Stick Together

The Brisbane City Council has "locked out" members of the Electrical Trades Union the ETU for taking legal protected action over roster changes. University Students and Pensioners rallied against the most recent Federal Budget.

In addition to a weekly wrap of union news, this week we report on the Walk with Educators Rally in Melbourne.  We also speak with Denis Rogatyuk about the upcoming UK elections.

On this week's show, along with the weekly news wrap, we're back out the front of the ALP state conference to hear from HACSU about their ongoing fight with the Victorian Labor government over the plans to privatize disability services. Collin Hesse talks to MEAA CEO Paul Murphy about the recent strike at Fairfax and Annie Mcloughlin speaks with Sally McManus about the future struggles of our move...

This week in addition to the weekly wrap of union news, we examine the cuts to higher education included in last week's Federal Budget. We talk with both staff and student representatives about what the cuts will mean. If you'd like to donate to the Carter Holt Harvey workers, you can head to www.myrtleford-whymrabbott.nationbuilder.com

News from Loy Yang, FairFax and Queensland MUA.Privatising of community services is a recipe for putting profit before people. We speak to Simone White from the NSW  Rape and Domestic Violence Service and a ASU member. We will follow up why Ged Kearney from the ACTU resigned from the Federal Governments Ministerial Advisory Council for Skilled Migration (MASCM) as soon as Turnbull announced the 45...

In addition to a weekly wrap of union news, this week we report on the International Workers Memorial Service in Melbourne. We also cover the abuse of traineeship wages in the hospitality sector.

On this week's show we look at the Federal Government's Prepare, Trial and Hire Program, PaTH. First announced in the 2016 Budget and recently launched, despite legislation for it's full implementation not yet passing the senate.

In addition to our weekly wrap of union news, this week we head to the picket line at Fletcher Insulation. Almost 90 members of the AWU are in their ninth week of indefinite strike action. They are fighting against wholesale and savage cuts to their conditions, proposed by their employer - the major building supply group, Fletcher. We hear from the members at the picket about their struggle. If yo...

Attacks on the Boot Test and attacks on workers taking cases to the Fair Work Commission. Accused by business lobby of causing chaos industrially. We talk to Josh Cullinan from the Retail and Fast Food Workers Union to set the record straight. Unionist at Indian's largest car manufacturer (Maruti Suzuki in Haryana and Manesar) have been jailed after a trial that branded them murderers. Workers cal...

In addition to a weekly wrap of union news, this week we report on NUW members taking rollling strike action in Melbourne at McCormick Foods as they protest adjustments to their working hours, paid breaks and a 6% wage cut.  We also cover the rally and occupation at the Rio Tinto offices in Brisbane, after the company broke its Memorandum of Understanding with the MUA.

In addition to a weekly wrap of union news, this week we report on CPSU members working in Medicare, Centerlink and Child support who have been taking strike action as they try and resolve their long fight for a fair enterprise agreement. We also cover the National Union of Students who held rallies across the country on March 22nd. Young workers centre www.youngworkers.org.au

This week on the show, we report on the emergency meeting of young workers held at the Victorian Trades Hall about the proposed cuts to penalty rates. We also speak with the ETU's Dave McKinley to delve deeper into some of the issues surrounding the current debate on energy policy.

Enough’s Enough Stop the Attack on Workers rallies across the nation against penalty rate cuts and the ABCC legislation. Despite rallies as big as 15,000 in Melbourne and Sydney the rallies were under reported. We intend to redress the balance. Sydney Rally link

International Working Women's Day with a focus on #WRAW and #Stopping Gendered Violence At Workplaces.

Last week the Fair Work Commission finally brought down it's decision on Penalty rates for workers working in Retail, Hospitality and at Pharmacy. For the first time in Australian Industrial arbitration a decision was made to cut workers wages. In this program we look at what happened and why it is bad for workers and Australia as a whole.

On 18 January 2016, multinational dairy company Parmalat, locked out around 70 workers from their plan in Echuca. We cross to the picket line to hear the latest in the dispute.  We also speak with Kate Lee from APHEDA about their campaign to eradicate asbestos. If you would like to donate money to the locked out workers at Parmalat, head to www.gofundme.com/support-parmalat-workers

An extended report on the Unemployed Workers Rally Dignity Not Debt End Centelink Debt Debacle held in Melbourne 31st of January. Across the country in fact across the world public assets, those owned by the people, have been given away to business. The closed loop of money spent on services going to the maintenances of services is now going into the pockets of local and over seas share holders. V...

When Brad Marsh went into bat to fight for his daughter against abysmal pay from her employer Baker's Delight he was just picking the scab off a pucsy sore. We speak to Brad and Retail and Fast Food Union organiser Mel Gregson for an update. The community have come out in protest WestConnex. This week the Sydney Branch of the Maritime Union of Australia joined residents at Sydney protesting the co...

2017 is going to be a year of fighting for our lives. These are words coming from the mouth of writer and union activist Van Badham the occasion the Women's March against Trump on Jan 21 in Melbourne. The full speech later in the programme. Diversity isn't just a word or a politically correct behaviour. It is what happened down in St kIlda on Sun Jan 29th as part of the Midsumma Pride March. Victo...

This week on Stick Together we speak with ACTU President, Ged Kearney about the year that was and look forward to what 2017 holds for the trade union movement. We also speak with Ella Fabry from the Timor Sea Justice campaign about recent developments in the dispute between Timor Leste and Australia over resources in the Timor Sea. The extedned interview with Ged Kearney can be found here.

Modern Award replaces EBA at Loy Yang more on the way. On Friday 14th of January the Fair Work Commission ordered the EBA between AGL and workers at  Loy Yang in Gippsland's La Trobe Valley, be scrapped, meaning workers will be covered by a modern award until a new agreement can be reached. Geoff Dykes from the CFMEU Victorian Mining and energy division goves the back ground leading up to this dec...

Today with focus on Pensions and Penalty rates. David Thompson CEO of Jobs Australia lifts the curtain on some other scandals at the heart of our Centrelink system. Lou Wheeler from Fair Go for Pensioners gives an account of the Age Pension changes while Josh Cullinan from the Retail & Fast Food Workers Union goes into bat for the Baker's Delight workers who have been short changed.

The work of disabled workers, their laywers from the AED legal centre and pro bono work from barristers delivered back pay for up to 10,000 workers in Australian Disability Enterprises. We have words from Kairsty Wilson AED Principal Legal Pracitioner about this society changing out come. Federal Government  use of data matching and modeling techniques have been applied to social security recipien...

We are drawing near to the 12 month anniversary of the dramatic midnight raid which bought an end to the longest sit-in occupation of a vessel in Australian history. This week we look back at the MV Portland dispute and the MUA's struggle to save the future of Australian shipping. We talk to those involved, including the MV Portland's chief cook, Michael Pawson who tells us what happened on that f...

 The issue dominating the last week was the formal stages of the creation of a Super Union. The signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between the CFMEU and the MUA went ahead on Wednesday 14 of December at Victorian Trades Hall witnessed by a plethora of other Union officials, delegates and rank and file members. We were there will bring you a report from the mouths of those present. We also...