March 5, 2021
The United Workers Union (UWU) strongly supports the strategy report recommendation for the Government to regularise the visas of undocumented AgriFood workers. “Visa insecurity fuels exploitation in the horticulture industry, which makes it harder to attract and retain all types of workers. Visa regularisation is fundamental to the industry beginning a new way forward, with a level playing field and higher wage floor for everyone. An industry that values all workers on farms, and ensures our fruit and vegetables are picked on time and delivered to supermarket shelves,” said UWU Farm Industry Director Jannette Armstrong. “We call on the Federal Government to listen to its committee and resolve the visa status of farm workers who have picked our fresh produce throughout climate emergencies and now a pandemic. The people who keep our horticulture industry afloat. “If the government is serious about making sure farm jobs are good jobs, they will […]
February 5, 2021
Attribute to United Workers Union W.A. State Secretary Carolyn Smith: Our members working in hotel quarantine are doing their best in unprecedented times. These essential workers deserve and need the respect and support of their communities, employers, and governments. They should not be blamed for contracting COVID-19 when they are working to protect our communities. The security officer who contracted the virus at the Four Points by Sheraton in Perth was doing an important job in difficult circumstances, and he went and got tested as soon as symptoms presented. If people are going to play the blame game when it comes to COVID-19, they should instead point their fingers at the dodgy contracting and job insecurity that plagues Australia’s security and cleaning industries. Most people do not work multiple jobs for the fun. They have families, financial responsibilities and are motivated by the need to get food on the table. If a […]
November 26, 2020
MEDIA ALERT WHEN: 7:45 am TODAY Thursday 26 November, 2020 WHERE: Brisbane Airport – Kingsford Smith Memorial WHAT: Over 100 cars will create a motorcade at and around Brisbane Airport from 7 am – 7:30 am calling on ISS Facility Services to adopt a fair, transparent process in their plans to cut 30 per cent of airport security officers Australia-wide. This will be followed by a press conference at 7:45 am at Kingsford Smith Memorial. WHO: Security Officer Angie Brandham and United Workers Union Spokesperson for Property Services, Damien Davie and will be available for comment. NOTE: Everyone attending this event will be expected to adhere to current social distancing guidelines. United Workers Union members will rally on wheels outside Brisbane Airport to demand ISS Facility Services adopt a fair, transparent process in their plans to cut 30 per cent of airport security officers Australia-wide. At Brisbane Airport 210 security officers are on the chopping block, with ISS […]
November 26, 2020
MEDIA ALERT WHEN: 8:45 am TODAY Thursday 26 November, 2020 WHERE: Melbourne Airport – Outside Virgin Departures Hall WHAT: Over 100 cars will create a motorcade at and around Melbourne Airport from 8 am – 8:30 am calling on ISS Facility Services to adopt a fair, transparent process in their plans to cut 30 per cent of airport security officers Australia-wide. This will be followed by a press conference at 8:45 am outside Virgin Departures Hall. WHO: United Workers Union Spokesperson and security officers will be available for comment NOTE: Everyone attending this event will be expected to adhere to current social distancing guidelines. United Workers Union members will rally on wheels outside Melbourne Airport to demand ISS Facility Services adopt a fair, transparent process in their plans to cut 30 per cent of airport security officers Australia-wide. At Melbourne Airport 283 security officers are on the chopping block, with ISS to hand out redundancies at random, a […]
July 1, 2020
A ruling in the Federal Court today is a landmark victory for long-serving cleaners and security guards who are being callously dumped without redundancy payments. Even more broadly, the ruling affirms the rights of employees to redundancy payouts when an employer loses a particular contract – underpinning the rights of hundreds of thousands of workers now and into the future. The full Federal Court ruling confirmed workers in Queensland and Western Australia previously employed by Spotless Group have won the right to be paid their redundancies, despite Spotless trying to use a Fair Work Act loophole to avoid the payouts. Today the Federal Court rejected an appeal lodged by Spotless after Spotless lost an earlier case launched by United Workers Union’s predecessor in 2018. The precedent-setting ruling found Spotless should not deny redundancy payments to workers at Sunshine Coast Plaza Shopping Centre and Perth Airport, where the group lost cleaning […]
March 21, 2020
We will only get through this if we are all looking after one another. The Australian Government needs to act immediately to ensure the safety of all farm workers in this crisis. Below you will find the demands your union, the United Workers Union, is making of the Government. If you have questions about your health and safety at work, please visit our Covid-19 page here. Yumi mas stap tuketa mo helpem o kiv han long wanwan long yumi. Australi Gavman I mas tekem action hariap blong mekem sua se seifti blong evri fam werkas I mas seif long taem olsem. I ko daon bai u fainem se union (UWU) I stap enfosem Gavman. Sapos yu kat kwesjen long helt mo seifti long wok ples, please lukluk long Covid-19 long page ia. 我们惟有互相扶持，方可共度时艰。澳大利亚政府需要立即采取行动，以确保在这场危机中，所有农场工人的安全。在下方，您可找到您自己的工会-联合工人工会(UWU)，对联邦政府提出的诉求。如果您对工作中的健康和安全有疑问，请在此处访问我们的Covid-19页面。 我們惟有互相扶持，方可共度時艱。澳大利亞政府需要立即採取行動，以確保在這場危機中，所有農場工人的安全。在下方，您可找到您自己的工會，工人聯合工會(UWU)對联邦政府提出的诉求。如果您對工作中的健康和安全有疑問，請在此處訪問我們的Covid-19頁面。 Kami hanya akan melalui krisis ini jika kita semua menjaga satu sama lain. Kerajaan Australia perlu […]
March 20, 2020
The United Workers Union, the farm workers union, calls for urgent action to protect and resolve the visa status of migrant workers on Australian farms during the COVID-19 crisis. Migrant workers are being left in limbo due to the uncertainty of ever changing travel restrictions and border closures, and no guaranteed access to safe and affordable healthcare amidst the global coronavirus pandemic. They are also facing the same key issue that all insecure workers in Australia are facing: Can they afford to self-isolate? United Workers Union spokesperson Jannette Armstrong said, “Without urgent support and clarity, Australia may see tens of thousands of visa workers stranded with invalid visas, or departing the country early leaving huge holes in some of our essential workforces. “Australia’s supply of fresh produce is crucially dependent on temporary migrant workers. The labour of temporary and undocumented workers has held up the fresh produce industry in Australia […]