Rights at Work

The Abbott Government's attempt to introduce an appeals body to amend decisions made by the Fair Work Commission is another attempt to strip back workers' rights, the ACTU said today. ACTU President Ged Kearney said media reports today made it clear that the Abbott Government wanted to reduce the FWC's…

ACTU said the announcement from Minister for Employment Eric Abetz that the Government plans to freeze jobs, is a blow for the public who access services and an unfortunate outcome for workers hoping to enter the public sector. "This will lead to a thinning out of services that are regularly…

Taking a lunch break has become a thing of the past for millions of Aussie bosses and their employees, a new survey has revealed. The survey, conducted by The Australia Institute and beyondblue for this year's national Go Home on Time Day initiative, found that 3.8 million people routinely don't…

The Abbott Government has begun its attack on ordinary workers by drafting laws that cut taxes for big mining companies but scrap programs, including the Low Income Superannuation Contribution, that benefit low and middle-income workers. The draft of the Minerals Resource Rent Tax Repeal and Other Measures Bill 2013 released…

Go Home on Time Day is an annual initiative of The Australia Institute, in partnership with beyondblue. The Day is a light-hearted way to start a serious conversation about work-life balance. The ASU encourages members and supporters to participate in the Day as the issue of work-life balance can impact…

The Abbott Government's Commission of Audit is nothing but a process to outsource public policy to big business and pave the way for cuts to public services, the ACTU said yesterday. ACTU President Ged Kearney said that this had already happened in Queensland where the Newman Government used the same…

Tony Abbott has confirmed his revamped Australian Building and Construction Commission will continue its predecessor's attack on workers' rights by appointing right-wing ideologue John Lloyd and former ABCC Deputy Commissioner Nigel Hadgkiss to the Fair Work Building Industry inspectorate. ACTU President Ged Kearney said the Abbott Government had made clear…

Over half-a-million workers injured and thousands killed each year in Australia shows we need to strengthen not weaken workplace safety regulation, say unions. Data shows 600,000 workers are injured – 127,000 of those seriously – costing Australia more than $60 billion annually. ACTU President Ged Kearney said: "This raises serious…

Unions will forcefully oppose any moves by the new Government to put ideology and politics ahead of retirement savings. Media reports today suggest the Coalition is prepared to gut Australia's world-leading industry superannuation system purely for political reasons. In the ten years to 31 August 2013, industry funds delivered a…

On 7 October we celebrate the World Day for Decent Work. Public Services International (PSI) joins the international trade union movement in demanding decent work for all and an end to the continuous attacks on trade union rights around the world. We want jobs that provide decent salaries and social…