Stick Together

Indigenous workers are fighting CDP - Kara Keyes from the ACTU explains. The closing of factories, unemployment and lack of investment in manufacturing in Australia has been turned around apparently by massive investment in manufacturing weapons and other war requirements. We hear from Jacob Grech who spoke at this years May Day Rally in Melbourne about what this means on the ground.

This week on the show, we head to the UK and speak with union organiser Hazel Nolan about Britain's Trades Union Congress' campaign for a "New Deal for Workers". We discuss the recent mobilisation in London and examine the similarities and differences between the "New Deal" campaign and the Australian movement's efforts to Change the Rules. We also speak with the CPSU's Lisa Newman about what the...

The mass rally of workers in Melbourne on May 9th  - the last event in the Australian Council of Trade Unions 12 days of action to rally Australian workers to the Change the Rules campaign was a cracker. Over 100,000 workers took over Melbourne CBD from unions across the spectrum of Australian work places. Public sector and private sector, public servants and farm workers suits and ties boiler sui...

People are ready to take action to change the rules and win more secure jobs and fair pay rises. On today’s show we whip around the country to bring voices and speeches from the May Day celebrations and Change the Rules rallies from the last week in Queensland, South Australia and Victoria.

As we move in to rallies across the country to Change the Rules and celebrate Labour Day workers took a moment to remember their fallen comrades who left for work one day but never returned. We go outside Victorian Trades Hall to the ceremony held on 27th of April. We then go to Queensland where Stick together reporter Craig Gaerett talks with Beth Mohle, secretary of the Queensland Nurses and Mid...

This week on the show, in addition to your wrap of union news, we take you to the all-delegates meeting, held at Melbourne Town Hall on Tuesday 17 April. This meeting launched the ACTU's 12 days of action to change the rules.  We hear from rank and file delegates from both inside and outside, including excerpts from speeches delivered at the meeting.

Stick Together in step with the ACTU call for 12 Days of Action to change the rules we have a special feature on a monumental strike action recently carried out in West Virginia by teachers who took illegal strike action and won pay and conditions for public workers in their state. Their actions have seen other teachers also standing up in other states in America calling for their rights as we spe...

With the Victorian State election looming the state’s trade union movement is escalating their campaign on the introduction of industrial manslaughter laws in Victoria. Queensland and the ACT have already introduced industrial manslaughter laws but currently there is little justice for Victorian workers who are killed at work due to negligence. Paul Sutton, OH&S lead from Victroian Trades Hall Cou...

After some news we go to the biggest walk off by early childhood educators in Australia held on Tuesday 27th March. The fight for equal pay for the workers started in Victorian with United Voice members across the country now joining the protest. Centres in Brisbane, Darwin, Canberra, Sydney, Horbart, Adelaide and Perth were joined by rural centres with over 6,000 early educators marching. Stick T...

In addition to a weekly wrap of union news, this week we look at two avenues that are used to lift the wages of workers. We first speak with Don Sutherland about the annual minimum wage case, where the commission uses legal argument to decide what low paid workers "need" to survive. We then cross to a picket line at Yakult, where workers are taking matters into their own hands - striking for bette...

There is strife on the waterfront and the rumblings are being heard right across the country. Today we speak to Will Tracey, National Deputy Secretary of the Maritime Union of Australia (the MUA) before he speaks to a meeting of retired seafarers about the new campaign to save wages and conditions on Australian Wharves. We speak to a stevedore working at Qube on Melbourne’s Webb Dock West where wo...

This week Stick Together brings you working women's voices from the International Women's Day March in Melbourne and the Women's Rights at Work Festival event, Feminism in the Pub. 

We honour the passing of equal pay activist Zelda D’Prano. Alana Dave International Transport Federation’s Public Transport Programme Leader gives us an insight into her journey from grass roots activism in South Africa to her role in the International Transport Federation (ITF).

This week on the show we look at wage theft. In the throes of an election, the SA Premier Jay Weatherill has announced that if re-elected, his government will introduce a new criminal offence for bosses who deliberately or recklessly underpay their workers. We learn more about the announcement from SA Unions Secretary Joe Szakacs. We also speak with Victorian hospitality worker and union activist...

News items including Port Kembla Coal Terminal Lock-out. The Fair Work Act is allowing bosses to kick workers off their agreements without geniune negotiations. In today’s program we go down to the picket outside Australian Paper in Raglan St Preston Melbourne just as the strikers have been told they have been ordered back to work by the Fair Work Commission after 5 weeks out. We follow this with...

South Korea is in the global spotlight opening the Winter Olympic games, but behind the celebrations there is another story to hear. One about the ongoing imprisonment of two Korean confederation of Trade union (KCTU) leaders Lee Young-joo and Han Sang-gyun. Later in the Show we speak to the Australian Unemployed Workers Union's Jeremy Poxon about the Welfare Reform Bill 2017 and why fighting back...

Many people take advantage of the On-Demand economy – Uber instead of taxis, food delivery by Deliveroo, Uber Eats and Foodora. Does it matter delivery riders are struggling on low wages, no superannuation, no sick pay, no annual leave, no insurance and no right to challenge being sacked? We give you some highlights from the launch of a new campaign launched on Feb 3 by the Transport Workers Union...

The Fair Work Commission's decision to stop strike action on Sydney trains. What does it mean for these workers and workers in general. We get an over view from Sally McManus the Secretary of the ACTU the Australian Council of Trade Unions. #Abolish Australia Day was the call from Aboriginal march leaders at the enormous rallies across the country.  We speak to unionists in Melbourne who joined th...

Faced with a recalcitrant government and management failure to negotiate, NSW rail Workers have called the first network-wide strike in almost 20 years. We speak with NSW State Secretary of the Rail Tram and Bus Union about the dispute. We also bring you the story of more than 200 Fijian baggage handlers who were locked out before Christmas last year and the international campaign launched to supp...

This week we pop back in time to the year 2000. On this summer special of Stick Together we catch up with Max Ogden to talk about Unions 2000, a temporary super union which organised, negotiated and proudly presented the Best Olympics Ever! in Sydney 2000.Part two, a re-run of interview with Zoe Angus (MEAA Equity Section Director) on the screen industry’s fight of their lives. The “Make It Austra...

Revenue problems for Turnbull Government. Their answer- attack Social Security. We investigate this failing Federal Government.

As maintenance workers at the Victorian site off the Bass Strait gas field sit coming up to 190 days in a protest at the front gates over cuts in wages and conditions Esso is in lock step with Govt and the courts proving Sally McManus Secretary of the Australian Council of Trades Union’s mantra that the rules are broken.

This week on the show we return to our feature from July about international stevedoring company ICTSI. Their international record of poor industrial relations and union busting has continued - this time in Papua New Guinea and here in Australia at Webb Dock. We speak again to ITF Campaign Director, Shannon O'Keeffe about how their campaign against this international giant is progressing. 

Will Tracey assistant secretary of the MUA speaks about the Web Dock Melbourne dispute: what happened and finally a victory in a dispute that looks like many of the anti union anti worker behaviour that has been a hallmark of 2017.Finally we talk with Josh Cullinan the Secretary of the newest Australian Union the Retail, Fast Food Workers Union (RFFWU), after it’s first year of operations.

This week Stick Together brings news from The Melbourne Docks. A peaceful community assembly has taken residence outside the Victoria International Container Terminal (VICT) at Webb Dock in Port Melbourne after a casual employee was denied shifts following taking action against management over workplace bullying and harassment. The community has taken up the fight sending a very clear message; Tou...