Full News Archive

School Staff won't do Teachers Test Work The Deputy Prime Minister has said that if AEU members wont run the NAPLAN tests on students in May, then she wants Parents, the Education department staff and Schools Support Staff to do the job. - 14 April 2010 [ read more ]

CPSU Pledge to Haitian Appeal The CPSU, Australia's major Public Service Trade Union, today announced that it would, start the contributions to the Public Services fund for the Haiti Aid Appeal, with a $40 thousand donation to the victims of the disasterous earthquake. - 21 January 2010 [ read more ]

Making it Fair Pay equity and associated issues related to increasing female participation in the workforce. - 26 November 2009 [ read more ]

Equal Pay Day: 1st September We ask all members of the CPSU to wear RED on Tuesday the 1st of September to mark Equal Pay Day. - 12 October 2009 [ read more ]

World Day for Decent Work - 07 October 2009 [ read more ]

INDISPENSABLE The UN General Assembly, in its Resolution 57/277, designated 23 June as Public Service Day. The UN Public Service Day intends to celebrate the value and virtue of public service to the community; highlight the contribution of public service in the development process; recognize the work of public servants, and encourage young people to pursue careers in the public sector. Since the first Awards Ceremony in 2003, the United Nations has received an increasing number of submissions from all around the world. - 23 June 2009 [ read more ]

Victoria Fire Tragedy We are humbled by the dedication of our public sector colleagues in the face of Victoria's tragedy. - 10 February 2009 [ read more ]

Bradley Review The largest general staff union in Australian universities, the CPSU, today urged the Federal government to reject recommendations by the Bradley Review of Higher Education for the introduction of a student voucher experiment. - 18 December 2008 [ read more ]

The Campaign continues The ACTU will continue its conversation with working Australians about their rights at work, through an advertising campaign launched today (Sunday 25 May). - 26 May 2008 [ read more ]

Budget relieves some pressure The 2008 Federal Budget is a good step towards undoing the damage of Work Choices and relieving the pressure on working Australians and their families - 14 May 2008 [ read more ]

Australian workers urged to help Burma The Australian Trade Union movement’s overseas aid organization Union Aid Abroad - APHEDA has launched an appeal in the wake of the devastating cyclone that hit Burma last weekend. - 12 May 2008 [ read more ]

Rudd has chance to fix pay inequality The new Rudd Government promises a fair, modern workplace relations system. This promise has been in response to the WorkChoices debacle inflicted upon and rejected by the Australian worker. - 09 May 2008 [ read more ]

Unions call for help on Burma Brussels, 7 May 2008 (ITUC OnLine): The ITUC has called for a massive international humanitarian relief effort following the devastation caused by tropical cyclone Nargis which hit Burma on Friday night. - 08 May 2008 [ read more ]

Big business attacks OH&S The push by big businesses to overhaul the federal workers’ compensation scheme could put the health and safety rights of workers at risk says the ACTU. - 30 April 2008 [ read more ]

14 weeks paid maternity leave critical Australian women are going backwards in terms of paid maternity leave, putting the health of new mothers and babies at risk and undermining the capacity of many families to keep up mortgage repayments, says ACTU President Sharan Burrow. - 29 April 2008 [ read more ]

ACTU submission to 2020 Summit The Summit is an important opportunity for the needs of working Australians and their families to be fully considered in the development of policy prescriptions for a prosperous and fair Australia say unions. - 21 April 2008 [ read more ]

Peak groups agree on maternity leave HREOC Sex Discrimination Commissioner Elizabeth Broderick, ACTU President Sharan Burrow and Australian Industry Group Chief Executive Heather Ridout have joined forces to call for a national, taxpayer-funded paid maternity leave scheme for all Australian women. - 08 April 2008 [ read more ]

ACTU: Chinese govt should talk to Tibet Unions are disturbed by reports that media have been barred from entering or forced to leave areas with large Tibetan populations. Human rights groups have expressed fears that this is being done in preparation for a large scale crackdown on Tibetan communities. - 31 March 2008 [ read more ]

Myer introduces 6 weeks paid mat leave The move by major retailer Myer to introduce six weeks parental leave for its 10,000 full-time staff is a welcome first step towards a national paid maternity leave system say unions. - 27 March 2008 [ read more ]

Pay grab by Liberal MPs Reports today that senior Liberals, including those responsible for introducing Work Choices, are ‘mounting a behind-the-scenes push to get extra pay for being a shadow Minister’ are a sign of double standards says the ACTU. - 26 March 2008 [ read more ]

ACTU: Bring on ban on new AWA's A ban on new Australian Workplace Agreements (AWAs) will begin to restore the rights of Australian workers taken away by the former Liberal Government's Work Choices IR laws say unions. - 19 March 2008 [ read more ]

Work Choices officially dead and buried Prime Minister Kevin Rudd declared Australian Workplace Agreements "dead and buried" as parliament passed legislation dismantling the previous Howard government's controversial Work Choices laws. - 19 March 2008 [ read more ]

Fair Pay Commission considers pay rise As submissions close today (Friday) for the Fair Pay Commission’s 2008 minimum wage deliberations, the ACTU repeats its call for a $26 a week pay rise for the low paid, rejecting bids by employer groups for real pay cuts for minimum wage workers. - 14 March 2008 [ read more ]

Unions seek pay increase for low paid ACTU Secretary Jeff Lawrence will announce for the first time today (Wednesday) that unions will seek a $26 a week pay rise for 1.6 million Australian workers that rely on minimum award wages in this year's national Minimum Wage Case. - 12 March 2008 [ read more ]

Tell the Senate your AWA story Have your or your friends and family had an experience with AWAs? Did you have to try and negotiate with your boss in a WorkChoices environment? How did you feel about your kids having to find jobs in a WorkChoices world? - 27 February 2008 [ read more ]

NSW Community Rally To Stop The Sell-Off Community Rally To Stop The Sell-Off Children and families welcome. Come along and let the state government know that you don't support the power sell-off. Tuesday February 26 at 11am. NSW Parliament House, Macquarie St, Sydney. - 25 February 2008 [ read more ]

Libs determined to keep workchoices Work Choices is not dead while the Liberal Party remains committed to using individual contracts and refuses to rule out bringing back AWAs say unions. - 21 February 2008 [ read more ]

Liberals delay scrapping workchoices Thousands more Australian workers will be hurt by the loss of pay and conditions while the Liberals continue to delay a new law to ban AWA individual contracts and begin dismantling of Work Choices said the ACTU. - 19 February 2008 [ read more ]

Qantas staff "offered" pay cuts Around 170 staff at Qantas Valet Parking across Australia are being made redundant and then offered their jobs back on five-year AWAs that remove their penalty rates and cut their take home pay by up to $300 a week or $15,000 a year. - 18 February 2008 [ read more ]

Liberals try to rewrite history Claims by the former Minister responsible for ‘Work Choices’, Joe Hockey, that his Liberal Cabinet colleagues did not understand that workers would be worse off by the Liberals’ Work Choices laws are simply not believable, say unions. - 18 February 2008 [ read more ]

New secure working future All Australians will be able to look forward to a more secure working future under the 10 new employment standards proposed by the Rudd Government, says ACTU President Sharan Burrow. - 15 February 2008 [ read more ]

Libs hurt thousands of workers Thousands more Australian workers will be hurt by Work Choices as a result of today’s decision by the Liberals’ to defend the use of AWA individual contracts and oppose the Labor Party’s new industrial relations laws say unions. - 14 February 2008 [ read more ]

Universities welcome an end to AWA's University staff today welcomed the announcement that the former Howard Government’s forced offering of AWA’s to staff has ended. - 06 February 2008 [ read more ]

Banks have a moral responsibility With the profits of the major banks at record levels they also have the financial capacity to negotiate with customers hit hard by the latest interest rate rise and be flexible with individual mortgage and loan repayments. - 06 February 2008 [ read more ]

Union leaders vow to stop exploitation More than 200 union leaders meeting in Canberra over the past three days have wound up their conference vowing to take on big companies that continue to exploit workers. - 01 February 2008 [ read more ]

Saying sorry is essential Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner said saying sorry to members of the Stolen Generations is an essential step in healing and progressing life outcomes for Indigenous Australians and congratulated the federal government for its announcement today that it would make a formal apology on 13 February. - 31 January 2008 [ read more ]

Carbon liabilities devalue NSW power The Australia Institute is today releasing a new analysis of the carbon liabilities of NSW electricity generators. Under the Rudd Government’s planned emissions trading scheme, coal-fired power plants will need to purchase emission permits to cover their greenhouse gas emissions. - 22 January 2008 [ read more ]

Keep power in taxpayers hands Just before Christmas the NSW Iemma Government announced that it was planning to sell its electricity retail business and lease its power generating plants to private companies. - 17 January 2008 [ read more ]

Stop forcing AWA's on staff: ACTU Unions are calling on employers to stop forcing staff onto Australian Workplace Agreements (AWAs) ahead of new laws expected to be tabled next month in Federal Parliament that will ban AWAS and begin scrapping Work Choices. - 09 January 2008 [ read more ]

PSA slams State Government The Public Service Association of NSW has slammed the Iemma Government for failing to consult with Unions or the public on plans to privatise the State's electricity industry. - 09 January 2008 [ read more ]

People before profits: ACTU The ACTU is urging Australia’s major banks to put people before profits and refrain from increasing interest rates following recent decisions by ANZ and the National Australia Bank to put rates up. - 07 January 2008 [ read more ]

Business needs to admit workchoices dead The ACTU has called on the business community to also admit Work Choices is dead and to immediately stop pushing workers onto unfair AWA individual contracts, following the announcement of Liberal leader Brendan Nelson today. ACTU President Sharan Burrow said: - 20 December 2007 [ read more ]

New unfair dismissal laws vital The Liberal Party should accept that Australians have rejected their extreme approach to industrial relations and support Labor’s plan for new laws that will scrap Work Choices and restore protection from unfair dismissal for Australian workers. - 19 December 2007 [ read more ]

Stop the Sell-Off in NSW The NSW branch of the CPSU-SPSF (PSA NSW) is asking union members throughout Australia and overseas to support a campaign to stop the State Government selling our power industry to private companies. - 19 December 2007 [ read more ]

Rudd takes the axe to Workchoices Government starts dismantling Work Choices Parliament to debate new laws in February First measure will stop any new AWAs - 17 December 2007 [ read more ]

