Australia's 1.86 million lowest paid workers will receive a $16 increase to their weekly pay packets following the Fair Work Commission's decision in the annual wage case today. This increase is not enough to close the growing gap between average and minimum wages that is putting enormous pressure on our…

Australian unions have concluded the ACTU Congress 2015 invigorated by a new Union Charter and campaign plan to protect workers' rights and living standards. Over the past three days around a thousand union delegates from around the country have debated and voted on the policies that will shape the union…

The ASU has spent the last two weeks in negotiations with Mission Australia and Mission Providence to try and make the transfer arrangements for employees moving to Mission Providence fairer. This morning, Mission Providence confirmed that it would be reissuing employees with amended contracts of employment. This will deal with…

The ASU represented members in the Fair Work Commission this afternoon in disputes against both Mission Australia and Mission Providence. We argued: 5 days is too short for employees to make decisions about their future; Employees don't have enough information to make a decision (you haven't even been provided job…

Tonight ASU officials and staff have been on standby in Canberra to analyse the Federal Budget and give you a rapid overview of how the Budget will affect ASU members - our work, our lives, our communities. While it will take a bit longer to digest all of the fine…

Australian unions have long called for an increase in child care assistance and funding but it should not come at the expense of overall support to families. The Abbott Government is forcing an impossible choice upon Australian families by linking new investment in child care with extreme cuts to paid…

Late on Monday 4th May 2015 Dnata sent out a communication to all staff seeking expressions of interest to participate in a range of programs to reduce costs and restructure. Your ASU delegates had an EBA meeting scheduled with the company on 5th May 2015 and we immediately raised the…

Years of moderate increases to the minimum wage mean low incomes earners are all but shut out of the housing market. The ACTU lodged a submission to the FWC on March 27 calling for a wage increase for Australia's lowest paid including cleaners, retail and hospitality staff, child care workers,…

The following resources relate the Private Sector and SACS areas and may include ASU and non-union EBAs, as well as current and expired agreements. Resources for Airlines are on a separate page here: www.asu.asn.au/safe/airlines These resources are managed by the National Private Sector and SACS Team. If you have any…

This edition contains a summary of blog items published by Greg McLean in the previous calendar month. Items cover the areas of local government, energy and water, rail and public transport, international news including trade agreements, privatisation and general public sector matters The articles all relate to the blog of…