29 April 008
New figures show 14 weeks paid maternity leave more critical than ever
28 April 2008
Unions call for urgent asbestos probe on International Workers' Memorial Day
Unions will use today’s International Workers' Memorial Day to call on the Federal Government to launch a national Asbestos Inquiry.
ACTU President Sharan Burrow said Australia still has the highest rate of recorded mesothelioma in the world, with exposure to asbestos the only known cause of the disease.
“The Federal Government needs to launch an inquiry into asbestos – looking at elimination from workplaces and homes along with compensation, treatment and cure for those affected.”
“There needs to be an urgent improvement in asbestos regulation and tougher enforcement of laws surrounding asbestos.”
“Today unions across the country will be marking International Workers’ Memorial Day, reflecting on the 2 million workers around the world who have died in the last 12 months.”
“Workers' Memorial Day is an opportunity for all Australians to consider how important it is to have healthy and safe workplaces.
"It is also a day for thinking about the families who have lost a loved one and the children who have lost a parent through an unnecessary workplace accident or an industrial disease,” said Ms Burrow.
It is estimated that around 6,700 Australians die every year from a workplace injury or work-induced disease.
In Victoria alone, six workers have already lost their lives in a traumatic workplace incident so far this year.
National figures show a 10% rise over the past five years in the number of workplace fatalities in Australia that are covered by compensation.
This year unions will focus on raising awareness of the risks posed to Australian workers by occupational cancers – cancers caused or contributed to by work.
Approximately 1.5 million Australian workers may currently be exposed to occupational carcinogens.
18 April 2008
2020 Summit is a welcome opportunity to consider the needs of working Australians
The Summit is an important opportunity for the needs of working Australians and their families to be fully considered in the development of policy prescriptions for a prosperous and fair Australia say unions.
ACTU President Sharan Burrow and ACTU Secretary Jeff Lawrence welcomed the participation of unions in the Rudd Labor Government’s 2020 Summit, to be held over two days starting tomorrow (19-20 April).
Releasing the ACTU submission to the 2020 Summit today, Ms Burrow said:
“The Summit is a forum for not only putting right the wrongs of the former Coalition Government but for creating a sustainable future for Australia in the coming decades.
“It is essential that we move quickly to restore workers’ rights and create a balanced and fair industrial relation system as the foundation for a robust economy that is based on high-trust and high-productivity workplaces.
“We must provide workers with greater job security through protection from unfair dismissal, the right to collectively bargain, a strong safety net, the right to union membership and representation, and an independent umpire to resolve disputes.
“At the same time, we must redress the neglect of the former Liberal Government and invest in social and economic infrastructure, including more TAFE places, more apprenticeships, measures to boost workforce participation and ways to ensure our industries and economy are more environmentally sustainable.
Mr Lawrence said:
“Unions bring to the Summit our fundamental commitment to building a democratic Australia which values all its citizens, their aspirations and their rights – including their right to fulfilling employment and a decent share in the nation’s wealth.
“Australian society needs unions to continue to grow and stand up for working Australians and their families.
“Unions believe in fairness, equality and opportunity for all.
“We believe that all Australians deserve to share in the nation’s prosperity and have a stake in ensuring the country continues to grow in a fair and sustainable way.”
Click here for the ACTU Submission to the 2020 Summit >
16 April 2008
Facing up to Australia’s skills challenge: industry sets key priorities to address the skills crisis
The National Skills Policy Collaboration has today released a ten-point plan to meet Australia’s skills challenges head on.
The statement by leading employer and union groups calls for significant action, innovative thinking and creative solutions to address Australia’s skills crisis.
Chief Executive of the Australian Industry Group, Ms Heather Ridout, said “the competitive future of the Australian economy rests in large part with the development of a highly skilled & innovative workforce. This will only happen if there is a quantum leap forward in the resourcing and commitment by a range of parties to lifting the skills of Australians.”
”Australia’s economic potential will remain constrained unless productivity-boosting reforms such as those proposed in this statement are embraced and implemented,” she said.
President of the ACTU, Ms Sharan Burrow, said there was a need to look at fundamental reform. “Australia has a generational opportunity to turn around the skills crisis. Reforms undertaken today will set us up for a new wave of productivity improvement and prosperity.”
“Australia’s skills shortage needs to be addressed urgently through improvements in the provision of vocational education and training. Greater industry involvement in this is essential if real improvements in delivery and outcomes are to be achieved,” she said.
