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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Safe Work Australia has just released its Psychological health and safety in the workplace report, which identifies a worrying trend – with work-related mental health issues rising by 36.9% since 2018.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2024/03/06/workplace-mental-health-in-the-spotlight/
The 2023 Work Shouldn’t Hurt survey reveals that over half of insecure workers have reported continuing to work while ill or injured specifically, due to the absence of paid leave.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2024/01/30/half-of-workers-are-working-while-sick-or-injured/
Safe Work Australia calls unequivocally for the ‘Prohibition on the use of all engineered stone’ in their landmark report, released publicly last Friday.
Today the union movement has voted to take all necessary action to ban engineered stone by the middle of next year. This is something every unionist needs to get behind, because the right to a safe workplace is fundamental, no matter what your job is.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2023/10/24/unions-vote-to-ban-engineered-stone/
All working people deserve to work in a safe environment, free from violence and harassment.
Remember the dead, fight like hell for the living.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2023/04/28/the-workers-who-didnt-make-it-home/
You wouldn’t accept being exposed to asbestos, right? Then why should we expect any different for silica?
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2023/04/21/we-put-an-end-to-asbestos-now-its-time-to-ban-silica/
“Engineered stone is killing workers. This is the asbestos of the 2020s.”
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2023/02/23/silica-dust-leads-to-death-sentences-for-workers/
The impacts of extreme temperatures are deadly. That is why it’s important to know how to keep yourself safe during a heatwave, your rights at work and what additional support is available.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2023/01/19/how-to-deal-with-heatwaves-at-work/
If you have been impacted by the recent floods in South Australia or Western Australia, or the heavy rain in Queensland, this information will help you plan your next steps.
78 per cent of workers with an HSR at their workplace said their workplace complies with its own Health and Safety policies, compared to just 50 per cent of workers with no HSR present.
Movember shines a light on how men’s mental health has been a taboo topic, shrouded by notions of toxic masculinity. In doing so, it also shows us how important it is for us to be able to have a frank approach to mental health in the workplace without fear of stigmatisation.
If your mental health is under strain at work, you’re not alone. 21 per cent of workers surveyed said they experienced mental health issues related to work in the last 12 months.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2022/10/10/how-to-protect-your-mental-health-at-work/
If your employer is relying on days like R U OK to check in on your mental health – or worse, requesting workmates check in on each other one day a year without support from management – then that’s a huge red flag.
Really, we shouldn’t have to think twice about taking a sick day when we want to look after our mental health. But if you have any doubts or simply just want to make the most of your day off, here are four tips that will come in handy.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2022/08/16/four-tips-for-taking-a-mental-health-day/
A new study from Curtin University predicts as many as 10,000 Australians will develop lung cancer in their lifetime due to exposure to silica dust.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2022/07/19/the-deadly-dust-behind-your-kitchen-bench/
COVID hospitalisations in Australia have soared to more than 4,000 people. The last time we saw a figure this high was in February this year during the summer Omicron outbreak.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2022/07/14/how-to-prepare-for-the-third-wave-of-covid-19/
Things don’t have to break before they can be fixed The world is waking up to the importance of workers who feel supported, safe and satisfied. Unfortunately, sometimes the business’s profitability drives this change in the workplace. The purely profit-driven approach to mental health goes something like this: Happy workers are hard workers. Hard workers…
Injured Workers Day is about fighting for concrete changes to workplace legislation and make sure every worker can go to work and get home safely.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2022/06/01/what-injured-workers-day-means-for-australians/
“We are here today to remember the dead and fight like hell for the living.”
Showing up at work shouldn’t mean putting your life at risk. But a report from the ACTU shows Morrison’s failings have endangered workers lives.
Australia has come a long way in recognising the importance of addressing workplace mental health, but there’s still a long way to go.
The best way to protect your mental health at work? Joining your union.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2022/03/22/lets-talk-about-mental-health-at-work/
Earlier this month, unions, workers, service providers and people with disability met with MPs in Canberra to call on the Morrison Government to provide the disability sector with much needed support.
It appears the political quip game is strong among frontline workers.
Have you got questions about your safety and rights at work during the Omicron variant spread?
Thanks to the power of workers organising and hundreds of messages sent to Woolworths’ Facebook page over the weekend, every worker who has tested positive for COVID will be able to isolate, rest at home and recover.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2022/01/19/covid-positive-workers-no-longer-forced-back-to-work/
The union movement will do everything we can to keep people safe and act to slow the spread of this latest wave of the Covid pandemic.
