Pathology and pharmacy are often tasked departmentally with providing services integral to a highly functioning tertiary hospital which are specialised, cumbersome and not necessarily profitable. In recent years both departments have undergone significant staff reductions and cost cutting in order to achieve better financial sustainability, seeing many of our senior staff and mentors made redundant. We've worked tirelessly to maintain the quality of service despite this. We were promised that a restructure would solve the financial burden on the hospital to continue to provide such services, however less than 12 months later we are being asked to take a 10-20% reduction in pay for new staff members. A move that would create two classes of employees performing the same work, and inevitably an unhealthy workplace. During negotiations we have been benchmarked against unfair private industry comparators, competitors that can pick and choose which services they provide, namely profitable ones. Specifically in Pathology they are large multinational corporations all of which do not currently provide direct services to tertiary hospitals.

We have already seen in Victoria and the United States that Meat Processing Facilities and related industries can be extremely vulnerable to COVID-19 outbreak. Our working environments are fast paced, indoors and require close contact with other workers, placing us at high risk. As Essential Workers we must continue to do this work in order to provide food to the people of Australia. We need YOUR SUPPORT to lobby our Employers and the Government to provide paid pandemic leave NOW.

Are you a long distance driver for Followmont? Have you ever looked at the amount for Super on your payslip and wondered if it's correct? Followmont are paying long distance drivers based on the "minimum guaranteed wage method" when they should be paying using the "cents per kilometre method". You could be getting thousands less than what you're entitled to. Add your name to a petition calling on the Australian Tax Office to urgently investigate the way Followmont pay superannuation to long distance drivers.

Cassy O’Connor has said she supports a wage freeze for public sector workers, including hospital workers. RHH cleaners have gone above and beyond over last few months keeping people safe. They work in the heart of Cassy O’Connor’s electorate, Clark, and most live in the electorate too. They don’t understand why Cassy O’Connor and the Greens want to freeze their wages. In real terms, that amounts to a wage cut. Cleaners are calling on Cassy to change her position and support them, by allowing them to have the wage increase that the government agreed to. The agreements were negotiated in good faith and should be honoured. Health and community services workers deserve a pay rise that keeps up with the increases to their cost of living.

The issue of bus driver assaults is not new, it has been going on for years. In Queensland for the past 10 years the issue has been researched, debated and reviewed and the need for public transport buses to be fitted with bus driver safety screens clearly identified in the 2017 Bus Driver Safety Review. Queensland public transport is administered by the government department of Transport and Main Roads under the TransLink banner. TMR/TransLink awards contracts to bus operators and it fully funds the cost of providing these services and provides funds for the purchase of buses used in these contracts. The Bus Driver Safety Review identified the need for bus driver safety screens to be fitted to urban buses under the TransLink banner. All new buses purchased by TransLink contractors must be fitted with bus driver safety screens. It will take another 21 years for the entire fleet of buses under the TransLink banner to be replaced with buses fitted with driver safety screens. Therefore, for another 21 years bus drivers working for contractors under the TransLink banner will be at risk of assault because they will be driving a bus that is not fitted with a driver safety screen. I am asking for your assistance to petition the Queensland Government to fully fund the cost of retrofitting the entire TransLink branded bus fleet.

This is a fundamental workplace right and shows a clear lack of care for staff to ignore and erode workers rights during this time of crisis whilst hundred of Deakin staff are made redundant.

Literacy and Numeracy Test for Initial Education Students [LANTITE] and the administration of LANTITE. We can understand your frustration given Education and the COVID-19 pandemic; We believe you can understand and appreciate our frustration in regard to the LANTITE and our inability to graduate. As a result, we implore you for your support in removing the Literacy and Numeracy Test for Initial Education Students (LANTITE) administered by ACER as a graduate requirement. These students have successfully completed the units in their degrees, as well as professional practise in the form of placements. Throughout degrees and placements, the importance of literacy and numeracy is highlighted. We implore you to support the removal of LANTITE as a graduation requirement. In doing so, you will be contributing and assisting Australia’s economic return through this pandemic.

Members have been contacting us with their stories: "I have only recently started at Monash and do not have the leave balance or personal wealth to cover this requirement. I have no choice but to let my kid’s education suffer as I cannot assist them and fulfil the full requirements of my role." "I have two children in lower to middle secondary school. Their schooling has shifted online, which requires me to monitor their schooling from 8.30am to 3.15pm each week day, and react to technical and learning issues throughout the day. In a non-COVID19 environment, I acquit my fractional hours by working uninterrupted during school hours from Monday to Friday (8.30am to 3.30pm). I am no longer able to get the uninterrupted school hours, so I am working much later into the evenings and on weekends, and this is impacting on my ability to look after my children outside of school hours and to assist my mother with the care of my father, who has Alzheimers." "I am the parent of a 5 and 6 year old. The 6 year old is in the process of being diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and needs close and constant supervision. It is not possible to do any work at the same time as home-schooling. I am seeking carers leave to cover two days a week and my partner would be undertaking the other three days. I will spend the three work days fulfilling my teaching and engagement obligations, and will forego my research during this time. Clearly this is likely to impact on my track record for ARC grant applications and my next promotion application, but I feel I have no other choice due to pressures from my department." "I have a secondary school-age child. She has some significant health problems including anxiety, I have to spend a considerable amount of time keeping her on track with her learning. I also have an elderly mother (78) who lives on her own. I therefore need to regularly do her shopping, something she would normally do for herself, but should not at the moment because of the health risks of her leaving the house. Now when there is the prospect of me actually being able to take COVID-19 related leave, it has suddenly been withdrawn. This feels like a slap in the face, especially given the generosity of the university toward students. By contrast, for academics the so-called generosity has been swiftly removed, making a farce of the entire "thanks for being so incredible working overtime" statements that have been made routinely during the crisis. Personally, I worked more than 12 hours a day for 3 weeks, with no days off, and received nothing in recognition, except hollow words."

The recent Covid 19 income support package has resulted in an imbalance. A hospital cleaner working full time is earning around $1000 per week before tax, and usually takes home around $750. The worker must meet all personal expenses including housing, transport, food, childcare, education and medical costs. The essential services workforce is being severely affected by the current crisis as many workers are having to stay home to care for families. We are not going to be able to recruit new workers to replace those who are unable to work. Potential employees would be better off on Centrelink benefits, safer and wealthier.

Enough is enough. Respect our staff. Protect our health

As everyone is racing the grocery store and panic buying - we are getting abused, things thrown at us and not being treated with respect. We are risking our lives/our families because we don’t know if anyone we are coming into contact with has the virus. Hundreds of people visit supermarkets per day and the rate for people being tested positive is doubling everyday. It’s not right - we’re not being protected enough. Woolworths should be giving both salary and EBA team members a bonus to support their staff. We, retail workers, and our families matter too.

Well if this happens , if there are any more and there will be , serious world issues , the bosses will use this to put more of us, working class poor on well fair, across all industry,s