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.
Phone: 1300 486 466
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We’re working hard to build a fairer Australia for everyone. Find out how you can support our campaigns.
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We’re working hard to build a fairer Australia for everyone. Find out how you can support our campaigns.
It’s not just a little bit of unpaid overtime here, a bit of cash-in-hand there. New research found that two thirds of workers in Australia are not receiving their full salary.
As of 7 January 2023, employers across Australia will be charged a hefty fine of up to $16,500 if found advertising for jobs at a rate below the minimum wage.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2023/01/13/new-year-new-protections-for-job-hunters/
Bossware. E-change. Quiet quitting. What do any of these words have to do with work?
If nothing else, 2022 has shown us the power of collective action can extend far beyond the workplace, into all aspects of our everyday lives.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2022/12/16/2022-together-we-made-history/
After one short month, half of Twitter’s global workforce has been cut, with many former employees claiming they received almost no warning. Those who remained were promptly told to commit to working “hardcore” – provoking a #SleepWhereYouWork mentality – with a caveat that those who don’t will be shown the door.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2022/12/02/employees-at-twitter-say-enough-is-enough/
While day-to-day working life may differ vastly between union members across the globe, the bottom line is universal. Workers everywhere share the same fundamental concerns: job security, just conditions, a fair wage and social protection.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2022/11/25/collective-action-on-a-global-scale/
Have you ever counted how many hours of extra work you do with no pay?
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2022/11/23/will-you-go-home-on-time-today/
Most of us would take 2,332 years to earn the same amount as the highest paid CEO. We may as well live on different planets.
Ever had to drop everything after your boss calls you asking if you can come into work on your day off? Perhaps you’ve had the opposite problem – finding out at the last minute that you won’t be getting enough shifts to pay your bills the following week.
Do you ever get the feeling someone is watching you? It’s not just because it’s the spookiest day of the year – it could be your employer.
The Albanese Government announced funding decisions in the Federal Budget last night that will impact the lives of millions. We’re here to help you pull out the bits you need to know.
Let’s talk about what can be done to take the stress out of returning to work as a new parent and how can we fix some of the challenges it presents for workers.
In a piece of good news for working parents, the Albanese Government has committed to expand access to Paid Parental Leave to 26 weeks among other important changes.
A recent Four Corners investigation exposed the dismal realities of renting in Australia, with many people struggling to secure a roof over their heads in the face of depressingly low vacancy rates and exceedingly high rental prices. For many renters, this only solidified what we already knew, and the problem doesn’t stop there. The first…
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2022/10/14/working-from-home-during-a-rental-crisis/
There has been a great deal of media and political fuss made over ‘Stage 3 tax cuts’ but rather than become lost in the numbers, let’s have a look at what they mean for workers.
The bills are coming in with higher numbers than ever, but our incomes are falling further behind. We need a pay rise. But how do we make it happen? We’ve rounded up the three best ways to get your next wage increase. Spoiler alert: all roads lead back to joining your union. 1. The Annual…
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2022/10/07/three-ways-to-get-a-pay-rise/
While the unemployment rate is at a record low, the number of people working multiple jobs is at an all-time high. Workers everywhere with full-time day jobs are spending their nights, weekends or even lunch breaks driving Ubers, cleaning houses or taking up casual customer service shifts. These workers are not picking up ‘side hustles’…
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2022/09/30/eat-sleep-work-and-work-and-work-repeat/
When my mother was pregnant with me in the 90s, she fought tooth and nail to become the first woman in her workplace to receive paid maternity leave.
For those whose superannuation has been in the hands of for-profit funds throughout their working lives, a stable and sustainable retirement is an unlikely reality. Instead, Australians are finding that the fund they’ve entrusted with their hard-earned retirement savings has far from their best interests at heart.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2022/09/16/the-continuing-legacy-of-industry-super-funds/
Women today are told that they can and should seamlessly maintain a perfect balance of work and family life. But our current paid parental leave framework tells us that motherhood is a thankless job in many ways.
The lesson here is simple: we should never take universal healthcare for granted. Once again, our public health system is under threat and we need to fight to protect it.