Telstra CEO gets $22 m handshake The fact that Telstra CEO Sol Trujillo will get a $22 million pay packet this year while one million working families will get a real pay cut of up to $800 shows the unfairness of the Howard Government’s Work Choices IR laws said the ACTU. - 08 November 2007 [ read more ]

Workchoices sends real wages backwards A new ACTU analysis shows that the award wages for more than a million low paid workers have gone backwards by up to $15.67 a week — or $814 a year — in real terms under the Howard Govt’s Work Choices. - 05 November 2007 [ read more ]

Howard says govt will go futher on IR John Howard has confirmed that his Government will push ahead with their plan to reduce coverage of the award safety net and would also consider changes to the fairness test if re-elected, according to a report in today's Australian Financial Review. - 01 November 2007 [ read more ]

Howard plans 1.5 million more on AWA's John Howard cannot be trusted on industrial relations and there is no doubt the Liberals will take Work Choices further after the election, the ACTU said today. - 29 October 2007 [ read more ]

CPSU condemns Howard Government Minister The union covering University general and administration staff has condemned comments made today (Monday) by Federal Education Minister Julie Bishop that Universities should replace general staff positions at Universities and employ more academics. - 29 October 2007 [ read more ]

Billionaire wants slave labour Yesterday billionaire retailer Gerry Harvey said a "second tier" of foreign workers should be created in Australia, paid fifty percent less than local workers, undercutting local wages and conditions. - 23 October 2007 [ read more ]

NFF wants Government to cut rural wages Hundreds of thousands of workers in rural and regional areas across Australia face significant cuts to their wages and conditions under a new National Farmers' Federation plan to get rid of the Howard Government's 'fairness test' if the Liberals are re-elected. - 22 October 2007 [ read more ]

Election a chance to protect our rights The Federal Election is an opportunity for working families to protect their rights at work and vote against the Liberals’ and Nationals’ unfair WorkChoices IR laws says the ACTU. - 15 October 2007 [ read more ]

WorkChoices worsens women’s pay gap The pay gap between men and women has widened under the Howard Government, with women on AWA individual contracts falling furthest behind. - 11 October 2007 [ read more ]

AWA slashes meatworkers pay A new Workplace Authority-approved job agreement that cuts the take home pay of around 300 workers at the Lobethal abattoir in SA's Adelaide hills district by up to $88 a week shows the Howard Government's fairness test is a total sham say unions. - 10 October 2007 [ read more ]

Hockey releases "rubbery" figures Rubbery figures released from Joe Hockey’s Workplace Authority cannot be trusted says the ACTU. - 08 October 2007 [ read more ]

Major retailer abandons AWA's A decision by major retailer Spotlight to abandon the use of AWA individual contracts confirms the Howard Government's WorkChoices IR laws are bad for both workers and businesses says the ACTU. - 18 September 2007 [ read more ]

Workers lose 1/3 of their pay A new government-funded report released today confirms that Australia's 1.7 million retail and hospitality workers have been hit the hardest by the introduction of the WorkChoices IR laws, with some workers losing up to a third of their incomes. - 14 September 2007 [ read more ]

Costello will go even further John Howard's announcement that he will stand down in favour of Peter Costello is a clear signal that the Liberal Party plans to take a hardline approach to industrial relations and will go even further on its unfair WorkChoices IR laws if it wins the next election says the ACTU. - 13 September 2007 [ read more ]

Fairness test a flop A new official report released today shows that despite a $37 million taxpayer funded IR advertising campaign to promote the Howard Government's new workplace watchdog, it has checked only one in ten AWA individual contracts since the introduction of the so-called 'Fairness Test'. - 05 September 2007 [ read more ]

Labor steps in the right direction The ACTU said that the Labor Party's transitional industrial relations arrangements announced today were an important step towards restoring rights for working families in Australia. - 30 August 2007 [ read more ]

APEC must address exploitation: ACTU Stronger international efforts to prevent the exploitation of workers and to halt human trafficking and sex slavery in the Asia Pacific should be a priority for next week's APEC meeting in Sydney, unions said today. - 30 August 2007 [ read more ]

New ACTU secretary takes the reigns The new Secretary of the ACTU, Jeff Lawrence, took office today vowing to stand up for working Australians and to intensify the campaign against the Howard Government's WorkChoices IR laws. - 21 August 2007 [ read more ]

Sales workers to get commission only A decision by the Federal Government's pay setting body late yesterday (Thurs 16 Aug.) to scrap guaranteed minimum wages for property salespeople and allow commission-only payments is a dangerous precedent that could spell the beginning of the end for minimum award wages in Australia says the ACTU. - 17 August 2007 [ read more ]

Memo: Rich business gets govt funding A confidential memo from the president of Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VECCI) has revealed a direct link between the funding of the big business pro-Liberal IR advertising campaign and the Howard Government's payments to business groups under its $40 million Employer Assistance Program (EAP) which gave money to the business groups to 'promote' Workchoices. - 14 August 2007 [ read more ]

CPSU - Representing School Support Staff CPSU - THE UNION REPRESENTING SCHOOL SUPPORT STAFF MEMBERS NOTE: Click here to view/download a formatted version; http://www.cpsuvic.org/public_docs/SSO-NEWS-1308-NRW-COMP-WINNER.pdf - 13 August 2007 [ read more ]

Howard fails to manage the economy Today's interest rate rise will put families under even more financial pressure and shows the Howard Govt is failing to manage the economy in the interests of ordinary working Australians says the ACTU. - 08 August 2007 [ read more ]

Worker sacked after 24 years of loyalty Despite saturation advertising by the Federal Government claiming that workers cannot be sacked for refusing to sign an AWA individual contract, another case revealed today shows an employer has used the IR laws to sack a service station worker after 24 years service. - 01 August 2007 [ read more ]

Workchoices hurts women more A new report (link and executive summary below) has found women in low-paid jobs are even worse off under the Federal Government's WorkChoices legislation. - 01 August 2007 [ read more ]

American workers dream of decent wages Three hard working low paid Americans are visiting Australia over the next two weeks to warn of the dangers of heading down the United States path to an economy based on jobs with low wages where working families struggle to afford housing, healthcare and basic living costs. - 30 July 2007 [ read more ]

Bosses pay for Workchoices ad The Australian Mines and Metals Association (AMMA) should return the $600,000 it received from the Howard Government to promote the 'WorkChoices' IR laws following AMMA's announcement today that they intend to contribute $500,000 to a big business pro-'WorkChoices' ad campaign. - 27 July 2007 [ read more ]

Howard creates "A Fine Mess" Laurel and Hardy could not have done a better Job. A famous line from the old comedy team was ` this is a fine mess you’ve got us into’ Howard, Hockey and Andrews have gotten us into a fine mess with WorkChoices. It would be laughable if it wasn’t so deliberate, unfair and unjust. - 24 July 2007 [ read more ]

Howard to blame for job losses: ACTU The possible loss of 600 jobs at Ford's engine plant in Geelong is the latest sign of the Howard Government's disastrous neglect of Australia's car industry says the ACTU. - 18 July 2007 [ read more ]

New union ad highlights concerns A new national union TV ad campaign launched today highlights the growing concern about the effects of the Howard Government's IR laws among older Australians and working parents. - 12 July 2007 [ read more ]

Workchoices exploits young workers:ACTU The loss of protection from being sacked unfairly under the Howard Government's IR laws is a key factor in the rising number of cases where young workers are abused says the ACTU. - 09 July 2007 [ read more ]

The lowest pay rise in a decade Today's pay rise for award workers is the lowest rise in minimum wages for ten years and shows the Fair Pay Commission has only listened to big employer groups and the Howard Government says the ACTU. - 05 July 2007 [ read more ]

IR laws used to rip off sacked workers After years of loyal service at Pele Curtains in the suburb of Mitcham, Denise and eight of her workmates were given just 15 minutes notice that they were being sacked. - 29 June 2007 [ read more ]

ACTU calls on Govts to sign OHS charter A new charter of workplace rights for occupational health and safety and workers' compensation that sets out the minimum health and safety and compensation standards is being launched today by the ACTU. - 05 June 2007 [ read more ]

ILO to investigate Aust labour standards The Howard Government's workplace laws will be examined at a hearing later this week into whether they comply with international labour standards. - 05 June 2007 [ read more ]

Fairness test is unfair: ACTU Workers will not be guaranteed full financial compensation for award conditions lost under the Federal Government's industrial relations laws according to the details of the Government's new WorkChoices amendments introduced into Parliament late yesterday (Monday). - 29 May 2007 [ read more ]

Don't say the W word: Government says Despite widespread confusion over the Federal Government's latest IR changes that were introduced ten days ago without supporting legislation, call-takers at the official government IR hotline have been issued a directive to never say 'I don't know' when callers are unhappy with the lack of information about the new 'Fairness Test. - 17 May 2007 [ read more ]

Miners oppose collective bargaining ACTU Secretary Greg Combet has called on Australia's mining companies to clearly state whether they will respect two fundamental and internationally recognised democratic rights - the freedom to join and be represented by a union, and the right of workers to bargain collectively with their employer if that is what a majority of employees in a workplace want. - 15 May 2007 [ read more ]

Fed Govt's job data wrong: ACTU Today's ABS data reveals that the number of new jobs created over the past year is less than were created in the year to April 2005, prior to the release of the Government's new IR laws. - 10 May 2007 [ read more ]

Budget fails working families:ACTU This Budget fails working families in the three key areas it set out to achieve - the tax cuts are inadequate, the education measures give no special boost for public schools and nothing for TAFE, and with a lack of significant new investment in infrastructure & innovation there is no economic vision. - 09 May 2007 [ read more ]

Tax cuts not enough: ACTU Tax cuts for low and middle income workers expected to be delivered in tonight's federal Budget might be a case of too little too late for working families the ACTU said today. - 08 May 2007 [ read more ]

ACTU president congratulates Combet ACTU President Sharan Burrow today congratulated Greg Combet on winning Labor Party pre-selection for the New South Wales federal parliamentary seat of Charlton in the Hunter Valley region of NSW. - 08 May 2007 [ read more ]

New push to undercut legal minimum wage A new push by major employers in the real estate industry to introduce a commission-only wages system could result in agency salespeople being paid less than the minimum legal wage. - 03 May 2007 [ read more ]

