With inflation and soaring interest rates hitting the household budget, this year’s Federal Budget contained some important changes for super and provided welcome measures aimed at addressing cost of living challenges – including a pay rise for people working in aged care. To read more, visit the HESTA website here.
This week, a bill to provide ten days paid family and domestic violence leave to all Australians is being debated in Parliament. We need your support to help make sure that this life-saving entitlement is made law. Sign the petition to show your support Family and domestic violence is a national crisis. We know the tragic numbers: on average one woman is killed each week by a partner, ex-partner or family member in Australia. Why is legislating 10 days paid family and domestic violence leave so important? Workplaces have a key role to play in supporting a woman facing family and domestic violence. Escaping a violent relationship takes time and money. And knowing you can return to a safe, secure job is critically important. It is estimated that moving to find a new, safe place for yourself and your family costs can cost up to $20,000 and take more than 140 hours – but Federal laws currently only provide for five days of unpaid leave. Paid family and domestic violence leave can give a woman – and it nearly always is a woman – the time, support and job security she needs to escape and recover from an abusive relationship. We must give all workers access to paid family and domestic violence leave. It takes paid leave to leave. And we won't wait, because women can't wait. What you can do right now Show your support for legislating 10 days paid family and domestic violence leave by signing the petition. Sign the petition to show your support Already signed the petition but want to do more to support the campaign for paid family and domestic violence leave? Click here for more ways you can get involved
Amid the cost of living crisis, the Australian union movement has a positive plan to improve the national workplace laws in Australia. Wages are not keeping pace with cost of living, and it's because our laws are stopping workers - especially in the private sector - from achieving good workplace agreements. The current system of enterprise bargaining in Australia is more than 30 years old. Only 14% of workers are now covered by an enterprise agreement - and this is trending downwards. At a national level Australian unions are campaigning for new laws that will allow more workers to be part of a collective agreement that protects and improves their pay and conditions. We have an opportunity now with a new federal government and an increased focus on wages failing to meet cost of living pressure to fix this crisis by changing our work laws. It starts with reviewing our bargaining system - if so many workers are not covered by an enterprise agreement, how can with improve wages to keep up with the cost of living increases? As the Australian Council of Trade Unions says: Our jobs and workplaces have changed over the past 30 years and our bargaining system needs to as well. This is not a new problem and it’s not just caused by the pandemic or overseas conflict. Workers’ wages have been frozen or declining for the last decade. Next week, unions will be attending the new Government’s Jobs and Skills Summit. We’ll be taking our positive plan, with common sense proposals to fix collective bargaining, and make it meet the needs of workers, as well as employers. Watch ACTU Secretary Sally McManus talk about it here and here. You can do something today to be part of the solution to fix the wages crisis in Australia - ask your friends, your family and your workmates to become a union member. We know that union members win better outcomes and pay at work than non-union workers and union members drive positive outcomes in our community. Being a union member is your first step on a path to better pay and conditions at work.
Together, ASU members started and led the campaign for paid family and domestic violence leave. This week, the new Labor government sits for the first time in Parliament and today has introduced 10 days of paid family and domestic violence leave as one of their first acts. ASU members have campaigned to ensure paid family and domestic violence leave is a universal entitlement and allows a woman – and it nearly always is a woman – the time, support and job security she needs to escape and recover from an abusive relationship. Today is a good day. This bill will saves lives, but we are at a critical moment - the bill still needs to pass through the senate. Passing this legislation in Parliament will ensure all workers covered by the National Employment Standards including casual, part-time and permanent workers will be able access this critical support if they need it. It takes time and money to leave. Moving to find a new, safe place for yourself and your family costs is estimated to cost up to $20,000 and take more than 140 hours – but Federal laws currently only provide for five days of unpaid leave. Be part of history and add your name here to ensure all workers have access to 10 days of paid family and domestic violence leave. When this bill is passed, it will ensure an extra 8.44 million workers have access to this crucial entitlement. If you need support or information about how to access family and domestic violence leave contact us at 1800 177 244 or representation@together.org.au You can also contact 1800RESPECT (1800 737 732) for help 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. If you are in immediate danger – call 000.
The Fair Work Commission 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. This increase applies to workers in the private sector and federal jurisdiction. Public sector workers wages are largely governed by state government wages policy, which at the moment is only 2.5%. Union members are campaign to change the state government wage policy and today's announcement from the FWC shows that 2.5% in today's economy is not good enough. You can read more about the campaign here. The FWC's decision puts an extra $40 a week in the pocket of a fulltime worker on the minimum wage and low-paid award workers. While this is a good outcome for these workers. There are still 8.5 million workers who don’t know where their next wage rise is coming from. The union movement fought hard for this increase, standing up for the quarter of Australian workers who rely on this process for a pay rise. If it were not for unions, with employers pushing for big real wage cuts, Australian working people and their families would see no relief from cost of living pressures. Lack of wage growth is a critical issue for our economy and we need concerted action to address it. Our current system means that despite low unemployment, high productivity and record profits, labour’s share of GDP is at a record low and Australian workers have faced a decade of record low wage growth capped by ongoing real wage cuts. Australia needs a plan to ensure that over time, wages grow for working people, and a system which will deliver on that plan. The current system is not delivering for working people. This Annual Wage Review is one tool we have to generate wage growth, but it only affects one in four workers – we need wage growth across the economy. The current system is failing. It is unable to deliver wage increases despite low unemployment, high productivity and high profits. Working people are feeling the serious consequences of nearly 10 years of inaction by the previous federal Government. Our country needs to take a fresh look at this problem and address it. It is not acceptable that working Australians and their families continue to go backwards while big business does so well. We cannot be satisfied with a wage setting process that leaves minimum wage workers living in poverty and delivers real wage cuts for the average worker.
