Stick Together

This week we're bringing you highlights from public meetings demonstrating the wealth of grassroots activism taking place across the continent. First we have UWU secretary Tim Kennedy speaking at the Living Incomes For Everyone campaign launch, which aims to fight against the austerity measures and poverty-level welfare arrangements being proposed currently by the federal government. Then we liste...

ACTU President Michele O'Neil launches the ACTU's National-Economic-Reconstruction-Plan and we will hear from Walid, the security guard who blew the whistle on the subcontractor involved in the Quarantine hotel security breakdown in Victoria. 

First we hear from Kacie Duncan, a Community Projects Officer at Gippsland Trades and Labour Council, about her work with disadvantaged people entering the workforce. Then we hear a chat with Dave Fox, AMWU organiser and history buff, about the state of the movement and where to from here. 

First up the Australian Unemployed Workers Union pushes back as the Federal Liberal National Government tries to Govern using Gossip by saying employers can't get workers because the jobseeker/jobkeeper payments are too high - people are too comfortable and aren't interested in taking jobs.  We follow this with a report about the alleged bashing of CFMEU officials on a construction site in the sal...

We hear news about the AUWU's #keeptherate campaign, the NTEU fightback, job cuts and news from regional Victoria, including EBA negotiations at Australian Paper and ATO job uncertainty in Geelong. The First Nations Workers Alliance launched their new advocacy course called "Voice Treaty Truth" this week, we hear from members who developed the training about the content and what they're excited ab...

Over the course of this pandemic almost every aspect of public life has ground to a halt - public protests and street movements are no exception. This week we talk to workers who have been organising to keep our ability to take action in the streets alive, achieving incredible things along the way. Tilde talks with Rose from the Community Union Defence League about their mutual aid programmes, int...

Is big infrastructure and fossil fuel project really the future for Australian employment? Adam Bandt from the Greens outlines an alternative that mops up youth unemployment and provides a positive future for Australian jobs.

We hear from Aboriginal people at the Black Lives Matter/Stop Deaths in Custody rallies in Adelaide, Melbourne and Brisbane and then we hear from the Earthworker Cooperative about how workers cooperatives could help build a new economy after COVID-19. 

We followed up the experience of the workers at Brisbane's waterfront some of whom have been donating to support kids needing resources for home schooling despite their own insecure work situation, we speak to Felicity Sowerbutts from the Young Worker's Centre as they fight for young workers to keep jobs and get jobkeeper payments and we speak to Dean Lim a member of a sex workers’ collective abou...

This week we interview Linda and Austin from the ASU about the situation for laid off workers at the Geelong Regional Library. You can support laid off casuals at the Geelong Library by contributing to their Go Fund Me campaign here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-outofwork-geelong-regional-library-staffLater we have a chat with RAFFWU secretary Josh Cullinan about changes to the Fast Food Ind...

Tim Sullivan talks about the launching of the new library at Bendigo Trades Hall and Tilde Joy interviews JB Hifi workers and RAFFWU members about their fight to stay safe during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

We follow a tribute to Jack Mundey with a win for part time workers at McDonalds and a feature on the #NoConcessionsNTEU campaign against proposals by the NTEU national executive negotiated behind closed doors with Universties Australia and the Federal Government beginning in March with the onset of the covid-19 virus. The National Framework the NTEU national executive wants to take to the members...

May 1st was May Day and workers all over the world stood in solidarity with each other. We hear what people have been up to in Melbourne and some very inspirational words from local workers. 

Tuesday 28 April is International Workers Memorial Day. Last year outside Victoria Trades Hall I found myself quite overcome by the sadness and individual horror of the death of our working comrades who never returned home from work some fateful day. This year with Covid-19 severely restricting large gatherings of people the memorial went online. These memorials were held all over the country and...

We follow up disputes on the wharves, how migrant workers are faring and how RAFFWU workers are demanding a safe work place at JB Hi Fi

Last week we heard from the voices of workers and refugees trying to keep their head above water during the covid-19 pandemic. Over the past week the Federal Government has put to parliament the $130 billion package of public funds to keep 6 million people technically at work during the pandemic. There are lots of things going on in regards this wage subsidy and workers rights which may make sense...

Loads of news about how workers all over the country are standing up for their rights at work and an unemployment crisis. Peter Arndt talks about the work of the Queensland Community Alliance on the ongoing wage subsidy campaign. Marcus Banks talks about the group Unionists for Refugees and what they are doing to support refugees and asylum seekers, particularly during this uncertain time.

The ACTU is calling for a two week payment for all workers, what ever their status, if they are unable to go to work during the Covid-19 virus. What about the issues of climate & inequality. Can we afford to have the covid-19 virus be used to worsen these growing emergencies?

Australia is in lock down, Deserted streets, empty supermarket shelves, stage & picture theatres shut down, concert & festivals cancelled, galleries and libraries closed. Workers are facing the prospect of self isolation for up to fourteen days to contain the spread of the Covid – 19 virus. At the front line the causualised workforce made desperate by low wages, no conditions and the prospect of h...

This has been an important week for workers internationally and locally. In Victoria and Tasmania we celebrate the first eight hour day victory as our Labour Day on Monday March 9th. This was a world first and as legend has it stone masons working on Melbourne University in 1856 downed tools and walked from from work site to the next advocating and gaining support for the idea of eight hours work...

Leading up to the recent fires there was an acrimonious fight going on in Victoria around the role of professional fire fighters and the volunteer status of the CFA. It would be fair to say that the Liberals characterised the campaign to extend the coverage of the United Fire Fighters Union members – the professional fighter fighters – as an attack on volunteerism. We hear from Peter Marshall the...

The Ensuring Integrity Bill aiming to put Unions on the chopping block and the universal introduction of the cashless welfare card including for old age pensioners. 

The Federal Government defunding Aboriginal Organisations while giving WesFarmers $15.6 million for an employment scheme they probably should be doing anyway. Is this a legitimate use of the funds in the Indigenous Advancement Strategy (IAS)?

Today we go to the murky machinations of the Federal Governments move to privatise our Visa system and hear from Grill’d workers standing up against the use of trainee-ships to screw young workers out of an honest days pay for an honest day’s work.

In a battle for community versus corporate profit Tram drivers in Melbourne say no to part time contracts. Yarra Trams and the workers are in a battle over such part time contracts that the workers see as the demise of their job security and the very culture of service and safety that under pins public transport. Yarra Tram sees profits.