According to Joe Hockey the 'day of entitlements is over'. Unemployment benefit is an entitlement so there will be no chance of raising this paltry payment if the Liberals are returned to power next year.
Of course Hockey and Abbott, Bishop & Co couldn't live for a day on what they expect an unemployed person to live on for a week - thats why they voted for a MP's pay increase that gives them as much of an increase as the unemployed get for a year.
Oh! Thats an entitlement that is no doubt excempt from Hockey's reasoning. He was only referring to those without jobs, who are sick or disabled or aged. You can bet your next unemployment bank deposit that the Liberals will not have Hockey's slogan in the forefront of the next election campaign!
Social security entitlements here are a national disgrace in relation to the cost of living and average weekly earnings yet sadly both Labor and the Liberals are singing from the same song sheet on this. Read the Henry report and see just where Australia is likely to be heading - right down the Joe Hockey path if Treasury has its way.
Friday, December 07, 2012
ACTU: Pay Cuts Law Opposed
The ACTU will today urge Parliament to reject a bill that would strip penalty rates from up to 500,000 workers in businesses with less than 20 employees.
ACTU president Ged Kearney said new Australian Bureau of Statistics data showing a continuing fall in wages share in the food and accommodation and retail sectors, showed why business’s attempts to cut penalty rates should be rejected.
The ACTU will today give evidence to a Senate Inquiry in Melbourne into the Bill, introduced by independent Senator Nick Xenophon.
Ms Kearney said the Bill was just one of several attempts underway to cut penalty rates and should be resisted by the Parliament.
“The business community justifies its push to get rid of penalty rates by saying they are making it unaffordable to hire workers,” Ms Kearney said.
‘The truth is that the share of business’s income going to wages in several key sectors has been falling in recent years.”
Total wages share in food and accommodation has dropped from 68.3% in 2010-11 to 67.6% in 2011-12, down from the high of 78.6 per cent in 1996-97.
In retail, the wages share fell from 69% in 2010-11 to 66.9% in 2011-12, the lowest since 2006-07.
“If passed Senator Xenophon’s bill would be an immediate pay cut for up to 500,000 workers – half of whom are on the minimum award wage,” Ms Kearney said.
“The financial pressures on working Australians are as great today as they have ever been. Penalty rates have existed for decades to compensate award-reliant workers for the effects that working unsociable hours have on health, family and social life.
“They are a fair recognition of what workers are required to sacrifice to keep businesses running on week-ends and public holidays.”
“For low-paid workers, penalty rates can be the extra money that allows them to pay rent and bills.”
Ms Kearney said that Senator Xenophon’s bill was just one part of the attack on penalty rates and that employer groups had lodged more than 20 submissions to the Fair Work Act review arguing they should be reduced or scrapped in fast food, retail, hospitality, restaurant and tourism industries.
These include calls from the National Retail Association for week-end penalty rates to be removed in the fast food industry, and the Restaurant and Catering Association arguing that penalties should only apply in restaurants after an employee has worked six consecutive days.
“There is clearly a concerted push to reduce penalty rates, despite the fact there is no evidence this will create new jobs, and plenty of evidence it will hurt low-paid workers,” Ms Kearney said.
ACTU president Ged Kearney said new Australian Bureau of Statistics data showing a continuing fall in wages share in the food and accommodation and retail sectors, showed why business’s attempts to cut penalty rates should be rejected.
The ACTU will today give evidence to a Senate Inquiry in Melbourne into the Bill, introduced by independent Senator Nick Xenophon.
Ms Kearney said the Bill was just one of several attempts underway to cut penalty rates and should be resisted by the Parliament.
“The business community justifies its push to get rid of penalty rates by saying they are making it unaffordable to hire workers,” Ms Kearney said.
‘The truth is that the share of business’s income going to wages in several key sectors has been falling in recent years.”
Total wages share in food and accommodation has dropped from 68.3% in 2010-11 to 67.6% in 2011-12, down from the high of 78.6 per cent in 1996-97.
In retail, the wages share fell from 69% in 2010-11 to 66.9% in 2011-12, the lowest since 2006-07.
“If passed Senator Xenophon’s bill would be an immediate pay cut for up to 500,000 workers – half of whom are on the minimum award wage,” Ms Kearney said.
“The financial pressures on working Australians are as great today as they have ever been. Penalty rates have existed for decades to compensate award-reliant workers for the effects that working unsociable hours have on health, family and social life.
“They are a fair recognition of what workers are required to sacrifice to keep businesses running on week-ends and public holidays.”
“For low-paid workers, penalty rates can be the extra money that allows them to pay rent and bills.”
