Date Published: 02/09/2022
Category: Social Justice Working Life

Australia needs sustainable pay increases so that working people’s pay keeps up with the cost of living and productivity increases. For this to occur we need to modernise the collective bargaining system.

https://www.australianunions.org.au/2022/09/02/actu-secretary-sally-mcmanus-speech-at-the-jobs-and-skills-summit/

We know what respect for working women looks like. Here’s how we make it happen

Date Published: 02/09/2022
Category: Social Justice Working Life

A fairer approach and simpler right to flexible work arrangements in our workplace laws that recognise the importance for all of us of balancing work and care.

https://www.australianunions.org.au/2022/09/02/we-know-what-respect-for-working-women-looks-like-heres-how-we-make-it-happen/

Corporate profits are the main cause of the cost-of-living crisis

Date Published: 19/07/2022
Category: Politics and Big Business Social Justice Wages

The evidence is in: this cost-of-living crisis could have been prevented if corporate giants had put people over profit.

https://www.australianunions.org.au/2022/07/19/corporate-profits-are-the-main-cause-of-the-cost-of-living-crisis/

Why we can never take our healthcare system for granted

Date Published: 13/07/2022
Category: Social Justice Working Life

Ever walked into a bulk-billing clinic when you or a loved one was sick? It wasn’t so long ago that you would’ve had to pay for that trip to the doctor, no matter how small the ailment.  

https://www.australianunions.org.au/2022/07/13/why-we-can-never-take-our-healthcare-system-for-granted/

Professor Nareen Young on what it means for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander workers to speak truth

Date Published: 07/07/2022
Category: Campaign First Nations Workers Alliance Social Justice

“Because there is such ignorance in the broader Australian community about Indigenous people and our communities and our cultures, it constantly falls on Indigenous people to make up the gaps and fill in the blanks,” Young says.

https://www.australianunions.org.au/2022/07/07/professor-nareen-young-on-what-it-means-for-aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander-workers-to-speak-truth/

We can never take workers’ rights for granted: Here’s what the Roe v Wade decision could mean for you

Date Published: 02/07/2022
Category: Social Justice Women Working Life

As working women in the United States take to the streets in outrage, Australian workers can see clearly how important it is to understand our own rights and ensure they remain protected.

https://www.australianunions.org.au/2022/07/02/we-can-never-take-workers-rights-for-granted-heres-what-the-roe-v-wade-decision-could-mean-for-you/

The secret union history of the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras

Date Published: 23/06/2022
Category: Social Justice Working Life

When the police formed their barrier along Oxford Street in Sydney, it was far from the first time gay rights activists had faced police violence.

https://www.australianunions.org.au/2022/06/23/the-secret-union-history-of-the-sydney-gay-and-lesbian-mardi-gras/

Yesterday, Australia voted.

Date Published: 22/05/2022
Category: Politics and Big Business Social Justice Working Life

Last night’s election outcome is a win for workers across the country. But it’s not the end of our campaigning efforts. It’s a new beginning. 

https://www.australianunions.org.au/2022/05/22/yesterday-australia-voted/

How unions are building queer-friendly workplaces

Date Published: 17/05/2022
Category: Social Justice Working Life

We have had a stellar win for women and LGBTQIA+ workers only yesterday when we won support for 10 days paid family & domestic violence leave in our Fair Work case. We’ve made some huge achievements this year and are striving towards even better workplaces to make sure no one is left behind.

https://www.australianunions.org.au/2022/05/17/how-unions-are-building-queer-friendly-workplaces/

Housing affordability even further out of reach for workers

Date Published: 03/05/2022
Category: Social Justice

The RBA’s increase to the cash rate by 0.25 per cent to 35 basis points has spelled out bad news to workers already battling Morrison’s cost of living crisis.

https://www.australianunions.org.au/2022/05/03/housing-affordability-even-further-out-of-reach-for-workers/

Morrison extends racist job program until 2024

Date Published: 01/04/2022
Category: Campaign First Nations Workers Alliance Social Justice

In a huge backtrack on earlier promises, the Morrison Government has renewed the racially discriminatory Community Development Program until July 2024. 

https://www.australianunions.org.au/2022/04/01/morrison-extends-racist-job-program-until-2024/

Why ‘Harmony Day’ is another Morrison cop-out

Date Published: 21/03/2022
Category: Campaign First Nations Workers Alliance Social Justice

Have you ever heard of the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination? If not, that’s exactly as the Liberal Government intended. 

https://www.australianunions.org.au/2022/03/21/why-harmony-day-is-another-morrison-cop-out/

On National Close the Gap Day, Morrison had nothing to show us

Date Published: 21/03/2022
Category: Campaign First Nations Workers Alliance Social Justice

National Close the Gap Day this week marked fourteen years since Close the Gap targets were first announced.