Business should support ALP policy: ACTU The outcry of business groups ACCI and BCA against Labor's plan to scrap AWA individual contracts shows some business leaders are more interested in playing politics than responding to genuine community concern over the Federal Government's IR laws says the ACTU. - 02 May 2007 [ read more ]

Voters now have a clear choice: ACTU Working families now have a clear choice about the future direction of industrial relations in Australia following the release of Labor’s industrial relations policy, the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) said. - 30 April 2007 [ read more ]

Rudd denies new IR plan is sop to Unions Leader Kevin Rudd denies Labor's proposed industrial relations plan is pandering to unions, saying it will restore the balance between business and employees. - 26 April 2007 [ read more ]

Fair Work Australia must be fair: Combet Labor should ensure its proposed new workplace umpire 'Fair Work Australia' is truly independent and has real powers to ensure the rights of Australian employees in the workplace are respected and enforced ACTU Secretary Greg Combet said today. - 26 April 2007 [ read more ]

ALP will protect workers: ACTU All Australian workers would receive protection from being sacked unfairly if Labor wins the next federal election says the ACTU. - 17 April 2007 [ read more ]

Govt needs to admit laws are hurting Instead of attacking unions the Federal Government should admit that its IR laws are hurting working families the ACTU said today. - 16 April 2007 [ read more ]

$20m grant for big business The Sydney Morning Herald is today reporting on key industry and employer organisations receiving more than $20 million from the Federal Government to educate their members about the industrial relations laws. To comment go to http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/business-got-20m-for-ir-support/2007/04/11/1175971183185.html - 12 April 2007 [ read more ]

Zimbabwe unions - national strike Brussels, 3 April 2007 (ITUC Online): The Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions, the ZCTU, has called a general work stoppage throughout the country for 3 and 4 April. The ITUC fully supports its Zimbabwean affiliate's action. The stoppage has been called in protest at the government's failure to halt the dramatic economic decline in the country. Even those with a job are finding it virtually impossible to survive under the current economic circumstances in Zimbabwe. Inflation has spiralled out of control, reaching over 1700%. - 04 April 2007 [ read more ]

Chocolate makers cut Easter pay No extra pay for working the Easter weekend is becoming the norm for workers in the retail sector as more employers use the Coalition Govt's new IR laws to abolish public holiday penalty rates say unions. - 04 April 2007 [ read more ]

Darrell Lea chocs leave a bitter taste Spare a thought for the workers who are serving you your Easter eggs this weekend: they might have been lumped with an unfair AWA individual contract. - 03 April 2007 [ read more ]

IR laws not working despite boom time - 28 March 2007 [ read more ]

Hard-hitting Union campaign continues With the Federal Government's new IR laws one year old today (Tues. 27 March), the ACTU will this morning release new national polling conducted on the weekend. - 27 March 2007 [ read more ]

Study proves Workchoices hurts families With the Federal Government's new industrial relations laws proving a strong negative for the Liberal Party in the weekend's NSW State election the ACTU will today issue a report showing that after a year of WorkChoices the new IR laws are hurting Australian working families - 26 March 2007 [ read more ]

One year on - The impact of the IR laws Reduced job security for working families · 3,761,000 Australian workers employed in businesses with less than 100 staff have lost protection from being unfairly dismissed. · 99% of all private sector employers are now exempt from all unfair dismissal laws. - 26 March 2007 [ read more ]

Rights at Work BBQ We all love a BBQ with friends and family during our hard-earned time off. Kicking back with a beer or two, some snags - the perfect Australian weekend. - 22 March 2007 [ read more ]

Mining industry report selfserving: ACTU The ACTU has labelled a report released today by the Australian Mines & Metals Association backing the Howard Government's AWA individual contracts as inaccurate and self serving. - 22 March 2007 [ read more ]

Release Zimbabwean union leaders: ACTU The Australian Council of Trade Unions joined with other trade unions around the world today to condemn the assault and detention of Zimbabwe's opposition and trade union leaders, including Morgan Tsvangirai leader of the main Zimbabwean opposition party, Movement for Democratic Change. - 15 March 2007 [ read more ]

Young workers and women worse off under Howard - 02 March 2007 [ read more ]

Women worse off under AWA's - 01 March 2007 [ read more ]

Workers on AWA's get less: ABS New figures released today by the Australian Bureau of Statistics show employees in non-managerial jobs that are on the Federal Government's AWA individual contracts are working longer hours and for less pay than workers on collective agreements. - 28 February 2007 [ read more ]

ABS: Working families wages cut New ABS data on Average Weekly Earnings released today (22 Feb.) reveal that Australian working families are suffering under the new IR laws with average weekly earnings for full time employees failing to keep up with the cost of living. - 22 February 2007 [ read more ]

WTO study justifies union concern Brussels, 19 February 2007 (ICTU OnLine): World trade union body the ITUC today welcomed the publication of the first-ever joint study by the ILO and the WTO, “Trade and Employment: Challenges for Policy Research”, as an unprecedented step forward towards achieving genuine coherence in the way the world’s major institutions work together. - 20 February 2007 [ read more ]

UNIONS TO PURSUE CLIMATE CHANGE SOLUTION Unions are holding a national meeting today in Sydney to develop solutions to the growing problem of climate change and global warming that will protect jobs, including those of coal miners, and at the same time put Australian industries on a more environmentally sustainable footing. - 16 February 2007 [ read more ]

Wages for women worse under Workchoices ABC radio is reporting today that a study has found that many women are worse off under the new federal industrial relations changes. - 13 February 2007 [ read more ]

Are our jobs safe? Ask Qantas NT workers Qantas workers at Darwin airport will meet with union president Sharan Burrow to discuss their concerns over the Federal Government's refusal to provide a guarantee that Australian jobs will be protected in the proposed $11 billion sale of Qantas to a group of local and foreign private investors. To email the Federal Government on this issue go to: http://cpsu-spsf.asn.au/campaigns_new/australian_jobs/index.html - 08 February 2007 [ read more ]

Voters say NO to QANTAS sell-off 80% of marginal seat voters say Federal Government isn't doing enough to stop Australian businesses being sold overseas and jobs lost offshore - 05 February 2007 [ read more ]

Hardie's compensation deal breakthrough Australian-based shareholders of James Hardie will be briefed on the proposed compensation deal for asbestos victims at an Extraordinary Information Meeting being held by the company in Sydney tomorrow (Thurs. 1 Feb, 2007). - 01 February 2007 [ read more ]

Decent work = Decent life Nairobi, 21 January 2007 A worldwide campaign for Decent Work was launched today in Nairobi, Kenya at the World Social Forum by the Decent Work Alliance and with the help of Wangari Maathai, Kenya's 2004 Nobel Peace Prize winner.* - 23 January 2007 [ read more ]

Equal Pay even further away DEBATE was ignited last week about the role of women - to be a mother, to have a career or to do both and try to balance the two often conflicting roles. In today's working environment, it is a difficult choice that women are far too often forced to make. - 22 January 2007 [ read more ]

Volunteers - the new police in NSW Desperately understaffed Local Area Commands are relying on volunteers to plug shortages in support staff , the Public Service Association warned today. - 16 January 2007 [ read more ]

Howard sells out Qantas workers Unions today called on the Federal Government to protect Qantas jobs, safety, services and standards and expressed strong concerns about the impact of the proposed private equity buy-out of Qantas. - 20 December 2006 [ read more ]

Injured workers to get less compensation A new Federal Government move to encourage big businesses to self-insure for workers' compensation could mean substantially reduced payouts for injured workers and significantly lower the national standard of workplace health and safety says the ACTU. - 13 December 2006 [ read more ]

Aust NZ unions speak out on Fiji "Unions in Australia and New Zealand are supporting the call for working people in Fiji to demonstrate peaceful resistance to the failing coup," the Australian and New Zealand Councils of Trade Unions said today. - 08 December 2006 [ read more ]

Fiji public servants denounce takeover Australian unions, including the CPSU-SPSF, are calling for support for Fijian public servants, who are being harrassed and intimidated after a military coup in their country. The Fiji Public Service Association General Secretary Rajeshwar Singh has denounced the military takeover. Fiji PSA is a sister union to the CPSU-SPSF and member of our peak international body, Public Services International. - 08 December 2006 [ read more ]

PSI support democracy in Fiji Public Services International (PSI) strongly condemns Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama's actions in dismissing, through force, the legitimately elected government of Fiji. - 07 December 2006 [ read more ]

November 30 video link The videos from the Nov 30 rally are on the ACTU website here: www.actu.asn.au/Campaigns/YourRightsatWork/Campaignmaterialandresources/VideosfromtheNationalDayofAction.aspx Due to popular demand, they have been uploaded on YouTube, the popular (free) video sharing website. Please pass around the links far and wide! - 01 December 2006 [ read more ]

Address to the national day of protest Your Rights: Your Future Address to national day of protest against the Government’s IR laws Sharan Burrow, ACTU President 30 November 2006 - 30 November 2006 [ read more ]

Speech against the Government's IR laws Your Rights at Work Worth Voting For: Address to the national day of action against the Government’s IR laws Greg Combet, ACTU Secretary 30 November 2006 - 30 November 2006 [ read more ]

More than 264,000 rally across Australia Unions have vowed to continue the campaign against the Howard Government's IR laws following successful national protests at more than three hundred venues across Australia and the involvement of more than 264,000 people (with Perth and other WA rally attendances yet to be included). - 30 November 2006 [ read more ]

No choice for bank employees: ACTU The ACTU says that Commonwealth Bank employees do not have a genuine choice when asked to sign one of the new bank-wide standard AWA individual contracts and challenged the bank to conduct a ballot of staff over whether workers want an individual job contract or a collective agreement. - 29 November 2006 [ read more ]

TV advertises November 30 rally The ACTU has begun a television ad blitz to promote a national community protest against the Howard Government’s IR laws this Thursday 30 November. - 27 November 2006 [ read more ]

Oxfam/WaterAid report faults World Bank A report issued by Oxfam and another British NGO, Water Aid, calls for sharply increased investment in public services in developing countries in order to attain the Millennium Development Goals, and underlines the importance of improving wages and conditions of public sector workers. It finds fault with the World Bank for blocking progress by failing to deliver predictable aid that supports public systems and for pushing privatisation programmes that "hinder development [and] do not benefit poor people". - 01 November 2006 [ read more ]