Ms Kearney said that Senator Xenophon’s bill was just one part of the attack on penalty rates and that employer groups had lodged more than 20 submissions to the Fair Work Act review arguing they should be reduced or scrapped in fast food, retail, hospitality, restaurant and tourism industries.
These include calls from the National Retail Association for week-end penalty rates to be removed in the fast food industry, and the Restaurant and Catering Association arguing that penalties should only apply in restaurants after an employee has worked six consecutive days.
“There is clearly a concerted push to reduce penalty rates, despite the fact there is no evidence this will create new jobs, and plenty of evidence it will hurt low-paid workers,” Ms Kearney said.
Tuesday, December 04, 2012
Unions form new partnership to tackle disadvantage
04 December, 2012 | ACTU Media Release
Today the Australian Council of Social Service (ACOSS), the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) and the Business Council of Australia (BCA) released a joint statement outlining how the three organisations will cooperate to tackle entrenched disadvantage through collaborative action.
The statement is the first of its kind in Australia and outlines a shared commitment by the three peak bodies to work collaboratively towards:
Our vision for shared prosperity is based on the following key principles:
“The joint statement represents a commitment from our three organisations to contribute to enduring prosperity for all Australians by focusing on the areas of common ground between us rather than those areas we disagree on.
“By working together collaboratively it has become clear that we actually share many common aspirations and agree on many important principles. To that end this alliance will:
“Cooperation is fundamental to achieving lasting reform, which is essential to building enduring prosperity,” Business Council President Tony Shepherd said.
“Business wants to see all Australians in a position to contribute to and benefit from economic growth. Growth is fundamental to prosperity but we know that it must be well managed, it must be fair and there must be equality of opportunity.”
Ged Kearney, President of the ACTU, said: “There are groups of people in Australia – long-term unemployed, people with fewer skills, women caring for a child alone, people with disabilities, many Indigenous Australians, as well as people new to Australia – who remain excluded from society.
“We must ensure that everyone, irrespective of background or position in society, has the opportunity to participate in, contribute to, and benefit from our shared prosperity.
“If we can bring people currently excluded from the labour market into regular decent work, we can reduce poverty, enhance human dignity, and improve the economy,” Ms Kearney said.
“This alliance shares the vision that pursuing social and economic objectives at the same time is in our nation’s long-term interest,” Ms Kearney said.
Today the Australian Council of Social Service (ACOSS), the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) and the Business Council of Australia (BCA) released a joint statement outlining how the three organisations will cooperate to tackle entrenched disadvantage through collaborative action.
The statement is the first of its kind in Australia and outlines a shared commitment by the three peak bodies to work collaboratively towards:
- providing employment opportunities for Australians who are disadvantaged in the labour market; and
- giving employers access to workers who meet their skills needs.
Our vision for shared prosperity is based on the following key principles:
- a strong economy with competitive businesses and enterprises
- robust public institutions that engender confidence
- healthy, safe, productive and fair workplaces
- greater access to employment for those currently missing out
- access to lifelong education and training opportunities
- a social safety net that provides adequate income support without impeding transition to work
- effective and efficient support services targeted to those in most need.
“The joint statement represents a commitment from our three organisations to contribute to enduring prosperity for all Australians by focusing on the areas of common ground between us rather than those areas we disagree on.
“By working together collaboratively it has become clear that we actually share many common aspirations and agree on many important principles. To that end this alliance will:
- convene an expert roundtable to discuss best practice polices that support ‘demand-led’ employment assistance for disadvantaged jobseekers;
- investigate options for better linking of pre-employment training initiatives with demand-led approaches; and
- host a forum to explore the importance of reducing inequality and entrenched disadvantage for Australia’s future economic growth and prosperity.
“Cooperation is fundamental to achieving lasting reform, which is essential to building enduring prosperity,” Business Council President Tony Shepherd said.
“Business wants to see all Australians in a position to contribute to and benefit from economic growth. Growth is fundamental to prosperity but we know that it must be well managed, it must be fair and there must be equality of opportunity.”
Ged Kearney, President of the ACTU, said: “There are groups of people in Australia – long-term unemployed, people with fewer skills, women caring for a child alone, people with disabilities, many Indigenous Australians, as well as people new to Australia – who remain excluded from society.
“We must ensure that everyone, irrespective of background or position in society, has the opportunity to participate in, contribute to, and benefit from our shared prosperity.
“If we can bring people currently excluded from the labour market into regular decent work, we can reduce poverty, enhance human dignity, and improve the economy,” Ms Kearney said.
