Click here for our 2020 Election Priorities for Workplace Rights
Decent pay, stable jobs, and safe working conditions are hallmarks of a fair society. The state sector should lead the way modelling good employment practices.
Wages should be higher and not differentiated based on gender, age, or ethnicity
- Employers should be required to audit and report their gender pay gaps.
- The Equal Pay Act should recognise equal pay for work of equal value.
- All working people should have a legislated right to minimum redundancy compensation of four weeks’ pay for the first year employed and two weeks for each subsequent year.
Contractors and temporary workers deserve a fair go
- Legislative protection should be provided to labour hire working people to ensure their workplace rights are maintained.
- Improve workplace protections for casual, fixed term, and piece-rate working people, including dependent contracters and migrant workers.
Working people’s rights to organise should be protected
- Unions should have access to worksites. Employers who block union access and communication should be penalised.
- Legislation should enable multi-employer collective bargaining and collective bargaining for contractors.
- The right to organise and strike for political and social issues should be restored.
- Unionised workers should have the ability to prevent freeloading by non-unionised workers.
People deserve work life balance
- Parents should be able to request flexible working arrangements and employers should be required to consider requests in good faith.
- Moving to a 35-hour standard working week should be investigated.
- 13 months of parental leave should be available, paid at 100% of the average male wage.
- A new public holiday should be created between Queen’s Birthday and Labour Day.
Workplaces should be safe and healthy
- Working people are entitled to fair and reasonable breaks, including for breastfeeding.
- Where employers are fined for breaches of health and safety laws, workers should receive a portion of the fine.
- Workplace health and safety training should include unions and other participatory arrangements for working people.
- Regulations and codes of practice should be developed across a wide range of issues including harassment, stress, and toxic fumes and particles in the workplace.
