With Australia's economy sinking quickly into a COVID-19 recession, and governments allocating vast new sums to programs to protect Australians against the health and economic effects of the pandemic, an old-fashioned impulse to adopt fiscal austerity is becoming visible among some governments. In particular, leaders of several governments (federal, state and municipal) have already announced plans to cancel normal pay rises for their public servants.
The scale of this union-won package is unprecedented. The JobKeeper wage subsidy, along with the JobSeeker payment, will transform lives and bring many workers and their families back from the brink of economic ruin. If the union movement had not won this fight, workers would be receiving the old Newstart allowance of $40 per day. Now they will get up to double that on JobSeeker as well as no less than $150 per day if they are on JobKeeper. We are calling on every employer who has let staff go or stood staff down to apply for JobKeeper. All employers need to step up.
CPSU has lodged an application with the Fair Work Commission to alter its eligibility rule seeking consent to extend our coverage to persons employed or engaged to work in any private prison or correctional facility in South Australia. Questions about the application can be directed to Mark Perica of the SPSF Group
CPSU has collated the working from home arrangements and adapted provisions across each State. Casual and fixed term employees have been protected and paid special leave for up to 20 days is available in NSW, Western Australia, and Victoria, with 15 days in South Australia. This also includes an overview of information available from other unions. Information is changing rapidly as more services are put on pause so we're hoping the information here is as relevant as it can be.
Exclusion from the workplace
Guidance Notes and Employment Directions are being issued across all State jurisdictions providing special paid leave for government employees arising from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Coronavirus is a group of viruses which normally cause mild illness, with symptoms similar to a common cold. A new strain, COVID-19 was first identified in December 2019 in Hubei Province, China. It is very different from, and more serious than, the usual seasonal influenza outbreaks that happen every year. Symptoms can include a fever, fatigue, dry cough, difficulty breathing and will be accompanied by a fever. Symptoms take an average of 5 days to begin – this differs to flu viruses which tend to incubate very quickly.
Around the world corporations are cashing in by privatising public services including prisons and detention services - and with horrific results. That's why PSI is launching a global campaign. Privatisation is a disaster for workers, communities and for those detained in private prisons. Private prisons consistently lead to worse conditions, under-staffing, overcrowding and warped incentives: more prison inmates means more profits. Even w
Workers have been dealing with the bushfire crisis all summer whether directly fighting the fires or working to support fire affected communities with evacuation, loss and recovery. We flew to Canberra for the Emergency Services Summit to air our views and put our ideas forward to tell the Morrison Government to stop the politics and get on with supporting people affected by the bushfires and rebuilding the country. Our firefighting worker delegation was exhausted but each were excited to contribute their ideas. Instead, workers were met with an empty seat from the Morrison Government as
Union members via their union can now make a Request for Financial Hardship Assistance through the ACTU's Bushfire Fund which has been established to provide short-term financial assistance to union members affected by 2019–20 bushfires. To qualify for assistance, a member needs to show that they have lost income as a result of the fires and have been unable to receive adequate compensation from other sources or have otherwise experienced severe financial hardship as a result of the fires.
Fires are burning out of control across five states as temperature records are being smashed and lives and properties being lost. Kangaroo Island, in remote South Australia became the latest to suffer two more bushfire deaths bringing to 23 the number of people killed in fires across Australia this fire season. Six people are still missing in fire-affected regions across NSW and Victoria, who have had their east coasts devastated by out-of-control fires in rugged terrain that have destroyed more than 1,500 homes. There are also current fire warnings in Tasmania and Western Australia.