“This alliance shares the vision that pursuing social and economic objectives at the same time is in our nation’s long-term interest,” Ms Kearney said.
AFL-CIO: Internet At Risk
We don’t usually email you about internet rights, but this is big. This week, a UN conference in Dubai will consider amendments to a treaty that would significantly infringe on our internet policy.
This isn’t hyperbole—the Internet as we know it is at risk. Sign the petition, and support freedom of association and freedom of speech on the internet.
The International Telecommunications Union (or ITU), a United Nations agency, is considering new rules that could clamp down on the fundamental freedoms of citizens online. A group of giant internet corporations and countries, including China, Egypt and Saudi Arabia—countries that already impose heavy restrictions on internet freedoms—have put forward proposed regulatory changes to the UN World Conference on International Telecommunications on December 3.
Under their proposals, governments and companies all over the world have much more scope to restrict internet access and monitor what we do online.
So far the proposal has flown under the radar, but its implications are so serious that we’re mobilizing right now to make sure that the ITU and its member countries know that we won’t let them take away our right to free speech online. And this won’t just have repercussions in the US—people in poorer countries and under dictatorships would be hurt even more.
If accepted, the changes would allow:
So many workers are affected by internet policy, even if we don’t think about it as we go about our day. The Internet represents one of the few places in our world that is open and accessible by everyone. We need to make sure our voices are heard before US representatives head to the conference.
Stop the proposal to restrict the Internet in its tracks by signing right now:
go.aflcio.org/Stop-The-Internet-Clamp-Down
In Solidarity,
Richard Trumka
President, AFL-CIO
This isn’t hyperbole—the Internet as we know it is at risk. Sign the petition, and support freedom of association and freedom of speech on the internet.
The International Telecommunications Union (or ITU), a United Nations agency, is considering new rules that could clamp down on the fundamental freedoms of citizens online. A group of giant internet corporations and countries, including China, Egypt and Saudi Arabia—countries that already impose heavy restrictions on internet freedoms—have put forward proposed regulatory changes to the UN World Conference on International Telecommunications on December 3.
Under their proposals, governments and companies all over the world have much more scope to restrict internet access and monitor what we do online.
So far the proposal has flown under the radar, but its implications are so serious that we’re mobilizing right now to make sure that the ITU and its member countries know that we won’t let them take away our right to free speech online. And this won’t just have repercussions in the US—people in poorer countries and under dictatorships would be hurt even more.
If accepted, the changes would allow:
- Increased government restriction or blocking of information disseminated via the internet;
- Creation of a global regime of monitoring internet communications, including the demand that those who send and receive information identify themselves ;
- Requirement that the Internet only be used in a ‘rational’ way;
- Governments to shut down internet access if they decide that it may interfere in the internal affairs of countries or that information of a ‘sensitive nature’ might be shared;
- Introduction of a new pricing regime which would increase costs and slow down internet growth, especially in the poorer countries.
So many workers are affected by internet policy, even if we don’t think about it as we go about our day. The Internet represents one of the few places in our world that is open and accessible by everyone. We need to make sure our voices are heard before US representatives head to the conference.
Stop the proposal to restrict the Internet in its tracks by signing right now:
go.aflcio.org/Stop-The-Internet-Clamp-Down
In Solidarity,
Richard Trumka
President, AFL-CIO
Monday, December 03, 2012
CFMEU: Qantas Censors Union Advertisement
Qantas has pulled a series of inflight advertisements promoting Australian jobs for the mining sector, citing “guidelines”, the Construction Forestry Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) revealed today.
The commercials, which had been scheduled to run for a week, promote the CFMEU’s “Let’s Spread It Around” campaign, which highlights the fact that the benefits of the resources boom have been unevenly spread and that many Australians have tried and failed to get work in the sector, despite an alleged “skills shortage”.
The action has been taken despite the advertising running for a day this week on Qantas domestic flights between Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra.
The ads have previously run on Sky News.
CFMEU National Secretary Michael O’Connor today condemned Qantas’s decision.
“This kind of censorship by Qantas speaks volumes about their war on Australian workers,” he said.
“There is nothing remotely controversial about these commercials. On the contrary, they simply make a very clear case that there is two sides to the boom - something the overwhelming majority of Australians would agree with”.
“Given the way Qantas management treat their own staff, perhaps this decision is not so surprising. After all, this is the organisation that locked out its entire 30,000 strong workforce last year over a union campaign to stop offshoring and outsourcing.”
“I would encourage anyone interested to view the ads and judge for themselves whether there is anything so controversial warranting censorship”.
“Shutting down a point of view in a legitimate public debate is undemocratic and an abuse of power.”
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