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The Albanese Labor Government’s landmark Secure Jobs Better Pay workplace reforms – won by union members – have boosted economy-wide wage growth by $6.3 billion over the past year.
Business groups are lobbying Peter Dutton and the Coalition to cut workers’ pay and conditions ahead of the federal election.
Big banks and insurers have priced gouged their way to a 46% profit increase since 2021 – driving up inflation, all at the expense of everyday Australians.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2024/09/06/big-banks-and-insurers-driving-inflation/
If annual wage growth had continued at the same low rate as under the last Coalition government, the average Australian worker’s wages or salary would be $4,700 less today.
The insurance industry is eye-wateringly profitable – and those profits grow larger every year, rain, hail or shine. Unsurprisingly, so do customers’ premiums, almost like clockwork.
Peter Dutton has already committed to turning secure jobs into casual jobs, repealing the right to disconnect and standing against minimum standards for gig workers.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2024/07/11/dutton-is-coming-for-your-workplace-protections/
The Government has released the Budget – and it’s a good one for workers.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2024/05/15/a-good-budget-for-workers/
Join us as we break down the key recommendations of the Inquiry into Price Gouging and Unfair Pricing Practices.
The PGI report lists particular industries where there is a strong suspicion – or more – of price gouging. Let’s take a look.
This week Australians say goodbye to former Prime Minister Scott Morrison. He leaves behind a legacy of rabid attacks against working Australians and a consistent disavowal of accountability.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2024/02/29/good-riddance-scomo/
It’s profit reporting season, and the forecast for big business is sunny with a high chance of thriving profits.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2024/02/29/big-business-profits-are-in-full-bloom/
The cost of living: it’s all around us. But do you actually know how it’s being driven so high?
The Inquiry into Price Gouging and Unfair Pricing Practices report shines a spotlight on the experiences of everyday Australians trying to make ends meet in the ongoing cost-of-living crisis.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2024/02/07/inquiry-into-price-gouging-full-report-released/
Good news – the Albanese government’s new tax-cut plan will provide cost-of-living relief for those who desperately need it most: Australian workers and their families.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2024/01/25/cost-of-living-bonus-for-working-people/
Part one of the Closing Loopholes Bill has passed the Senate, delivering a much-needed win for Australian workers heading into the holiday season.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2023/12/20/new-laws-passed/
The final hearing for the Inquiry into price gouging and unfair pricing practices – chaired by Professor Allan Fels AO – wrapped up in Canberra yesterday, with the Inquiry report to be released later this year.
Reckon big business have too much power?
You’re not alone – nearly two thirds of Australians think so too.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2023/11/14/australians-agree-big-business-have-too-much-power/
Happy Halloween to the Big Business lobby groups who for months have been telling spooky stories about why we can’t close the loopholes. The truth: They’re scared of what will happen to their mega profits if they have to pay people properly. Let’s take a look at the downright lunacy of Big Business scare campaigns….
Yesterday the inquiry into Price Gouging and Unfair Pricing Practices commenced in Melbourne, convened by economist and former ACCC chair Professor Allan Fels and commissioned by the ACTU.
In a historic victory for unionists and workers, the Federal Court’s ruling was upheld: Qantas are responsible for the largest case of illegal sackings in Australia’s history, and it’s time for them to take responsibility.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2023/09/18/qantas-high-court-ruling-in-favour-of-workers/
From food to petrol to electricity to flights: prices everywhere are skyrocketing. As are corporate profits and executive salaries and bonuses.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2023/08/22/its-time-to-hold-big-business-to-account/
And before you ask – no, we do not know the identity of the one person who has more than $540 million in super.
For 19,000 refugees who have set up new lives in Australia, there is finally hope.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2023/02/15/permanent-protection-won-for-thousands-of-refugees/
Prices on everything are going up but our wages have failed to match those increases. The budget is a chance to turn the trend around. But don’t just take it from us. It’s what the experts are saying too.
The evidence is in: this cost-of-living crisis could have been prevented if corporate giants had put people over profit.