ASU members have led the campaign for 10 days paid family and domestic violence leave and this week we have won. On Monday, the Fair Work Commission made an in-principle decision that 2.66 million workers covered by modern awards should have access to 10 days paid Family and Domestic Violence Leave. We await the final details and introduction of the clause as they are finalised by the Fair Work Commission. This is an historic step and will be life changing for women experiencing family violence. Key points of the FWC’s decision are as follows: Full time employees and, on a pro-rata basis part-time employees should be entitled to 10 days paid FDV leave per year. The FWC’s provisional view is that it shouldn’t extend to casuals, and there should be no supplementary unpaid FDV leave. The entitlement should accrue progressively across the year in the same way as for personal/carer’s leave accrues under the NES, subject to a ‘cap’ whereby the total accrual does not exceed 10 days at any given time. The FDV leave entitlement should be accessible in advance of an entitlement to such leave accruing, by agreement between an employer and employee. Paid at the employee’s ‘base rate of pay’ as defined in s.16 of the FW Act. The definition of ‘family and domestic violence’ should be in the same terms as the definition in s.106B(2) of the FW Act (and not extend to FDV perpetrated by a member of the employee’s household who is not related to the employee as we wanted). In all other relevant respects the model FDV leave term should reflect the terms of the current unpaid provision in the NES. Unions will work with employers to formulate a draft model FDV leave and file with the FWC next month. Stay tuned for more details on the next steps! The very first family violence leave in an enforceable industrial agreement anywhere in the world was negotiated by the Australian Services Union in 2010. Paid family and domestic violence leave can give a woman – and it nearly always is a woman – the time, support and job security she needs to escape and recover from an abusive relationship. This is a fantastic first step, but we can't stop now. To cover all workers, we need at least 10 days paid family and domestic violence leave in the National Employment Standards. The campaign continues and you can still add your voice to the calls for FDV leave in the NES. Sign our petition here and support access to paid family and domestic violence leave for all workers. We won’t wait, because women can’t wait. Note: Queensland Public Sector members already have the protection of 10 days FDV leave under the Support for employees affected by domestic and family violence Directive.
It’s time to demand a pay rise. You and your colleagues standing together are powerful. Each year the Fair Work Commission reviews the minimum wage, and the wages contained in awards, which impact millions of Australian workers. Today, Australian Services Union members are making a submission to the National Wage Case for a 5% wage increase. Sign up to stay up to date with our National Wage Case campaign The cost of paying the bills keeps going up but our wages aren’t keeping up. We need a real pay increase to keep up and give workers peace of mind. Your union is your voice for a pay rise at work, make sure you have a say in your wage increase. If the Government really want to address the cost of living crisis, it starts with making sure wages aren’t going backwards. That’s why ASU members working in professional administration, aged care, disabilities, call centres and more are joining together to call for a 5% pay rise. Our jobs should give us the certainty that our wages will keep up with the cost of living and allow us to plan for the future. A wage increase can only come about from union members working together. Make sure you have a say in your wage increase. Join our campaign and tell us what a 5% pay increase would mean for you.
Great news for Together members at Maurice Blackburn! Last year, union members and Maurice Blackburn reached in principle agreement regarding the Maurice Blackburn EA. Reaching an in principle agreement meant that the EBA was put to a vote by all employees at MB. Union members were hoping for a strong 'YES' vote to secure the wins made in this agreement and show what the power of being union can achieve in the workplace. So it's fantastic news to report that employees at MB have overwhelmingly endorsed the Maurice Blackburn Employees' Agreement 2021 negotiated by the bargaining team. Congratulations! 99% of staff who voted said 'YES' to approve the proposed Agreement. This is a ringing endorsement for the deal negotiated by union members. Together/ASU members have worked hard to secure a fair increase to pay and conditions for members at Maurice Blackburn. The 99% approval vote shows the power of union membership at Maurice Blackburn. The delegates on the national bargaining team deserve a huge thank you. They all put a huge amount of time and effort into these negotiations. Union members should check their inbox for details about what's next with the approval process, including details about your back pay. If you can't find your email, contact your union office on your.union@together.org.au. Celebrate the win! Ask a colleague to join the union! Union members have secured a strong Agreement that delivers fair increases to pay and conditions. Celebrate the win by encouraging your colleagues to join your union. We are stronger when we act together. If you have any questions about the Agreement, get in touch with your local delegates or email your.union@together.org.au.