It was a time for Australians everywhere to recommit to the aims of the campaign, because the Morrison Government has continued to fail when it comes to closing the gap.

https://www.australianunions.org.au/2022/03/21/on-national-close-the-gap-day-morrison-had-nothing-to-show-us/

Early Childhood Education and Care isn’t just an “incentive”: it’s essential national infrastructure

Date Published: 22/10/2021
Category: Social Justice Women Working Life

The crucial educational, social and economic role of early childhood education and care (ECEC) has been further highlighted over the past two years, as the interruptions of lockdowns and distancing have exacerbated longstanding barriers to accessing free, high-quality, ECEC in Australia, writes Lauren Piko

https://www.australianunions.org.au/2021/10/22/ecec-is-essential/

The federal government must prioritise working people’s financial security

Date Published: 21/10/2021
Category: Politics and Big Business Social Justice

2021 has been a year for breaking grim records. As of June 2020, according to ABS statistics, more Australians than ever are working multiple jobs. In the past, a single income from one decent, secure job was enough to feed, clothe and house a family of five. Around about that time, that one income was…

https://www.australianunions.org.au/2021/10/21/the-federal-government-must-prioritise-working-peoples-financial-security/

Why won’t the Morrison Government crackdown on millionaire tax cheats?

Date Published: 05/10/2021
Category: Politics and Big Business Social Justice

The Pandora Papers have revealed how Australia’s wealthiest are cheating our tax system. When is Morrison going to do something about it?

https://www.australianunions.org.au/2021/10/05/why-wont-the-morrison-government-crackdown-on-millionaire-tax-cheats/

Stay at home? Housing must be considered in public health and economic recovery

Date Published: 20/08/2021
Category: Social Justice

Addressing the inequalities in Australia’s housing market is essential to our economic recovery, writes Lauren Piko

https://www.australianunions.org.au/2021/08/20/housing-must-be-considered-in-economic-recovery/

In this together? We need collective support, not individual blame

Date Published: 06/08/2021
Category: Social Justice Working Life

With over half the country in lockdown, Morrison must stop shifting blame to the individual for vaccine rollout failures, writes Lauren Piko

https://www.australianunions.org.au/2021/08/06/collective-support-not-individual-blame/

JobKeeper 2.0 ­­– why a wage subsidy is essential to saving jobs

Date Published: 27/07/2021
Category: Rights at Work Social Justice

Australian Unions are calling for an immediate reinstatement of an updated JobKeeper program to support workers at risk of losing their jobs.

https://www.australianunions.org.au/2021/07/27/jobkeeper-2-will-save-jobs/

‘There is Strength in Numbers’

Date Published: 21/05/2021
Category: Campaign First Nations Workers Alliance Social Justice

Australian Unions is proud to offer a limited run of the print ‘There is Strength in Numbers’ by Lara Watson, with proceeds going to the First Nation Worker’s Alliance.

https://www.australianunions.org.au/2021/05/21/there-is-strength-in-numbers/

Inclusive language in the workplace – 3 small changes to make a big impact

Date Published: 17/05/2021
Category: Social Justice Working Life

Creating an inclusive culture is a job for everyone. To celebrate IDAHOBIT, we’ve compiled three small changes you can make to help LGBTIQ+ workers feel respected and included.

https://www.australianunions.org.au/2021/05/17/inclusive-language-in-the-workplace/

For a Stronger, Balanced and Inclusive Recovery

Date Published: 27/04/2021
Category: Campaign Social Justice

Australian Unions have released For a Stronger, Balanced and Inclusive Recovery – a report proposing solutions to protect working people and build greater resilience in the economy.

https://www.australianunions.org.au/2021/04/27/for-a-stronger-balanced-and-inclusive-recovery/

In Joe Biden’s America, climate transition goes hand in hand with job creation

Date Published: 23/04/2021
Category: Climate Social Justice Working Life

Our international partners are getting on with transitioning to a zero-carbon economy, showing climate transition can go hand in hand with job creation, but the Morrison government continue to make excuses for their inaction.

https://www.australianunions.org.au/2021/04/23/climate-transition-goes-hand-in-hand-with-job-creation/

Our Tax system is broken

Date Published: 08/06/2017
Category: Social Justice

About Australia’s wage growth is at a record low, but the Government wants to give a $65 billion dollar tax cut to big business. Big business has too much power, and this is just more special treatment from the Government. Many businesses already thumb their noses at paying their taxes, exploiting loopholes to offshore profits…

https://www.australianunions.org.au/2017/06/08/our-tax-system-is-broken/

Fifty years since the Wave Hill Walk Off

Date Published: 22/08/2016
Category: Campaign Social Justice

The Wave Hill Walk Off was one of the key events of modern Australian history.

https://www.australianunions.org.au/2016/08/22/fifty-years-since-the-wave-hill-walk-off/