Exploited os workers under-paid The announcement by the OWS today that temporary workers have been underpaid $650,000 is conclusive proof that exploitation of overseas workers is rife under the Federal Government's 457 visa program says the ACTU. - 31 October 2006 [ read more ]

Unions open one stop joining shop The ACTU aims to broaden public involvement in its campaign against the Howard Government's industrial relations laws with the launch today of a new one-stop service that will make it easier and quicker for people to join unions. - 23 October 2006 [ read more ]

Children under 15 on contracts Australian children as young as 14 years old are signing AWA individual contracts under the Coalition Government's IR laws. - 19 October 2006 [ read more ]

Send John Howard a message he can't miss Dear friend, When John Howard visits Melbourne next month, he will get a nasty shock when he looks out the window of his chauffeur-driven car. - 12 October 2006 [ read more ]

Petrol workers pay slashed Up to 65 Tasmanian workers are facing pay cuts of as much as $190 a week and the loss of important award conditions under new employment contracts that exploit newly discovered loopholes in the Federal Govt's IR laws that allow owners of new businesses to impose pay cuts and change work conditions without any consultation or agreement with existing workers says the ACTU. - 05 October 2006 [ read more ]

IR changes slash take home pay A new ACTU analysis of ABS data shows the IR changes are starting to bite into workers' take home pay with the latest data showing that in the last twelve months average earnings failed to keep pace with inflation for the first time in five years, since the introduction of the GST. - 27 September 2006 [ read more ]

Exclusive Brethren excludes unions The Exclusive Brethren is a secretive Christian organisation that attracts a great deal of controversy over its involvement in politics. Although its members are forbidden from voting, the group spends enormous amounts of money running advertisements smearing left-wing political parties -- and the families of left-wing politicians. - 26 September 2006 [ read more ]

Workers have a right to a fair deal SIMPLE principles of democracy underpin the ACTU's collective bargaining proposal, insists ACTU leader Greg Combet. - 22 September 2006 [ read more ]

Howard's offer not enough: ACTU A report today that the Federal Govt is considering changes to its IR regulations less than six months after they were introduced show that the new laws are too extreme, already leading to many workers being sacked unfairly and suffering cuts to their job conditions and take home pay says the ACTU. - 22 September 2006 [ read more ]

Qld school support staff take action School support staff across Queensland, angry that Education Queensland has failed to properly address issues of staff shortages and high workloads, will begin industrial action this week as part of a campaign for better-quality schools. - 19 September 2006 [ read more ]

Fair Go for all - CPSU-SPSF The ACTU’s Fair Go at Work policy would restore fairness to the industrial relations system, State public sector unions said today. - 14 September 2006 [ read more ]

Defining the new workplace ACTU Secretary Greg Combet today released a detailed vision for a new system of workplace relations for Australia based on the right of employees to bargain collectively and to have a democratic vote in workplaces - 13 September 2006 [ read more ]

Save medibank update Under increasing pressure from policy holders, unions, media, doctors, community groups and health academics - it appears that the Government may be postponing its plans to sell Medibank Private. - 12 September 2006 [ read more ]

Who wins if Medibank is sold? The Federal Government wants to sell Medibank - Australia’s largest, not for profit, national health insurer. - 01 September 2006 [ read more ]

UNSW to slash up to 600 staff A proposal to cut up to one quarter of general staff employed at UNSW will have a crippling effect on New South Wales’ second largest university, according to outraged members of the Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU). - 23 August 2006 [ read more ]

Unions mark Gurindji strikel The following statement on behalf of Sharan Burrow, ACTU President and Darcel Russell, Chair of the ACTU Indigenous Committee and the ACTU Indigenous Committee is to commemorate the Wave Hill strike. - 22 August 2006 [ read more ]

Permanent staff replaced by contractors New IR laws to be debated in Parliament today will make it easier for big business to cut the pay and conditions of subcontractors or replace permanent staff with contractors on lower wages and conditions says the ACTU. - 17 August 2006 [ read more ]

Women lose under IR changes The Federal Government has made funding to independent advisory centres for working women conditional on the centres conducting Workchoices seminars and producing publications that promote its extreme industrial relations laws, it has been revealed today. - 14 August 2006 [ read more ]

Austs working harder just to tread water Australians are working harder not to get ahead, but just to keep what they have got says the ACTU. - 02 August 2006 [ read more ]

New laws bad for business A new national survey by software company MYOB released today (Tuesday 1 August) has found that the Howard Government's new IR laws are unfair for workers and bad for productivity. - 01 August 2006 [ read more ]

ACTU: Federal Govt attack 'disgraceful' The ACTU today strongly condemned the Federal Government for its attack on the workers appearing in the ACTU television advertisements. - 26 July 2006 [ read more ]

APHEDA appeals for Mid-East donations Ordinary Palestinian, Lebanese and Israeli families are suffering from a military conflict that must cease says the ACTU. - 25 July 2006 [ read more ]

Tanker crew faces fines The crew of an Australian tanker docked in Hobart could face fines under the Howard Govt's IR laws for protesting against the operator's decision to replace the Australian crew with foreign seafarers by refusing to unload the ship's cargo of sulphuric acid. - 10 July 2006 [ read more ]

Strong message to Howard Widespread community concern over cuts to take-home pay and the loss of basic employment conditions has underpinned strong turnouts at protests across Australia says the ACTU. - 29 June 2006 [ read more ]

Government only listens to big business ACTU Secretary Greg Combet has rejected today's erroneous claims by the Prime Minister John Howard saying the real issue is that the Government only listens to big business on industrial relations and completely ignores the views and interests of Australian working families. - 27 June 2006 [ read more ]

New IR laws won't help economy The economic case for the Federal Government's new industrial relations laws is in tatters today following a report by leading economic forecaster BIS Shrapnel which says the new laws will do nothing to assist the growth of the Australian economy. - 27 June 2006 [ read more ]

Big business ballyhoo bollocks Employer group outrage over ALP Leader Kim Beazley's announcement that he will protect workers' pay and employment conditions from being cut by John Howard's AWA individual contracts is being driven by big business self interest ACTU Secretary Greg Combet said today. - 16 June 2006 [ read more ]

Send a super message to the PM A recommendation to the Federal Government by the Taskforce on Reducing Regulatory Burdens on Business has serious implications for the low paid. Go to the link below to send a message to the PM - 15 June 2006 [ read more ]

Aust govt ignores international law The Australian Government is continuing to flout international standards on key labour rights including the Right to Collective Bargaining and Protection of the Right to Organise. - 09 June 2006 [ read more ]

Wage freeze starts today - Thanks Johnny A Federal Government 'wage freeze' for more than 1.6 million low paid workers starts today, 7 June 2006, says the ACTU. - 07 June 2006 [ read more ]

Help East Timor Dear Supporter, The civil conflict in East Timor has caused people from many areas of the capital, Dili, to flee their homes. People remember the trauma of the occupation and also the terrible destruction wrought by the pro-Indonesian militia in the wake of the independence referendum in 1999. - 31 May 2006 [ read more ]

Miners: Feds should lift OHS ban Union members from the Beaconsfield Mine in Tasmania today issued the following statement thanking the Australian public for their ongoing support and thanking the Australian Parliament for today's reception. - 30 May 2006 [ read more ]

Penalties and allowances axed A senior Government official has confirmed that penalty rates, shift allowances and annual leave loading for employees have been abolished in a majority of new individual contracts (AWAs) registered under the Howard Government's new IR laws - leaving employees thousands of dollars worse off than they would be under an award, says the ACTU. - 30 May 2006 [ read more ]

Rally Wednesday June 28 - NSW details Dear friend, Sacked by text message. Fired then rehired on a contract that pays $200 less a week. Pay docked for doing a whip around for the widow of a mate killed on the job. All around the nation Australians have felt first hand the real cost of the Howard Government's new industrial relations laws. - 26 May 2006 [ read more ]

Unions push for wage increase Unions will today (Monday) press ahead with claims for a 4% lift in wages for more than one million low paid workers, arguing that an immediate pay rise is needed to cover spiralling petrol, interest rate, and other price rises that are hurting working families. - 15 May 2006 [ read more ]

Budget offers little for families: ACTU Already under pressure from the meanest industrial relations laws in 100 years, the handouts in this Budget will be quickly swallowed up by the rising cost of living for working families says the ACTU. - 10 May 2006 [ read more ]

ACTU to Howard: Give families a fair go The ACTU has accused the Howard Government of being too focussed on the needs of high income earners and big corporations and is calling on the Government to give far greater priority to easing the pressure on working families in next Tuesday's Federal Budget. - 08 May 2006 [ read more ]

Contracting: new threat to job security The Howard Government's proposed new 'Independent Contractors' law will further undermine the job security of working Australians by making it easier for big businesses to replace existing workers with so-called independent contractors says the ACTU. - 04 May 2006 [ read more ]

Major employers to slash take-home pay Major employers Spotless Services Australia and the Coles-Myer company have moved to take advantage of the Howard Government's new industrial relations laws by slashing workers' take-home pay by up to $160 a week. - 02 May 2006 [ read more ]

Now it's workplace safety under threat The ACTU has called on the Howard Government to repeal the sections of its new industrial relations laws that ban workplace agreements from giving workers leave to attend union-provided health and safety training or meetings. - 02 May 2006 [ read more ]

Aust public 'overwhelmingly' opposed IR New ACTU polling shows the Australian public is overwhelmingly opposed to the Government's new IR laws. - 27 March 2006 [ read more ]

Equal pay flyer - 22 March 2006 [ read more ]

Minimum wages cut despite promises The Federal Government has broken its promise to protect minimum wages with employers winning a new right to pay workers less than the federal minimum wage of $12.75 an hour during periods when business is slow says the ACTU. - 21 March 2006 [ read more ]

Fines for improving job security Details of harsh new Federal Government fines and penalties for workers and unions and a crackdown on union activity in the workplace have been revealed by Workplace Minister Kevin Andrews who has released details of regulations relating to the Government’s new industrial relations laws. - 20 March 2006 [ read more ]

Howard hostage to big business: ACTU ACTU President Sharan Burrow said that comments today by Peter Hendy of the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry supported those of Senator Nick Minchin and showed that the Government will not stop in its ongoing attack on the working rights of Australian families, or its attempts to destroy Australia’s 100 year old conciliation and arbitration system. - 09 March 2006 [ read more ]

