Australians saw off John Howard at the last federal election with hopes that they were protecting their rights at work. Although progress has been made by the Rudd Government in undoing the draconian WorkChoices legislation, there is still a long way to go. And your rights at work still need to be defended and advanced.
Our current campaign objectives
Right to union membership and representation
Every worker should have the right to join and be collectively represented by a union,
to access advice and information from their union in the workplace and to have a say
about decisions that affect their work.
Collective bargaining rights
All workers should have the democratic right to collectively bargain on all matters if a majority of the workers in their workplace want to.
Protection from unfair dismissal
Job security and protection from being unfairly dismissed are important rights that all Australian workers deserve.
A strong safety net
Australian workers must have a decent and comprehensive safety net. There should be a combination of legal minimum standards and a modern and easy to understand award system to provide a floor of dignity for all workers in Australia.
An independent umpire
A genuinely independent workplace umpire should be established to resolve disputes.
What is the ASU doing?
The ASU is a key union involved in the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) campaign to protect your rights at work. Although we won the enormous battle at the last federal election, we must continue our fight.
We are also posting regular news about the campaign on the website and updating members on campaign activities.
ASU members have actively participated in the campaign and we thank you all very much because we have come so far. However, members need to stay engaged to ensure we receive everything we fought for in getting rid of WorkChoices.
CLICK on the photos above to visit our online FLICKR gallery!
Things you can do to support the campaign
Subscribe to our email alert service so you can stay up to date on important news. Enter your email address in the "Subscribe" button, which can be found on the left hand side bar of this webpage.
Be active in your union because active, strong and united unions are the best way to protect your rights at work. And make sure everyone at your workplace is a member - you can join the ASU here.
Tell everyone at work, all your friends and family about the issues involved.
Campaign Update - Summer 2008-9: this update focuses collective bargaining and how the tide is turning for industrial relations.
The campaign continues: a brochure explaining where we are at in the campaign after the 2007 federal election at which Howard and WorkChoices were finally ousted. There's still so much work to do!
Fact Sheet on AWAs versus collective bargaining: explains how collective bargaining has been undermined under WorkChoices through the use of AWAs and how collective bargaining is important to protect workers.
Fact Sheet on unfair dismissal: shows how unfair dismissal rights have been taken from many workers, and compares the current system to the ALP's proposal.
Employers should not use the new award system as an excuse to cut pay
Employers should not use the new award system as excuse to rip off workers and cut their pay and conditions, say unions. Unions are concerned that some unscrupulous employers are gearing up to cut pay and conditions following the introduction of the modernised award system.
19 February 2010 [full story]
New Liberal plan to scrap minimum hours of work will hurt more than 2 million casuals
More than two million Australian workers would face major pay cuts and lose their job security under a new Liberal plan to scrap the requirement to pay casuals for minimum hours of work. Liberal leader Tony Abbott announced on radio (3AW Neil Mitchell Show, 17 February 2010) that he will scrap the requirement for casuals to be paid for a minimum shift and that he couldn’t guarantee other basic employment standards would not be axed.
18 February 2010 [full story]
Authorised and published by Paul Slape,
National Secretary, Australian Services Union,
Ground floor, 116 Queensberry Street,
Carlton South, Victoria, 3053, Australia