Teys Australia will force South Australian abattoir workers who are COVID positive to report for duty at work on Monday.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2022/01/14/covid-positive-abattoir-workers-forced-back-to-work/
But if you’re in a sweat because you’re worried about leaving work due to having Covid-19 symptoms – don’t be. It’s your right.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2022/01/13/symptoms-at-work-you-have-the-right-to-leave/
Work is a significant factor in people’s mental health. We know that meaningful, rewarding, good work can impact positively on our mental health. Equally we know that issues such as high workloads, customer and client aggression and poor workplace relationships can adversely impact on workers’ mental health. Just like physical health and safety hazards, such…
Australia’s asbestos legacy still impacts thousands of people Australia’s asbestos legacy still impacts thousands of people every year.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2021/11/26/national-asbestos-awareness-week/
We all know it, but now we’ve got the numbers to prove it. Union workplaces are safer than non-union workplaces.
Over recent months, the global supply chain crisis has attracted increasing media attention, writes Lauren Piko
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2021/11/05/global-supply-chain-crisis/
Have a chat with almost any young worker and you’ll quickly find out that work/life isn’t what it used to be. Now, we have the data to prove it. The ACTU’s Work Shouldn’t Hurt report found that, of the respondents aged under 24: 3 in 10 workers have experienced sexual harassment Over a third (37%)…
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2021/11/04/insecure-work-young-people/
We know that insecure work can have several poor economic outcomes for workers. However, what is rarely talked about is the how safety issues, like sexual harassment, are often compounded by these exploitative business models. A new survey commissioned by the ACTU found that 26% of retail workers and 22% of health workers reported experiencing…
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2021/10/21/insecure-work-sexual-harassment/
We know that insecure work is a disaster for workers, and new research by Australian Unions has revealed just how dangerous it can be. Our recent survey found that more than two thirds of insecure workers didn’t take time off when they were injured or ill. Why? Because they feared it would negatively impact their…
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2021/10/15/insecure-work-is-putting-people-at-risk-heres-why/
October 10 is World Mental Health Day. It’s got us thinking about the other type of mental health day and just how important it is to take one.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2021/10/07/take-a-mental-health-day/
A new survey has revealed mental health as the fastest growing challenge to the safety of working people in their workplaces.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2021/10/06/work-related-mental-health-issues/
Age discrimination in the workplace is more common than you might think. But what is it and what you can do if you experience it?
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2021/10/01/age-discrimination-in-the-workplace/
To help protect yourself from bullying in the workplace, we explain what bullying is and isn’t, and what to do if it’s happening to you.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2021/09/15/are-you-being-bullied-at-work/
Australian Unions has launched a national campaign to encourage working people to get vaccinated to support essential workers and those who have lost their jobs because of the pandemic.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2021/09/08/vaccination-is-an-act-of-solidarity/
Workplace mental health issues are costing the economy $200-220 billion per year. Changes to safety laws will be good for workers and the economy.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2021/05/14/the-cost-of-mental-health/
Working Australians are counting on Minister Cash to better protect them from mental health hazards, writes Chloe Ward
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2021/05/07/vote-to-protect-workers-mental-health/
For a Prime Minister who’s big on announcements, Scott Morrison has been strangely quiet about the vaccine rollout amongst care workers.
Australian Unions has joined together with a diverse group of organisations representing women’s rights to demand the Morrison Government deliver real safety at work for women.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2021/04/14/safe-work-4-women/
When former Liberal Party staffer Brittany Higgins shared her account of sexual assault in the workplace, it sent shockwaves through Parliament and the wider community.
But for many women, what emerged from the headlines was a distressingly familiar story of toxic workplace cultures, unacceptable tolerance of sexual harassment, and a complete failure of those in charge to protect victims.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2021/02/22/what-to-do-if-you-are-sexually-harassed-at-work/
On April 28th each year across the globe we take a moment to remember those who have died at work and recommit ourselves to making work safe. Over many years unions and their members have struggled to make work safer and we have done a great job but still too many people die at work or…
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2018/04/10/workers-memorial-day/
Warren asks: I’ve been called in for a meeting tomorrow morning.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2017/09/12/ive-been-called-in-for-a-meeting-about-safety/
On this day in 1856, Melbourne's Stonemasons fought for – and won – the 8-hour workday as a nationwide industry standard.
Unfair rostering disadvantages workers in insecure work: unions are calling for for roster justice.