Unions for Women - Women for Unions Brussels, 6 March 2006 (ICFTU Online): Antiunion violence against women, persistent wage gaps, the feminisation of poverty -the situation of women in the world of work is not getting any easier. On 8 March, International Women’s Day, the international trade union movement, building on the progress made since 2002, is to launch phase two of the ‘Unions for Women, Women for Unions’ campaign. - 08 March 2006 [ read more ]

WorkChoices dangerously flawed A special issue of the Journal of Australian Political Economy has been released on the Howard government's WorkChoices industrial relations 'reforms'. - 01 March 2006 [ read more ]

WEL and NPEC call for national enquiry into pay equity - 27 February 2006 [ read more ]

Sign the Rights at Work pledge: ACTU - 27 February 2006 [ read more ]

Overseas worker visas 'out of control' Unions are angry that the Federal Government recently approved visas for approximately 200 temporary workers from China to work at an abattoir in Murray Bridge, South Australia despite the fact that there is significant unemployment in the area. - 24 February 2006 [ read more ]

Rule out wage cuts: ACTU Instead of confirming yesterday that 1.6 million Australians reliant on award wages face the prospect of a cut in their real wages, the Federal Government's new Pay Commissioner, Professor Ian Harper should rule this out says the ACTU. - 17 February 2006 [ read more ]

Bosses need to stop migrant rort: ACTU The ACTU calls on the Prime Minister to intervene in Australia's immigration program to guarantee that temporary work visas are not being abused by employers importing low-paid foreign workers to fill job vacancies that should be filled by Australians. - 14 February 2006 [ read more ]

Employer group asks Govt to cut pay An 'Award Review Taskforce' set up by the Howard Government under its new industrial relations laws is examining a new proposal to cut Award rates of pay for hundreds of thousands of skilled Australian workers the ACTU said today. - 09 February 2006 [ read more ]

PSA to fight job cuts The NSW Public Service Association will today announce that their members will refuse to carry out the duties of colleagues whose jobs are cut from the public sector by the current or any future state government. - 06 February 2006 [ read more ]

Award stripping threatens equal pay Call us cynics - but after completely forecasting the destruction of the award system in the award rationalisation process, the reduction of working conditions to five minimum standards and the removal of the setting of a fair minimum wage, the Government in their Award Rationalisation discussion paper asks `How should pay equity issues be addressed by the Taskforce.’ - 02 February 2006 [ read more ]

CPSU Submission to the Award Review Taskforce - 01 February 2006 [ read more ]

Wage rises likely to be lower - ACTU Wage rises for Australian working families are likely to be lower in the future under the Howard Government's new industrial relations changes a previously unreleased Treasury Report has revealed... - 20 December 2005 [ read more ]

Quietly trading away our rights International trade agreements ought to serve the public interest, not corporate appetites, writes Patricia Ranald principal policy officer at the Public Interest Advocacy Centre in the Sydney Morning Herald. - 20 December 2005 [ read more ]

Unionists Arrested Collective Bargaining and Peaceful picketing has brought Arrests for 49 Trade Unionists in Vanuatu. The South Pacific and Oceania Congress of Trade Unions (SPOCTU) calls for support. The unions leader, Ephraim Kalsakau, among the arrested unionists, has accused the Vanuatu Government of importing Australian "anti union" tactics. - 18 December 2005 [ read more ]

New International Alliance Of Unions "Decent work for decent lives" is the catchcry and heart of a fight back by a new international alliance of unions, progressive political leaders and NGOs that is calling on the World Trade Organisation (WTO) to recognise core labour standards in trade talks this week. - 14 December 2005 [ read more ]

We're in this for the long haul: ACTU Unions plan a long-term campaign to overturn the destructive new WorkChoices IR laws and unseat the Howard Government at the next federal election. - 05 December 2005 [ read more ]

Unions fight HIV/AIDS The global trade union movement, including the CPSU-SPSF's international body Public Services International, has announced a series of initiatives for 2006 in the fight against HIV/AIDS, ranging from campaign and mobilisation action to activities in workplaces and lobbying of governments to get them to implement pledges they have made. - 05 December 2005 [ read more ]

WorkChoice Payday Shocker Many Australian workers could lose their right to be paid on a weekly or fortnightly basis under the Federal Government's new industrial relations laws the ACTU said today. - 29 November 2005 [ read more ]

CPSU-SPSF Senate Inquiry Submission - 25 November 2005 [ read more ]

Federal Office Financial Accounts 2005 The CPSU-SPSF Group Federal Office Financial Accounts for the year ending 30 June 2005 - 24 November 2005 [ read more ]

Huge crowds at rallies Unions estimate that around 546,000 people attended rallies and protests across the country yesterday as part of Australia's largest ever national workers' protest. - 16 November 2005 [ read more ]

Massive public concern over new work law More than 3000 submissions from members of the public have already been lodged to the Senate Inquiry examining the Government’s proposed new workplace laws. - 08 November 2005 [ read more ]

Young, vulnerable workers abandoned More than a million young, disabled and trainee workers could face wage cuts and reduced rights when dealing with unscrupulous employers under the Government's IR legislation says the ACTU. - 07 November 2005 [ read more ]

New IR laws kill equal pay bid The Women's Electoral Lobby is calling on women in the Senate to vote against the IR Bills. The new IR Bill will increase inequalities in Australian society as employers have more power, in most cases, than employees and this is particularly the case for women, the Women's Electoral Lobby said today. - 04 November 2005 [ read more ]

Workers sacked then AWA'ed IR laws could allow workers sacked for 'operational reasons' to be replaced by new staff on AWAs with just 5 conditions. - 04 November 2005 [ read more ]

Taxpayers ad bill tops $55 million The Sydney Morning Herald reports today (Tuesday) that the Federal Government has spent $55 million spruiking its industrial relations ambitions so far, and the final bill may be much higher. - 01 November 2005 [ read more ]

Be Part of the Action - November 15 Community Day Of Protest - 19 October 2005 [ read more ]

Salvo's slam work changes The Salvation Army has considered the proposed industrial relations (IR) legislation from the point of view of those we represent; the young school leavers, those who are homeless, the abused and vulnerable who find it hard to get jobs because they lack skills, education or have no fixed address and those on the fringe of unemployment. - 18 October 2005 [ read more ]

Senate IR inquiry a six day sham The Howard Government has agreed to a Senate Inquiry into the biggest workplace law changes in 100 years but it will be one of the shortest Inquiries on record says the ACTU. - 13 October 2005 [ read more ]

Work harder, for longer, for less The Federal Government has used taxpayer dollars to produce a colourful booklet describing the new IR laws. On page 15 we find the example of Billy, a retail worker working under an AWA. The ACTU has uncovered Billy's real story. - 11 October 2005 [ read more ]

Work choice means No Choice State Public Service unions, and individual union members, will now be able to be fined for industrial action under the new so-called "WorkChoice" laws, announced by the Howard Government yesterday (October 9). - 10 October 2005 [ read more ]

Economist slams Howard's workplace plans - 28 September 2005 [ read more ]

Australians support new Tongan union The State Public Services Federation (SPSF), a union with nearly 120,000 members, recently voted to offer support to Tongan public servants for the formation of a public sector union after hearing of the recent six-week strike by Tonga public sector workers. - 21 September 2005 [ read more ]

The inequality trap Australia has a proud tradition of seeking to ensure all of our citizens have access to a fair and reasonable wage that in turn allows families to provide adequate accommodation, food, healthcare and education. An integral part of this civilised tradition has been an industrial relations system that many would agree has provided a balanced approach to the rights of employers and employees. - 09 September 2005 [ read more ]

Young workers bullied The ACTU has today renewed its call for the Federal Government to stop employers from putting workers under the age of 20 onto individual contracts, following the results of a new report which shows young workers are being bullied, pressured & exploited - often being paid less than the Award. - 08 September 2005 [ read more ]

Workers vote YES on collective choice New national polling released today shows that 86% of Australian employees believe that industrial relations laws should require employers to collectively bargain with their workers if that is what the majority of employees want. - 05 September 2005 [ read more ]

Workplace changes inquiry a must: ACTU The ACTU says it is essential the Senate hold a comprehensive Inquiry into the biggest changes to the nation's workplace laws in 100 years and will today launch a campaign for all Australians eligible to vote to contact a Senator and request an Inquiry into the IR changes. - 23 August 2005 [ read more ]

Stop young workers harrassment: ACTU The ACTU has renewed its call for the Federal Government to stop employers from putting workers under the age of 20 onto individual contracts. - 18 August 2005 [ read more ]

OHS rights slashed The right of 250,000 employees working in Federal Government departments to help from unions on health and safety issues will be watered down by new Howard Government workplace changes introduced to Parliament late yesterday (Wednesday evening). - 18 August 2005 [ read more ]

AWA’s exploit young workers A South Australian judge has highlighted the ‘manifest disadvantage’ to a 15 year old employee of the Federal Government’s individual contracts (AWAs). The AWA paid the young woman 25% less than her minimum award entitlement. - 11 August 2005 [ read more ]

World P S Union blasts Feds new I R Laws Public Services International (PSI) is a global trade union federation that represents 20 million women and men working in the public services around the world. The PSI wrote to the Prime Minister on Monday on the first day of the New Parliament. "PSI joins the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU) in expressing strong concern over your Government’s plans for drastic changes to workplace laws. We believe that these changes would do significant harm to Australia’s reputation and standing in the international community." - 11 August 2005 [ read more ]

Nelson creates job insecurity The Federal Government’s “Higher Education Workplace Productivity Program” will damage relations between universities and staff by creating job insecurity. It also opened the door to nepotism and patronage, the Universities’ general staff union said today. - 11 August 2005 [ read more ]

Where's Causley on student union fees? The union covering student union staff at Southern Cross University, the Community & Public Sector Union, was hopeful that reported lobbying and meetings in the lead-up to the sitting of Federal Parliament would help diffuse the menace of proposed Volountary Student Unionism legislation. - 10 August 2005 [ read more ]

NSW Minister Gives Family Leave a Tick NSW Minister for Industrial Relations, John Della Bosca, has announced he will be writing to the State Industrial Relations Commission today requesting them to pass on extra parental leave arrangements to NSW families. - 10 August 2005 [ read more ]

Govt research: Contracts hurt families The Federal Government’s own research report shows its individual contracts (AWAs) are hostile to work and family balance a Parliamentary Inquiry hearing in Melbourne will be told by the ACTU today. - 03 August 2005 [ read more ]

