The Fairwork Commission is undergoing a review that focuses on swim teachers pay for the industry. Most of the swimming instructors we work with will train for anywhere between 6 and 12 months. The process to become a swimming teacher is quite long and arduous. We do internal train, we do training courses we must have Working with Children and CPR certifications. We would cover these requirements over the 6 – 12 month period. During this time, however, we would at times still be required to teach classes generally due to the lack of teachers on a given shift. So, there we are, teaching kids to swim but technically still a ‘trainee’ and being paid that way. Given their way employers want this sort of practice to be written into the Fitness Industry Award by having a ‘trainee swim teacher’ role at level one. Given that the words ‘swim teacher’ don’t come into the Award until level 3, this would blur the lines terribly for new swimming teachers coming into the industry. We want to make a difference. We want to change the rules, so they support young workers not exploit them. We would really appreciate your support!

Australian Unions call on the Australian Government and Minister Kelly O'Dwyer to actively support the development of, and ratify once adopted, the new ILO Convention aimed at preventing violence and harassment in the world at work, including sexual harassment. We need to send a message that we won’t tolerate workplace gender violence: Not here, not anywhere. Sign the petition

Queenslanders expect better. When $1.6bn in taxpayer funds is being spent, Queenslanders should be able to expect a decent, safe workplace, and the highest standard of construction. The way that the Second Range Crossing is currently being built, it's only a matter of time before someone is killed. Queenslanders won't wait for that to happen. We want action now.

The LNP Government - with the support of One Nation - has introduced a new Building Code that aims to destroy unions and workers' rights on construction sites by banning all union slogans and materials like stickers, flags and symbols on clothing. The new code bans "images generally attributed to, or associated with an organisation, such as the iconic symbol of the five white stars on the Eureka Stockade Flag." It also bans "mottos" and union names, symbols, "signs, markings or indications. " It is an important part of Australia's history. Banning union motto’s, stickers and images, including the Eureka flag, is unAustralian..

Workers at Ridley Agri want to negotiate their wages and conditions collectively because they don't want anyone left behind. They want fair wages for their work. They also want their precious time away from work – time spent with their families and community – to be respected. Ian Fairbairn, please step in to get these simple rights in place.

Under the government's Welfare Reform Bill, all unemployed workers aged 30 and over will have their Work for the Dole requirements increased by at least 50%. Unemployed Australians aged between 30 and 49 (approximately 300,000 people) will have their Work for the Dole requirements increased from 30 hours per fortnight to 50. Unemployed aged 50-59 will have to attend 30 hours of activities per fortnight (up from 15), while unemployed aged 60 and over will for the first time have to attend 10 hours at an activity per fortnight (previously zero). Focusing just on the 30-49 age bracket, this Bill will force unemployed Australians to attend 6 million more hours at a Work for the Dole activity each year. A government-commissioned report admitted that 64% of sites do not meet basic safety standards, while another report stated that Work for the Dole helps only 2% of participants into work. We have already lost one life due to Work for the Dole. Last year, Josh Park-Fing was forced to ride on a flat bed trailer being pulled by a tractor at his Work for the Dole site. He fell off and tragically died. The Queensland State Government is taking legal action against the Work for the Dole site, supervisor and job agency. Why is the government refusing to learn the lessons from Josh's death? The government cannot guarantee the safety of unemployed Australians at Work for the Dole, yet is expanding the program. This is a national disgrace. Senator Hinch has the power to stop the Welfare Reform Bill. Send him a messaging telling him why.

Early childhood educators are paid just half the national average wage. Our work is undervalued for one reason: 97% of educators are women. Our job is seen as “women’s work”. We’re told we should do it for the love of it, but love doesn’t pay the bills. Educating children is one of the most important jobs imaginable, we are setting children up for their future. We deserve respect and fair pay. It’s time to value every child by valuing every educator. We are DONE with asking nicely. Malcolm Turnbull has until Thursday 1 February to support equal pay, or we will escalate our campaign with nation-wide walk offs.