How would you like to live like a CEO for a day? We’re certainly putting our hands up.
There are plenty of reasons to celebrate the 5.2% wage increase minimum wage workers will see appear on their pay slips in a matter of days. But it seems big business and conservative politicians aren’t too keen to give workers their fair share.
“If you said workers should continue to have real wage cuts and pay for an inflation rate they didn’t cause, I think that’s morally bankrupt,” said Sally McManus.
Last night’s election outcome is a win for workers across the country. But it’s not the end of our campaigning efforts. It’s a new beginning.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2022/05/22/yesterday-australia-voted/
The Auditor General recently released a report slamming the Australian Tax Office for only being “partly effective” at recovering stolen super. In Auditor General speak, that is a huge criticism.
What does it take to make sure we don’t have to worry about being able to pay the bill at the supermarket or the petrol station? The simple answer: higher wages including an increased minimum wage.
Instead of supporting a real wage increase, Morrison and his big business buddies have refused to engage with the needs of struggling workers.
With flatlining wages, the rising cost of living pressures, and an uneven economic recovery from the pandemic, what does the 2022 Federal Budget mean for you?
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2022/03/30/what-does-the-2022-federal-budget-mean-for-you/
Finally, the news we’ve been waiting for has arrived. The Morrison government has made Rapid Antigen Tests needed for work…. tax deductible.
Ultimately, this decision provides no immediate relief for workers who have been so frantically trying to secure themselves RATs.
To deal with wages growth, we need to deal with job insecurity and fix the broken collective bargaining system.
The end to lockdowns and restrictions is bittersweet, we can all celebrate seeing our sorely missed family and friends and newfound freedoms, but we would be lying to ourselves if we thought that we were all coming out of this equally. Our frontline workers are exhausted, with 4 in 5 teachers now considering leaving the…
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2021/11/10/workers-battle-stagnant-wages/
The Morrison Government’s Plan for Australia to reach net zero emissions by 2050, released this week, has been widely criticised domestically and internationally, for it highlights that the Morrison Government is not simply passive or inactive in the face of climate change; it is actively pursuing and facilitating it, and is happy to sacrifice lives, the environment, and the economy in the pursuit of short-term political gain, writes Lauren Piko.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2021/10/29/the-world-deserves-better/
2021 has been a year for breaking grim records. As of June 2020, according to ABS statistics, more Australians than ever are working multiple jobs. In the past, a single income from one decent, secure job was enough to feed, clothe and house a family of five. Around about that time, that one income was…
The Pandora Papers have revealed how Australia’s wealthiest are cheating our tax system. When is Morrison going to do something about it?
Last week, the Australian Bureau of Statistics published their employment and wage price index for the June quarter. We take a look beyond the numbers.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2021/08/31/unstable-work-and-wages/
Banks are set to profit as workers stand to lose thousands in retirement funds from Government changes to superannuation.
Changes to Medicare will leave some with unexpected out-of-pocket medical costs. What are these changes and what do they mean for you?
The Morrison Government’s bungled vaccination rollout has put workers and vulnerable people at potentionally deadly risk, writes Chloe Ward.
Union led protests demanding a pay rise for working Australians have sparked a wave of online support to #BoycottHarveyNorman
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2021/06/01/why-boycottharveynorman-is-trending/
The 2021 Budget was a chance to tackle the biggest issues facing working Australians. So how did it measure up? We break down what the budget means for you.
https://www.australianunions.org.au/2021/05/17/what-the-budget-means-for-working-australians/
The 2021 Budget is an opportunity to tackle gender inequality and build a better, fairer, safer Australia. Here are 5 things we want to see.
The Senate Inquiry into the Government’s dangerous and extreme industrial relations Bill has just begun.
Cbus: At Cbus Super, we’re always looking for ways to give back to our members and enhance our specialised services and products for members.
The Albanese Labor Government’s landmark Secure Jobs Better Pay workplace reforms – won by union members – have boosted economy-wide wage growth by $6.3 billion over the past year.