Australians worse off under welfare law If Parliament passes the Budget changes to welfare, at least 300,000 Australians could be worse off after July 2006, the Australian Council of Social Service said today, while launching a new online campaign to make the legislation fairer. - 26 July 2005 [ read more ]

IR changes impact on regional towns ACTU President Sharan Burrow will meet workers in the regional NSW city of Lismore today (Tuesday) to discuss the Federal Government's proposals to change Australia's workplace laws and the likely impact on regional workers, families and communities. - 19 July 2005 [ read more ]

PM wrong about job creation A major new survey of Australian businesses contradicts the Prime Minister's claim that removing protection from unfair dismissal for employees in companies with less than 100 staff will create significantly more jobs. - 12 July 2005 [ read more ]

Elderly care the next hurdle for women The "double shift" borne by women who combine paid work with a disproportionate amount of domestic tasks is likely to become a "triple shift" as they have to also take on elder care, Sex Discrimination Commission Pru Goward warned today as she launched a new discussion paper on better sharing of paid and unpaid work between men and women. - 23 June 2005 [ read more ]

Changing the way wages are decided - 16 June 2005 [ read more ]

Federal proposals won't simplify IR in Australia: academic - 14 June 2005 [ read more ]

Confused about superannuation? The ACTU has launched a superannuation web site designed to inform and educate union members and employees about super. The site is also targeted at union organisers, the media, trustees, academics and students. - 10 June 2005 [ read more ]

New laws will give employees a choice: the minimum wage or the sack - 02 June 2005 [ read more ]

Federal I R reform - Bishop's Letter The CPSU doesn't usually take a religious position on trade union matters and I R reform, though, we couldn't help noticing an important contribution made to the debate, with the news that the Catholic Bishop of the Diocese of Parramatta in the population center of Sydney, has written to thousands of catholics in the Diocese. - 01 June 2005 [ read more ]

Howard Slashes Wages, Conditions - 26 May 2005 [ read more ]

New IR system is bad for women: WEL Women’s Electoral Lobby stated today that the new Federal Industrial Relations laws will worsen the wages, conditions and employment rights for women. - 26 May 2005 [ read more ]

Australian workers "done over " The biggest Public Sector Union describes the NEW I R changes as unbelievable. The public sector union said the Federal government's changes will make it almost impossible for millions of workers to get a fair go when they get sacked, and millions more will have their minimun standard cut. If the "battlers" are Howards friends, I hate to be his enemy." said the National Secretary for the State Public Sector union, David Carey - 26 May 2005 [ read more ]

Prime Minister guts independent umpire The text of Prime Minister John Howard's ministerial statement to parliament on workplace relations: For the benefit of the House, I wish to outline the government's plans for an historic modernisation of Australia's workplace relations system. - 26 May 2005 [ read more ]

Women To Be Worse Off Under Contracts - 25 May 2005 [ read more ]

Vale Val Buswell Long time equal pay activist Val Buswell died earlier this week. Val worked here entire life for working women’s rights and equal pay. She first intervened in Equal Pay cases in 1950. Even in her later years she organized and encouraged women to fight to improve working conditions. In 1999 she organized the Business Women’s Professional Association to reject the Reith More Jobs Better Pay Bill. - 16 May 2005 [ read more ]

University and TAFE staff protest Higher education general staff from Universities and TAFE colleges throughout Australia will join other staff in a national day of action on June 1. - 15 May 2005 [ read more ]

Women to be worse off under contracts The National Pay Equity Coalition and other women's organisations have told the ACTU they think the Federal Government's industrial relations plans for more IR 'reforms' are going to worse for women in the workforce. - 02 May 2005 [ read more ]

No play no money: Feds to Uni's Workplace Relations Minister Kevin Andrews today (Friday) told Universities what they will have to do in regard to industrial relations in order to continue to receive Federal Government funding. - 29 April 2005 [ read more ]

The shape of things to come? NSW Commission says “unfair dismissal” for man who says ” No” to Federal AWA. - 28 April 2005 [ read more ]

Federal Govt plan to slash wages A Federal Government plan to scrap the annual minimum wages case would mean a reduction in the living standards for working Australians and their families says the ACTU. - 12 April 2005 [ read more ]

Howard's New Workplace Laws The ACTU Executive has endorsed a national campaign to protect and promote the interests of Australian working families against the Federal Government’s plans to radically change Australia’s workplace laws. - 17 March 2005 [ read more ]

HAVE YOU GOT THE WOW FACTOR? International Women’s Day is on the 8th March and the CPSU-SPSF would like members to promote the WOW factor. - 07 March 2005 [ read more ]

Public Sector Unions ask States to help The world Public Sector union, Public Services International ( PSI ) affiliates in Australia have kicked-off a campaign to encourage State Public Sector Electricity and Water Companies to look to help rebuild the infrastructure of countries affected by the Asian Tsunami. - 23 January 2005 [ read more ]

More University Pay rises After 18 months of negotiation, a new General Staff Enterprise Agreement has been agreed between UWS and the CPSU/PSA. The agreement will shortly go to a ballot - it is being conducted by the university. - 14 January 2005 [ read more ]

Another Pay vote for University Staff University of Newcastle agreement delivers strong work/life balance for General Staff and a 18% pay rise. - 23 December 2004 [ read more ]

CPSU Macquarie Uni vote for 19% pay rise Staff at Macquarie University yesterday voted to accept a new Enterprise Agreement that includes a 19% pay rise and 26 weeks paid parental leave for the primary carer . - 23 December 2004 [ read more ]

NSW Public Service Pay Rise Members of the NSW PSA , the NSW SPSF Branch, in the NSW Public Service have voted in record numbers and by a record majority, to accept the latest pay offer from the NSW Government. The new deal will form the basis of an award from the NSW Commission, to give 4% per year for the next 4 years. The increase will be backdated to July 2004. - 17 December 2004 [ read more ]

Federal Election 2004 Suzanne Hammond, Federal Women's Industrial Officer, analyses the differences amongst the major parties' positions on industrial relations and the impact on women's jobs and lives. - 22 September 2004 [ read more ]

Women's Honour Roll Sue Hammond, Industrial Officer with the Federal Office of the CPSU-SPSF group, has been placed on the Australian Women's Honour Roll in recognition for her work as a women's industrial relations advocate and a member of the Women's Electoral Lobby. - 01 September 2004 [ read more ]

Respect, Recognition, Rights This week is CPSU Schools National Recognition Week and the theme is Respect, Recognition, Rights. There are more than 45,000 support staff working in schools throughout Australia. Most of them are women. Over half work part-time. They don’t get paid during school holidays. They aren’t paid enough for the work they do. They certainly aren’t properly acknowledged for the contribution they make to the education of Australian kids. Of our kids. - 25 August 2004 [ read more ]

Unions unconvinced by Trade Agreement Unions are not convinced that the Free Trade Agreement with the United States is in the country’s best interest and remain concerned about job losses in our manufacturing industry as well as the loss of Australian intellectual property rights. - 02 August 2004 [ read more ]

Big vote at Sydney Uni for Agreement 98% of General Staff have voted to approve the new University of Sydney General Staff Agreement, which delivers a pay rise over 3 years of 18% (19.5% cumulative) plus $1,000 sign-on bonus. - 28 July 2004 [ read more ]

Women of Australia The ACTU and the Heat Group have joined forces to survey women in the lead up to the next federal election about their priorities concerning work and family. - 23 July 2004 [ read more ]

Universities prepare to dump courses Following the dumping of undergraduate nursing at its city campus, the University of Sydney is ignoring accusations of elitism and pushing ahead with its plans to close its Orange campus rural management faculty. - 11 July 2004 [ read more ]

No tax cut for 85% of Women Workers Five in six (85%) working women miss out on tomorrow’s tax cuts. The Howard Government’s latest tax cuts which take effect from tomorrow are so unfair that five in six working women (85%) — all those earning less than $52,000 a year — will miss out on a tax cut. - 30 June 2004 [ read more ]

General Staff on Campus will suffer Sydney University drops Nursing and its Orange Campus drops Rural Management courses and confirms the CPSU’s predictions that University of Sydney staff will suffer. - 10 June 2004 [ read more ]

Government Rejects Umpire’s Decision In another attack on the rights of working people, the Prime Minister John Howard has announced that his Government would introduce legislation that would overturn the Australian Industrial Relations Commission’s Decision to grant redundancy payments to workers in small businesses. - 05 April 2004 [ read more ]

Best Uni Pay Rise The Community and Public Sector Union has reached a landmark agreement on pay and conditions for general staff at the University of Technology Sydney, UTS. The Agreement will set a new benchmark for pay outcomes in the current University Enterprise Bargaining round. - 25 March 2004 [ read more ]

School Support Staff undervalued The New South Wales Department of Education and Training (DET) has refused to recognise the value of work performed by school support staff. Four years after it commissioned a job evaluation review for School and Senior School Assistants, DET has decided it will not fund salary increases. - 16 March 2004 [ read more ]

Public Union Best for Gaols. The private experiment failed yet again as the biggest system of public corrective services in the southern hemisphere looked at the best way to manage gaols. The Public Sector Union shows it can be both a public service and a public proctector. Our union believes that when the State incarcerates a citizen it should not be an opportunity for profit. - 04 March 2004 [ read more ]

International Women’s Day International Women’s Day began in 1908 and is now a celebration of the strength and courage of women and the gains that they have made in improving their lives and those of their sisters. This year the Public Services International has adopted the issue of Women’s Health as its theme for International Women’s Day on the 8th March. - 26 February 2004 [ read more ]

Work? Family? Balancing work and family life still remains a dilemma for most Australian workers, particularly for women. - 09 February 2004 [ read more ]

Freedom to Choose During their time in Government at the Federal level and in some States, the conservative political parties have championed the cause of de-unionisation, non-union agreements and individual contracts. These, they argue offer workers more flexibility and choice. They argue that unions interfere in the workplace. Well if members were ever tempted by these fictional claims then a brief look at a union agreement negotiated by the CPSU-SPSF and a non-union agreement recently before the Industrial Commission will convince them of the benefits of union membership. - 09 February 2004 [ read more ]