The statement highlights ten steps integral to improving the quality and capacity of Australia’s workforce. These include:
• Renewed focus on apprenticeship completions
• A long-term strategy to improve Australia’s investment in education and training
• Skill infrastructure partnerships between public and private sectors
• Lifting Year 12 or certificate III completion rates
• A national vision and consensus on the future of TAFE
• A review of the traineeship program.
The plan has identified priorities that represent clear, tangible reforming goals. The Collaboration will work with the Rudd Labor Government to achieve the increased quality of skills and skilled workers Australia needs.
A key element of the plan is to support teachers, trainers and their leaders to improve their qualifications and knowledge.
The statement calls for a greater focus on making education and training more responsive to the needs, interests and aspirations of learners. Productivity is an important lens for vocational education. It is best shaped in ways that genuinely excite learners, encourage a social contribution, and develop enduring technical and holistic skills.
The Collaboration includes a number of business groups, unions and think-tanks who believe that Australia can lift its productivity, workforce participation and economic growth by investing wisely in education and training.
The group consists of the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU), Australian Industry Group (Ai Group), Australian Education Union (AEU), Dusseldorp Skills Forum (DSF) and Group Training Australia (GTA). It will be conducting a roundtable in coming months to communicate the plan and to engage with other stakeholders.
Mr Jim Barron, CEO of Group Training Australia (GTA) said:
“The Rudd Government has called for an education revolution. We need a training revolution as well. This ten point plan shows the way and, if implemented, will deliver long term economic and social benefits’.”
Ms Linda Simon, Federal TAFE President of the Australian Education Union (AEU) said:
“TAFEs have played a vital role in the vocational education and training sector for many decades and with the resources will continue to into the future.
A vibrant and well resourced public TAFE system is essential to planning for the broader learning needs of Australians, and for current and future skill needs”, said Ms Simon.
Mr Jack Dusseldorp from the Dusseldorp Skills Forum (DSF) said:
“The global war for talent means that Australia must do much more to educate, train and add value to its workforce if we are to remain competitive. Benchmarking Australia’s skills performance against the OECD leaders and the best in the Asia-Pacific region will be crucial.”
10 April 2008
Job & wages data show ‘coast is clear’ for $26 a week pay rise for low paid workers
The latest ABS jobs data and Government wages figures shows that despite a tight job market there is no wages pressure on inflation and that the coast is clear for a $26 a week pay rise for low paid Australian workers say unions.
Unions are pushing for a $26 a week rise in award minimum wages for around 1.6 million low paid workers in this year’s national pay commission wage case to compensate for real pay cuts under Work Choices and rising interest rates, petrol and other basic living costs.
Today’s ABS jobs data shows the labour market is strong, with an extra 14,800 jobs created in the past month, workforce participation continuing at a record high and a lift in the number of unemployed people looking for full time work.
Also today, wages data by the federal Department of Workplace Relations shows average annual wage increase for workers on collective agreements down slightly to 3.8% with hospitality workers getting only a 2.8% average pay rise.
ACTU Secretary Jeff Lawrence said:
“The coast is clear for the Fair Pay Commission to give minimum wage workers a decent pay rise this year.
“There is no sign of a wages breakout or a significant softening of the job market.
“At the same time, it is clear that low paid workers are struggling to cope with rising home loan costs and rising rents as well as high petrol prices and increases in the cost of food and other basic living expenses.
“The wages of more than a million minimum award wage workers dropped in real terms by up to $44 a week or $2,200 a year over the last three years, according to ACTU research submitted to the Fair Pay Commission.
“These workers deserve a decent pay rise this year.
The ACTU $26 a week claim would raise the current Federal Minimum Wage from $522.12 to $548.12 a week (up to $14.42 an hour).
The increase in the minimum award wage for people at the tradesperson’s rate would be 4.2% — equal to other wage movements (Wage Price Index) over the last year.
“The employer groups that have opposed our pay claim don’t have a leg to stand on. There is no justification for the restaurant and catering industry’s proposed pay freeze for low paid workers and the real pay cut proposed by the ACCI,” said Mr Lawrence.
8 April 2008
New national employment standards will benefit all workers say unions
The Labor Government's proposed new National Employment Standards (NES) are an important step towards scrapping Work Choices and restoring workers' rights say unions.