Australia is undeniably home to a class of an elite: a small number of multi-millionaires and billionaires who hoard profits earned off the backs of workers and keep it for themselves. Workers have generated great levels of productivity that allow the Australian economy to flourish and yet it is the multi-millionaire CEOs who refuse to fairly share the profits.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2022/08/19/workers-are-paying-the-price-for-corporate-greed/
CEOs and senior executives often use productivity to refer to the idea that we need minimal resources to produce maximum output. doing the job that two workers used to do.
If corporate profiteering is the Hollywood cowboy riding off into a sunset of success, then workers’ wages are the cacti left in the billowing dust.
We can’t afford to sweep profiteering under the rug while workers are told, once again, that their wages should decrease for the “health of our economy”.
Climate change is union business and there are many ways for Australia to make a just transition and ensure employment security for all its workers.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2022/07/29/safe-jobs-for-a-safe-climate/
While we’re certainly celebrating the increase to wages and super, we know that bosses don’t always do the right thing and your union is always here to hold them to account.
While we’re certainly celebrating the increase to wages and super, we know that bosses don’t always do the right thing and your union is always here to hold them to account.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2022/07/12/a-friendly-reminder-to-check-your-payslips/
Though we may be used to superannuation now, only 29% of workers received super prior to this campaign win in 1992. This was by no means an easy win, but a decades-long, uphill battle met with fierce opposition from businesses and the Liberal Party.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2022/07/01/the-long-fight-for-superannuation/
When you have the constant threat of an eviction notice hanging over your head, the last thing you need is to be told you’re not needed at work next week.
When you have the constant threat of an eviction notice hanging over your head, the last thing you need is to be told you’re not needed at work next week.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2022/06/17/affordable-housing-requires-secure-jobs/
Contrary to misinformation from the business lobby, increasing wages actually helps create more jobs. We have a once-a-year opportunity to raise wages for almost one in four workers. The Australian Council of Trade Unions has called for a 5.5.% increase to the minimum wage as part of the Annual Wage Review. As happens with each…
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2022/06/10/the-case-for-increasing-minimum-wage/
In the COVID-19 world, the question of coming to work unwell has become a much bigger conversation. But the truth is, we should have been having these conversations long ago, and it shouldn’t just apply to COVID.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2022/06/03/presenteeism-what-it-is-and-how-you-can-avoid-it/
A recent report from the Australia Institute has found that a concerning number of people are showing up to work either symptomatic or after exposure to the virus. Their findings also suggest that the large majority of these people are young workers in insecure jobs.
The last six weeks has certainly been a wild ride, and the 2022 election campaign is finally coming to a close. Before we grab a snag at our local polling centres, here’s a quick revisit some of the highs and lows, the biggest issues and what we should think about when we cast our votes tomorrow.
There are various courses of action you can take if you are experiencing wage theft. The best way to start is to contact your union and use their wage theft recovery services. In fact, in nearly every case of wage theft discovery, investigation and recovery, unions are behind it.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2022/05/11/what-can-you-do-about-wage-theft/
Many union members – at all different stages of their careers – are looking for pragmatic and professional reasons to join. So let’s look at five pragmatic reasons to join your union if you’re looking to advance your career.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2022/05/10/five-ways-union-membership-can-advance-your-career/
With the Federal Election fast approaching, Scott Morrison’s government is still missing in action in addressing the insecure work crisis.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2022/04/29/what-you-need-to-know-about-insecure-work/
Remember that brief period in 2020 when early childhood education and childcare centres were made free for working parents? That scheme lasted three months before it was taken away again.
So what happened?
Years and years of government economic mismanagement have stacked up.
Insecure work, insufficient disability support, and stagnating wages have left workers with little hope of keeping up with daily prices.
We’re heading into a new era of work so if you’re feeling unsure about how to navigate a post-pandemic work environment, you’re not the only one.
To continue to make work and life better for everyone, we need our movement to keep growing.
Make sure you are a part of that growth. Joining your union is the best decision anyone can make in their working life. Union members have higher wages, more secure jobs and safer workplaces.