Sydney Uni members A landmark enterprise bargaining agreement which sets new industry standards has been reached between the University of Sydney and the Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU) (SPSF Branch), with members to receive a $1000 sign on bonus on top of a competitive 19.4% payrise. This means the University of Sydney will be the first to sign an agreement since the Federal Government’s interference in Enterprise Bargaining last year. - 04 February 2004 [ read more ]

Public Private Partnerships A series of high-profile company failures by PFI specialists (private finance initiative) is causing alarm in public services across the UK. - 19 January 2004 [ read more ]

Child Protection Report Premier Peter Beattie has announced that Queensland will go to the polls on February 7th, saying a State Election is needed to clear the way for major reforms to Queensland’s child protection system. - 14 January 2004 [ read more ]

Homes for all possible The Australian Council of Social Service has released a new report Homes for all: A blueprint for Australia. - 30 December 2003 [ read more ]

Will Education Dept pay on time? The NSW Department of Education & Training and TAFE Commission are in the process of shedding jobs in the accounts payable area. - 16 December 2003 [ read more ]

CPSU applauds Fed Govt's backdown The Community and Public Sector Union, today (Fri Dec 5) welcomed the senates rejection of the higher education workplace relations requirements but is disappointed in the decision to allow student fee increases and the removal of student and staff representation on university councils. - 05 December 2003 [ read more ]

NSW Prisons - Humpherson talking twaddle John Campbell, Chair of the Prison Officers branch of the Public Service Association of NSW, today accused Opposition Prisons Spokesperson, Andrew Humpherson, of twisting the facts in a lame attempt to score political points. - 02 December 2003 [ read more ]

Working families worst hit by higher ed A delegate from the union covering all non-academic staff in universities, the Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU), Ms Lorraine Fordham, today urged the four Independent Senators to reject the Federal Government’s proposed Higher Education Bill when it is debated in the senate this week. - 25 November 2003 [ read more ]

Nelson refuses to budge on uni blackmail The union covering university general staff throughout Australia today criticised the Federal Governments refusal to back down on linking more than $400 million in university funding to non-union pay deals - 18 November 2003 [ read more ]

Higher Ed Inquiry Chairs statement Media Statement - 7 November 2003 Senate inquiry report into the Government Higher education legislation, "Hacking Australia's Future: Threats to institutional autonomy, academic freedom and students choice in Australian higher education", released Friday, 7 Nov, 2003. - 10 November 2003 [ read more ]

Senate report slams Higher Ed Bill The CPSU-SPSF, the union that represents higher education general staff, is calling on the four independent Federal senators to reject the Federal Government’s proposed higher education Bills following today’s (Friday) release of a Senate Inquiry Report. - 07 November 2003 [ read more ]

Higher Ed draft guidelines released According to an article in today's Australian, and the Education Minister Brendan Nelson's website, guidelines supporting the higher education legislation were provided to universities on Monday for comment. - 05 November 2003 [ read more ]

Qld child protection workers march Child protection workers will march on the Crime and Misconduct Commission’s foster care abuse inquiry In Brisbane at lunchtime today to demand 400 new child protection workers in the wake of the Inquiry. - 23 October 2003 [ read more ]

Vic education workers walk off the job Department of Education and Training employees in Victoria have today (Thurs) walked off the job and are rallying outside the Minister's office at Treasury Place. - 23 October 2003 [ read more ]

Govt gags debate on Education changes The Howard Government today gagged debate and voted down amendments proposed by Labor that would have made the Government’s higher education legislation fairer, more sustainable and averted further industrial action by university staff. - 16 October 2003 [ read more ]

CPSU members face a Christmas sacking Community and Public Sector Union members from the Department of Education and Training (DE&T) are protesting against the Bracks Government's plans to sack 334 workers. - 13 October 2003 [ read more ]

Vice-chancellor objects to Uni IR moves Professor Gavin Brown, the Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the University of Sydney issued the following statement: - 24 September 2003 [ read more ]

Union slams University 'threats' The Union covering non-teaching General Staff in Australian universities, the CPSU, has called an urgent national conference of its University union delegates, to plan a national campaign against the joint announcement by Tony Abbott and Brendan Nelson, on university funding and industrial relations. - 24 September 2003 [ read more ]

Welfare groups slam tax cuts The poorest one quarter of Australian families and households would gain nothing from further tax cuts and would face high charges and long waiting lists for health, education and community services, according to the Australian Council of Social Service. - 17 September 2003 [ read more ]

Unions demand WTO impact review Cancun, Mexico, 10 September 2003 (ICFTU News): At a trade union conference which took place on the eve of the WTO 5th Ministerial meeting, labour leaders met with WTO Director General Supachai Panitchpakdi, EU Trade Commissioner Pascal Lamy, South African Trade Minister Alec Erwin, Deputy United States Trade Representative Josette Shiner and other major trade officials, and told them their priorities for the WTO Conference. - 11 September 2003 [ read more ]

New website for working women Working women will have access to important health and lifestyle information following the launch of the Labor Council of NSW's Union Women@Work website today. - 11 September 2003 [ read more ]

Higher ed proposals worse for women The so-called reforms to higher education will disadvantage women and may discourage them from seeking university qualifications. This may lead to future labour shortages in areas where women work such as the health care, education and community services sector. - 11 September 2003 [ read more ]

Victorian public servants seek increases The Victorian branch of the CPSU-SPSF is seeking a pay increase, a reduction in hours and a boost to annual leave to six weeks for members working in electorate offices. Below is a letter from Branch Secretary Karen Batts to State Members of Parliament about the issue. - 09 September 2003 [ read more ]

ADFA Agreement delivers strong work/life Australian Manufacturing Worker Union (AMWU) and Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU) members at the Australian Defence Force Academy Canberra (ADFA) have voted to approve an enterprise agreement with a range of work/life initiatives. This is the second agreement finalised in the current round of University bargaining negotiations - 11 August 2003 [ read more ]

Human Rights Commission targets schools The Human Rights Commission is conducting a series of one-day Youth Challenge programs for secondary students. - 08 August 2003 [ read more ]

Prisons Legal Defence Fund Tax Break - 05 August 2003 [ read more ]

Tax cuts should fund welfare says ACOSS In its appearance today before the Senate Economics Committee's Inquiry into Australia's Taxation System, Australia Council of Social Services (ACOSS) argued that tax loopholes benefiting top income earners should be closed in order to fund - 29 July 2003 [ read more ]

ALP releases higher education policy The ALP has released it's higher education policy entitled: Aim Higher: Learning, Training and Better Jobs for More Australians. Below is an overview. Go to http://www.alp.org.au/ for the full policy. - 24 July 2003 [ read more ]

Government scraps PFI-funded IT projects The British government has decided that information technology projects mounted under the private finance initiative (PFI) don’t offer good value for money. - 18 July 2003 [ read more ]

ALP says no to uni fee hike A media statement by Simon Crean - Leader of the Opposition and Jenny Macklin - Deputy Leader of the Opposition Shadow Minister for Education, Employment and Training media statement on higher education reform. - 07 July 2003 [ read more ]

Employers ask for casuals statement Last week, we reported that in principle agreement had been reached with the university employers in settlement of claims about university casuals lodged in the Commission by ourselves and the NTEU. - 23 June 2003 [ read more ]

Union wins casual wage increase The Community Public Sector Union (CPSU) has won a 23 per cent increase in the award safety net for general staff casuals in universities and a mechanism for conversion to permanent or fixed-term status for long-term casuals. - 13 June 2003 [ read more ]

Uni of NSW sign 12.6% 3 year agreement CPSU/PSA UNSW members at UNSW have endorsed a new three-year enterprise agreement. Industrial Officer Andrew Holland reports. - 26 May 2003 [ read more ]

Unions urge action on detention centres Tonight, (Tuesday) with great distress and sadness, we watched the ABC Lateline programme on Curtin Detention Centre. On 11 February, and again on the 11 March 2002 the Union representing State Public Sector workers issued a statement calling on the Governments to act to take a role in the Detention Centre policy pursed by the Commonwealth Government. - 21 May 2003 [ read more ]

Police staff undervalued says UK union Half of the police staff workforce in Britain do not feel valued by the Police Service and two thirds say stress levels have increased, according to the first independent national survey of police staff, released by Britain's largest public sector union UNISON today. - 19 May 2003 [ read more ]

Higher Ed changes Students And Families Hit With Higher Fees, More Debt Jenny Macklin - Deputy Leader of the Opposition Shadow Minister for Education, Employment, Training and Science - 19 May 2003 [ read more ]

ACTU acts on health and safety On 13 and 14 May 2003, the Australia Council of Trade Unions convened a seminar in Sydney on occupational health and safety, including the impacts of changes in the labour market and work organisation. - 16 May 2003 [ read more ]

Stop the blackmail says education union The Community and Public Sector Union, the CPSU, the Union covering General Staff at all Australian Universities has called on State Labor Education Ministers not to cooperate with the Federal Government’s agenda in Higher Education. - 13 May 2003 [ read more ]

Fed Govt attempts to slash human rights The Federal Government has proposed radical changes to the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission. Are the changes designed to cover Government breaches of human rights? Below is a statement from the Women's Electoral Lobby about the changes. - 02 May 2003 [ read more ]

Union official cleared of charges Workers have won the first major battle of the anti-union war waged through the Royal Commission into the building industry. - 02 May 2003 [ read more ]

NSW: Sydney University Pay Negotiations Negotiations between the University and unions for a new agreement are progressing slowly and the CPSU is concerned that the University is yet to make a pay offer. - 22 April 2003 [ read more ]

Cole Royal Commission a threat to all Employees’ rights to bargain together for better wages and conditions are threatened by the recommendations of the Cole Royal Commission into the building industry released in March. - 11 April 2003 [ read more ]

Macklin slams university fee hike John Howard's deception regarding the deregulation of university fees has been exposed by a newspaper report. - 04 April 2003 [ read more ]

Current funding stunts growth: AVCC Australia’s universities need to be funded on a ‘fit for purpose’ basis so that they can truly meet the demands placed on them by the community, business and industry sectors, a major higher education conference was told today. - 04 April 2003 [ read more ]

Anti-union company to rebuild Iraq The fighting is not completely over in the Iraqi city of Umm Qasr, but the Bush Administration is rushing ahead with plans to reopen that key Persian Gulf port. On Monday night, the U.S. Agency for International Development - 31 March 2003 [ read more ]