Releasing the ACTU submission to the Govt on the draft NES today, President Sharan Burrow said:
"Unions welcome the expansion of national minimum legal employment standards to the ten areas that the Rudd Labor Government proposes.
“This is double the number of minimum employment conditions that were protected under the former Liberal Government’s WorkChoices IR laws. The employment conditions dealt with by the NES are:
(a) Maximum weekly hours of work
(b) Requests for flexible working arrangements
(c) Parental leave (and related entitlements)
(d) Annual leave
(e) Personal/carer’s leave and compassionate leave
(f) Community service leave
(g) Long service leave
(h) Public holidays
(i) Notice of termination and redundancy pay
(j) Fair Work Information Statement.
“The ten minimum legal standards, when enacted, will underpin a set of modern awards to provide a comprehensive safety net for all Australian workers.
“In conjunction with modern, flexible awards, the NES should help prevent workers suffering the widespread loss of entitlements to public holidays, overtime pay, penalty rates, leave loading and other conditions that occurred under the former Liberal Government’s WorkChoices IR laws.
"In particular, the NES could benefit many women workers, especially those in low paid, casual or part time work and who do not have the benefit of awards or agreements. The NES will also be to the advantage of workers with caring responsibilities by providing new rights to parent leave and flexible working arrangements.
“In our submission the ACTU proposes a number of changes to the draft NES, including a stronger right for parents of young children to request flexible working arrangements with an onus on employers to give fair consideration to the request and a right to appeal unreasonable employer refusals.
“Importantly, the ACTU Submission also flags the desire of unions to upgrade minimum entitlements in the NES over time.
“In particular, unions will push for the right to 14 weeks paid maternity leave to be included in the National Employment Standards following the outcome of the Productivity Commission inquiry into the paid maternity leave which is due early next year,” said Ms Burrow.
4 April 2008
Australian workers need stronger health and safety protections: review welcome
With an estimated 6,700 Australian workplace deaths each year and some indications that the number has been rising, the review is an important first step in improving workplace health and safety standards and is sorely needed say unions.
ACTU President Sharan Burrow said:
“Australian workers need stronger health and safety protections and unions will seek new safeguards through this review.
“Australia’s death toll from workplace accidents or illnesses is estimated to be around 6,700 a year.
“Even yesterday another tragic workplace death was reported with an electricity tradesman dying while working to repair power lines damaged in the recent storms in Victoria.
“The Australian Bureau of Statistics also estimates there are around 680,000 workplace injuries or illnesses a year.
“At the same time that the death toll from work was outstripping the national road toll, the former Liberal Government downgraded national health and safety protections and workplace compensation standards.
“The former Howard Government abolished the National Occupational Health and Safety Commission (NOHSC) and replaced it with a government agency that had fewer resources and less power to safeguard workers.
“The former Liberal Government took away workers’ rights with Work Choices and undermined workplace health and safety protections.
“This review is another step towards restoring workers’ rights including the right of every Australian to go to work and arrive home without an injury or workplace-induced illness,” said Ms Burrow.
2 April 2008
Banks are 'pushing debt' onto working families: unions call for cuts to lending targets
Unions call on the banks and other lenders to immediately cut the loan and credit sales targets that are imposed on bank workers and to review lending practices in the banking and finance industry.
The ABC 4 Corners program on Monday night reported that the debt crisis facing working families is being compounded by the banks imposing sales targets on staff to ‘upsell loans’ and ‘push debt’ including to people who cannot afford to meet their repayments.
A report by the union representing bank workers (the Finance Sector Union) has also exposed the widespread use of sales targets which are linked by banks to employees’ pay and job security.
The union finds that 59 per cent of bank workers said they had felt pressured to make inappropriate sales of loans and debt products to meet targets.
Reports that banks and other major lending institutions have been penalising staff who refuse to take part in what would seem to be unethical lending practices are also alarming say unions.
ACTU President Sharan Burrow said:
“No wonder everyone is living off their credit card — the banks have been forcing their staff to meet sales targets of the things or risk cuts to their pay.
“The wages of banking staff should not be tied to the meeting of unrealistic sales targets of loans and credit cards.
“Especially in the current climate of rising interest rates there is a risk that more and more working families will be pushed into levels of debt they simply cannot afford.
“There are already record levels of families being forced to sell their homes because they are unable to meet loan repayments.
“This is a major problem that the banks and other lenders need to urgent address,” said Ms Burrow.
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