Rights at Work

The Australian Council of Trade Unions welcomes the Senate’s support for an ALP amendment to the Vulnerable Workers' Bill that removes coercive powers that could have denied the right to silence for 11 million Australian workers. Had the original Bill passed, it would have seen all working Australians lose the…

Australian workers’ wages are not keeping up with the cost of living and over a million working people are underemployed, figures released today by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) reveal. The cost of living is growing 16 per cent faster than wages in the private sector. Workers are doing…

A new ABS report, which uses new methodology to link total number of jobs with individual workers, shows that 750,000 people work two or more jobs to simply to survive. The report finds more than 750,000 Australians currently have second and third jobs due to mass underemployment. The new statistics…

The ASU is seeking views from young people and all interested members of the community about what should be done to improve the transition from school to work for young people. Fill out our survey to help inform our Parliamentary submission – a great chance to have your views heard…

You’ve probably seen the news – penalty rates for hospitality, retail and pharmacy workers could be slashed from July 1. The good news is we can do something about this if we act now. >> Click here to become a Weekend Warrior! An aggressive bosses’ campaign has so far succeeded…

Statement from Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) President Ged Kearney: The Turnbull Government’s decision to vote against proposed legislation to stop the penalty rate cuts is another failure to stand up for Australian working people. After losing the vote of LNP backbencher George Christensen, who crossed the floor to…

This month the Senate Committee inquiring into gender segregation in the workplace and its impact on women's economic equality released its report. The ASU lodged a submission to the Inquiry and also appeared at hearings with members providing evidence. We are pleased that a number of the remedies we put…

Brussels, 13 June 2017 (ITUC OnLine): The number of countries experiencing physical violence and threats against workers has risen by 10 per cent in just one year, according to the annual ITUC Global Rights Index. Attacks on union members have been documented in fifty-nine countries, fuelling growing anxiety about jobs…

Today’s announcement of an increase of 3.3% to minimum award wages does not meet the principle that a full time worker in Australia should not have to live in poverty. The Fair Work Commission (FWC) recognised its failure to achieve this in its Annual Wage Review Statement but the ASU…

The Fair Work Commission (FWC) has confirmed the penalty rate wage cuts for up to 700,000 workers will begin in less than four weeks. The transitional arrangements for the penalty rate cuts will ensure the pain that workers face will be a long, drawn out process, with wage cuts every…