Working in a 60 degree kitchen is dangerous. I drink 3-4 litres of water a day but I can't keep up. By the end of my shift I feel woozy and light headed, I've seen colleagues faint at their benches. We work in a hazardous environment but when we're unable to concentrate properly these hazards are multiplied. I'm calling on Work Safe Victoria to introduce a maximum working temperature for kitchen staff much like those implemented in other industries.

At the age of 24, my wonderful son David was killed in a workplace accident in Tasmania. An accident that should never have happened. I feel distressed just thinking about the early morning phone call from one of David's friends advising us that the boat he was working on had not come in at the expected time. We waited for news, hoping for a good outcome. The next phone call destroyed our world. When the boat that David was working on sunk, he swam for over five hours before dying of hypothermia. I can't put into words how horrendous something like this is. We will never recover from the sudden and unbearable shock of losing a much loved family member. David was young, healthy and a hard worker. He had his whole life in front of him. He should not have been killed at work. Workplace deaths break the hearts of those left behind. This tragedy opened my eyes to the unjust, discriminatory and dangerous 1988 Workers Compensation Act. Some workers have been deliberately excluded! They are disrespected when they are killed at work. They are denied any funeral / death compensation. Basically, they are disposable workers. This is unacceptable. ALL workers MUST be included in the Workers Compensation Act. Employers should be accountable if they have contributed to the death of a worker by failing in their duty of care. Workers continue to lose their lives in Tasmania. Families continue to be shattered, and forever heartbroken. The Tasmanian Government have ignored these issues for far too long. They MUST take action, and implement the legislative changes needed to protect workers.

It's not good enough. We work hard and are entitled to fair pay and proper working conditions. We deserve the conditions and protections that Australian workers have worked hard for. Working as a delivery rider for Deliveroo was precarious. They offer no job security, no sick pay, no paid holidays and no superannuation. Insurance can be expensive and conditions unsafe. A recent survey by the Young Workers Centre found that 3/4 riders are earning below the minimum wage, almost half of riders have been injured at work and for many riders this is their full-time job. Riders are required to be responsible for their own insurance. This means that if workers are injured they will have to pay any medical costs and will not receive any pay while you are unable to work. For workers here on a visa, it is unlikely travel insurance will cover an injury sustained while working. There's no compensation if you get hurt and you can be out of work for months if you have a crash. The bigger the petition is, the stronger the message we can send: we need to change the rules so food-delivery riders get a fair go.

Work for the Dole is dangerous. In 2016 alone, reported Work for the Dole injuries increased five-fold. According to an Ernst and Young audit commissioned by the government, 64% of Work For The Dole activities do not even meet basic safety standards. Rather than reining this dangerous program in, last month the Morrison government decided to significantly expand it. Knowing full well of the risks involved, the LNP are still sending more and more Australians like Josh to perform free labour at hazardous sites. Treasurer Fyrdenberg, how can you and your government possibly allow this deadly scheme to continue? When it poses such a threat to the lives of all participants, how can you keep burying your heads in the sand and proclaim Work for the Dole a success? So far, the LNP have refused more than a dozen parliamentary requests to release the report into Josh's death. Treasurer Fyrdenberg, why does your government continue to deny these requests? What are you and your colleagues hiding? Two-and-a-half years after their tragic loss, Josh's grieving family and friends continue to wait for answers. It's time they were given the justice, and piece of mind, they so rightly deserve. It's time to shut down this dangerous program once and for all - before it tears another family apart.

Aaron loves his partner and 3 young children; A job he can count on means fair pay & respect for union rights! Rand Pty Ltd stores most frozen bread, cakes, and even the garlic bread you buy at Coles & Woolies Australia-wide. Aaron and his co-workers have been bargaining for a new national pay deal, but Rand wants them to take a pay cut, so HR sacked Aaron at midday today, by email! Sign the petition and share it with ya mates! Let's get Rand to reinstate Aaron ASAP! Yours in unity National Union of Workers