Govt Bill threatens discrimination body The Commonwealth Government has introduced into Parliament the Australian Human Rights Commission Legislation Bill 2003 to amend the legislation under which the Human Rights & Equal Opportunity Commission performs its functions. - 28 March 2003 [ read more ]

OPPOSE THE WAR, AID THE VICTIMS To make a tax-deductible donation, please ring:- 1800 888 674 (free-call - business hours) (02) 9264 9343 - 21 March 2003 [ read more ]

Community orgs condemn trade talks "The Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, labelling of genetically engineered food and Australian content rules in film and television are all targets in the Australia-US Free Trade Agreement negotiations starting on Monday March 17," Dr Patricia Ranald, Principal Policy Officer at the Public Interest Advocacy Centre said. - 17 March 2003 [ read more ]

The world's water is being privatised The privatisation of public water systems around the world, driven by a handful of European corporations and the World Bank, is dramatically increasing despite sometimes tragic results, according to a new study by the Center for Public Integrity. - 13 March 2003 [ read more ]

Unions and students fight higher ed cuts The union is taking part in an alliance of education sector groups taking a united stance against higher education cutbacks. - 10 March 2003 [ read more ]

UK union lodges huge equal pay claim The European union that covers school support staff, UNISON, has lodged an equal pay claim on behalf of nearly 1,000 teaching assistants in Lancashire - the largest equal value pay claim in the UK and Europe. - 10 March 2003 [ read more ]

University report a sham says Union The CPSU-SPSF, has called on the Government to publicly release the “ Crossroads” Higher Education report. - 26 February 2003 [ read more ]

Scotland fights violence against workers UNISON, Scotland's largest public service union, has welcomed the first steps in legislative moves to charge anyone who assaults emergency services workers. - 25 February 2003 [ read more ]

Union calls for higher ed funding boost The federal union which covers support and general staff of higher educational institutions throughout the country has called on the Federal Government to immediately increase funding for universities. - 13 February 2003 [ read more ]

Union calls for peaceful resolution Our union's executive, which represents more than 105,000 state public servants, has passed a resolution calling for a peaceful resolution to the Iraqi crisis. - 31 January 2003 [ read more ]

Globalisation enslaves children Unfettered globalisation is forcing millions of children to quit school and go to work, the World Economic Forum in Davos was told today. - 29 January 2003 [ read more ]

HREOC maternity leave report This morning Pru Goward, the Commonwealth Sex Discrimination Commissioner, delivered her final report and recommendations on paid maternity leave. The NSW PSA has welcomed the report - with reservations. For a fact sheet and copy of the report click on the web page below. - 11 December 2002 [ read more ]

Government threatens public services Unions are calling on the Prime Minister to extend a looming deadline in world trade negotiations that threaten essential public services and Australian control of key industries. - 09 December 2002 [ read more ]

UK Probation officers take a stand Napo is the trade union, professional association and campaign organisation for almost seven thousand people working in the National Probation Service and the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass). in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The union is recommending industrial action as part of its workloads campaign. - 04 December 2002 [ read more ]

Fighting violence in the health sector Public Services International, is beginning a campaign to address the problem of violence inflicting one of every two health workers worldwide. - 26 November 2002 [ read more ]

Protect the worker = protect the child Child protection workers and the children in their care are facing unnecessary danger due to unsafe workloads, inadequate resources and a lack of support for workers suffering from stress and burnout. - 12 November 2002 [ read more ]

British probation workers strike Probation officers have voted to strike over staff shortages and increasing workloads. - 05 November 2002 [ read more ]

Prison travel sales company closed The Canadian federal government has shut down a telemarketing program using prisoners to sell vacation packages. - 29 October 2002 [ read more ]

Teachers oppose school sell-off The Teachers Federation is opposed to the NSW government's proposal to build nine schools using a private consortium to finance the infrastructure and transferring ownership to the consortium for 30 years. - 18 October 2002 [ read more ]

Private guards join public sector union Penetanguishene - Correctional officers at Canada’s first privatized adult correctional facility have voted overwhelmingly in favour of joining a union - 09 October 2002 [ read more ]

Unravelling the maternity leave debate The debate about both paid and unpaid maternity leave is currently taking a lot of space in the media. We’ve all seen the photos of the sensitive new age John Howard grinning at babies, discussions about middle class welfare and more extreme comments of Cabinet members seeing working mothers as `sinful’. Well what is happening now and how has the CPSU-SPSF contributed to the debate? - 01 October 2002 [ read more ]

Less abuse = more funding A major report released today shows that child protection and family support services provided by the States and Territories are failing to prevent up to one in four abused children being abused again and calls on the Federal Government to step in and co-ordinate a new national response. - 28 August 2002 [ read more ]

SA schools agreeement ratified The PSA is confident that the Agreement will bring long overdue benefits to assist staff in their work and personal life, as well as a deserved pay rise. - 28 August 2002 [ read more ]

NSW review School Assistants The PSA and the Department are close to a final position on the competencies utilised by school assistants and senior school assistants to carry out their duties. - 28 August 2002 [ read more ]

Save $$$$$ with union shopper Union Shopper began operations 25 years ago when the concept of a discount purchasing and service organisation for members received instant and widespread support. Go to www.unionshop.org.au to save on cars, holidays, whitegoods, computers and much much more. - 09 August 2002 [ read more ]

UN press release on refugees Rights envoy finds more humane approach to illegal immigration in Australia "would be desirable." GENEVA, 31 July 2002. - 01 August 2002 [ read more ]

Aust Post dispute resolved CPSU and Australia Post have today reached agreement to settle the dispute over "work environment issues" at the Melbourne Call Centre. - 16 July 2002 [ read more ]

Premier backs down on sackings The Victorian Premier Steve Bracks faced a barrage of criticism from us when he tried to slash jobs in the Victorian parliament. Below is the letter where the Victoiran parliament finally agrees to involve the union in all discussions involving staff reductions at Parliament. - 28 June 2002 [ read more ]

NSW DOCS workers return to work Striking NSW Public Service Association Department of Community Services members returned to work Thursday after the government promised to employ an additional 100 workers - with strings attached. An analysis of the offer will be posted on this page shortly. - 26 June 2002 [ read more ]

Safety net award for three universities General staff in three Western Australian universities (Curtin, Edith Cowan and Murdoch) are about to get their own safety net award following a decision by Senior Deputy President Duncan of the Federal Commission. - 07 June 2002 [ read more ]

WA Budget fails child protection The State Government has ignored critical areas in Department for Community Development funding in the State Budget, according to CPSU/CSA Branch Assistant Secretary Jo Gaines. - 21 May 2002 [ read more ]

Haggler's form guide - Higher Ed Federal Women's Industrial Officer, Sue Hammond, provides a guide for Higher Education members and delegates on national wage trends and agreement outcomes - 15 May 2002 [ read more ]

HREOC releases maternity leave report The Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission has released a report on maternity leave. The media summary is below. The full report is available on http://www.hreoc.gov.au - 18 April 2002 [ read more ]

Union fights anti-worker legislation The Community and Public Sector Union, has made a strong submission to the Senate Committee looking at the latest batch of anti-worker and anti-union amendments. - 16 April 2002 [ read more ]

Aust and US worst in OECD on maternity Australia and the US are the only remaining OECD countries without paid maternity leave laws, after New Zealand passed new legislation last week. - 02 April 2002 [ read more ]

Union members earn more Union members earn up to 43% more than non-members, according to a new ACTU analysis of unpublished ABS earnings data. - 27 March 2002 [ read more ]

Unions urged to tackle discrimination The Anti-Discrimination Board has launched a new guide to help union representatives deal with workplace discrimination. - 22 March 2002 [ read more ]

Your questions on refugees answered A union report clears up misconceptions and offers some ideas and recommendations on how Australia can better deal with refugees and asylum seekers. - 14 March 2002 [ read more ]

New Parental Leave Standard A new standard in Maternity and Paternity Leave benefits has been set in a new enterprise agreement negotiated by the CPSU at the University of Wollongong SRC. The highlight of the deal is for an employee with more than two years service: Maternity leave of 13 weeks on full pay and a further 39 weeks at 60% of salary. - 06 January 2002 [ read more ]

New Legislation to Benefit Women Workers Queensland has legislated for equal pay for women and men workers, has new powers to set minimum wages for all employees, and has introduced new family friendly provisions. - 10 December 2001 [ read more ]

Permanency for long term support staff With job security a major concern for workers across all industries, the NSW Public Service Association is close to finalising the permanent appointment of a large number of temporary school staff. - 28 November 2001 [ read more ]

CPSU vindicated on General Staff award The Federal Commission this week brought down a decision on salaries and classifications for Higher Education General and Salaried Staff (HEGSS) which vindicated the CPSU’s long standing position on the matter. - 23 November 2001 [ read more ]

NSW, S A, QLD Parental leave victory! Long term casual staff at universities in three states are now entitled to parental leave thanks to a sustained campaign by the CPSU-SPSF. - 16 November 2001 [ read more ]

The CHOICE is easy The Australian Consumer's Association, publisher of 'CHOICE' magazine, is working with the CPSU/SPSF and other unions to bring you value for money, expose dodgy companies and promote business ethics. - 15 November 2001 [ read more ]

S A Public Sector Wage Deal Breakthrough South Australian public sector employees are about to vote on a new deal following months of negotiations between the Public Service Association and the State Government. The PSA of South Australia is the S A Branch of the CPSU/SPSF. - 26 September 2001 [ read more ]

Mat Leave for Uni Casuals The Community and Public Sector Union has started cases to give parental leave to long-term casual general staff in Universities. - 12 September 2001 [ read more ]

A Year's Paid Maternity Leave! The CPSU has negotiated ground breaking parental leave provisions for workers at the Australian Catholic University, including up to a year's paid maternity leave for eligible women employees. - 05 September 2001 [ read more ]

Schools Staff Union Campaign Ms Jennie George helped launch the Schools Staff union campaign to promote the "recognition" of school support staff. The campaign slogan is "EDUCATION -- IT COULDN'T HAPPEN WITHOUT US -- SCHOOL SUPPORT STAFF". It is being run by the Community and Public Sector Union, the CPSU SPSF, the State Federation of non teaching education staff. - 27 August 2001 [ read more ]

© 2001 Community & Public Sector Union - State Public Services Federation (CPSU-SPSF) - National Office

http://www.cpsu-spsf.asn.au/latest_news/index.html
Last Modified: 14 Apr 2010