This week marked the International Day of the Elimination of Violence Against Women, writes Lauren Piko.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2021/11/26/sexual-harassment-and-gendered-violence-is-endemic/
The erosion of secure working conditions in Australia and around the world takes many forms, not all of which receive equal levels of attention or recognition, writes Lauren Piko
This week marked the 114th anniversary of the Sunshine Harvester Judgement, widely recognised as a landmark case in Australian industrial history. While this judgement is sometimes simply described as a victory for workers’ rights, the importance of this case, and its relevance today, becomes clearer when it is remembered as an important moment in a…
The Morrison Government’s Plan for Australia to reach net zero emissions by 2050, released this week, has been widely criticised domestically and internationally, for it highlights that the Morrison Government is not simply passive or inactive in the face of climate change; it is actively pursuing and facilitating it, and is happy to sacrifice lives, the environment, and the economy in the pursuit of short-term political gain, writes Lauren Piko.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2021/10/29/the-world-deserves-better/
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 Morrison Government’s mismanagement of the pandemic continues with plans to cut COVID payments, writes Lauren Piko
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2021/10/08/cutting-disaster-payments/
Unions have spoken out against Morrison’s nuclear submarine deal, setting out safe and peaceful alternatives, writes Lauren Piko
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2021/10/01/unions-speak-out-against-nuclear-submarines/
As big companies move towards automation for profit, we must ensure essential workers are not treated as expendable, writes Lauren Piko
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2021/09/24/cruel-risks-of-automation-in-a-pandemic/
Australian support of a vaccine waiver is bringing us closer to vaccine equity, but the Government must follow through, writes Lauren Piko
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2021/09/17/global-vaccine-equity/
Healthcare workers are the irreplaceable heart of our healthcare system. They must be better supported through the surge in COVID cases, writes Lauren Piko.
This week, the Senate debated a partial, incomplete and cherry-picked list of recommendations which were drawn from the Sex Discrimination Commission’s [email protected] report, published over a year ago.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2021/09/03/respect-at-work/
Last week, the Australian Bureau of Statistics published their employment and wage price index for the June quarter. We take a look beyond the numbers.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2021/08/31/unstable-work-and-wages/
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 the wake of the IPCC report, the Morrison Government can’t keep hiding behind climate spin. The time for an energy transition is now, writes Lauren Piko.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2021/08/13/australias-energy-transition-is-long-overdue/
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/
An economic and structural reboot of the cultural sector is needed to ensure this vital sector survives the pandemic, writes Lauren Piko
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2021/07/30/rebooting-the-cultural-sector-is-vital/
To support workers through the latest COVID crisis, the Government must first face up to the realities of the insure work, writes Lauren Piko
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2021/07/23/facing-the-realities-of-insecure-work/
Without a JobKeeper wage subsidy, lockdowns will keep exacerbating and further entrenching patterns of inequality, writes Lauren Piko
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2021/07/16/safeguard-in-a-public-health-crisis/
The Coalition’s track record on Medicare warrants greater scrutiny of new changes to the Medicare Benefits Schedule, writes Lauren Piko
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2021/07/09/why-medicare-reforms-need-greater-scrutiny/
Workers are at the forefront of the fight for democracy in Myanmar, but they need our help, writes Clare Middlemas
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2021/07/02/myanmar-union-solidarity-in-the-fight-for-democracy/
From group chats to TikTok, the next gen of activists are inventing new ways to fight for a better future for all, writes Tom Quinlivan.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2021/06/25/meet-the-next-gen-of-activists-shaking-things-up/
Banks are set to profit as workers stand to lose thousands in retirement funds from Government changes to superannuation.
Workers’ rights are under threat again as employer groups push the Morrison Government to revive the IR Omnibus Bill, writes Chloe Ward
The Morrison Government’s bungled vaccination rollout has put workers and vulnerable people at potentionally deadly risk, writes Chloe Ward.
Buying Australian made goods is good for jobs and the economy but working Australians can’t spend what they don’t have, writes Chloe Ward.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2021/05/28/why-australian-made-matters/
Vaccination is the precondition of opening our borders and supporting the workers whose jobs depend on international travel, writes Chloe Ward.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2021/05/21/what-workers-need-to-reopen-australias-borders/
The budget has failed as a plan to revive Australia’s social infrastructure and as a plan for economic recovery, writes Chloe Ward
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2021/05/13/this-budget-is-a-failure/
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/
2021 Budget and beyond – Australian Unions has been planning an economic recovery that takes care of people, at all stages of life
A real, meaningful increase to the minimum wage is not only the right thing to do, but makes plenty of sense, writes Chloe Ward.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2021/04/09/making-the-case-for-a-living-wage/
This time last year, Australian Unions fought for, and won, JobKeeper. This week, the Morrison Government has taken it away, with no plans for a replacement, writes Chloe Ward.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2021/04/02/the-end-of-jobkeeper-and-those-left-behind/
This week’s floods in New South Wales are a warning of things to come—and of what we must do to support workers through the challenges of climate change, writes Chloe Ward.
The Morrison Government’s IR Bill passed the Senate yesterday, stripped of all but one of its major provisions. This was a win for unions, workers, and the community who campaigned against the changes, writes Chloe Ward.
Imagine getting laid-off over Christmas, abandoned by your employer, left with nothing while the bills stack up.
It’s a nightmare scenario, but for Mark and 300 of his colleagues, it was all too real.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2021/03/17/meet-mark-an-imbalance-of-power/
You’ve heard a lot from me about the dangers of the Morrison Government’s IR Omnibus Bill. That’s because it’s important. It will entrench casualisation, undermine wages and conditions, and stall Australia’s recovery from the Covid-19 recession.
One shift can make all the difference for aged care worker Sherree Clarke. But in the midst of a pandemic, she actually saw fewer of them.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2021/03/10/meet-sherree-one-cut-from-poverty/
International Women’s Day is here again – a day to celebrate the achievements of women and a call to action in the ongoing fight for gender equality.
A day is great, but it got us thinking. What can we be doing to support women in our workplaces all year round? So, we’ve put together a list of 5 ways you can start making a difference.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2021/03/08/5-ways-to-support-women-co-workers-every-day/
Like many who have seen Australia’s aged care system up close, I wasn’t surprised by the Royal Commission into Aged Care’s damning conclusions.
Job security. That’s all Rylee Miller is asking for. She just wants to know her job is safe and permanent.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2021/03/01/meet-rylee-the-need-for-job-security/
In the past two weeks, we have seen Scott Morrison and his ministers do everything they can to avoid scrutiny, and accountability, for their botched response to Brittany Higgins’ accusation of rape against a former Liberal Party colleague.
There could not be a greater contrast with Higgins’ courage, determination, and clarity.
The Morrison Government’s backdown on one of the most dangerous parts of its industrial relations bill is a step in the right direction for workers—but this fight is far from over.
It’s true Australia has done better than most countries when it comes to responding to the coronavirus crisis. But as we emerge from this pandemic, we’re at serious risk of slipping behind on one key measure.
With Federal Parliament back in session, the fight over the Morrison Government’s Industrial Relations Bill is heating up.
Australian Unions oppose the Coalition’s dangerous plans—because they’re bad for wages, bad for workers’ conditions, and bad for the economy.
Sanjeev asks:
I finished year 12 last year and I’m starting to look for a job.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2018/02/02/job-hunting-and-facebook-approach-with-caution/
In November’s installment we look at the findings of a recent survey by ME about requesting a pay rise, there’s a new general insurance deal for union members, we urge you to sign the petition in support of workers at Streets, there’s info on Union Aid Abroad-APHEDA’s upcoming Melbourne dinner plus there’s a $100 WISH gift card to win!
Requesting a pay rise actually works but few ask
In a period of record low wage growth, one of the most successful strategies among workers to increase their incomes − asking for a pay rise – is also one of the least used, according to a new survey by industry super fund-owned bank, ME.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2017/11/01/member-benefits-update-november-2017/
