Stick Together

Interview with Trevor Torrens about the new Queensland Silicosis Support Network. Summary of the International Trade Union Confederations Global Rights Index report.

Union density in Australia is around 14% at arguably the most perilous time for Australian workers - job insecurity, wages flat lining, conditions under attack. How can Unions change this scenario?

This week Annie interviewed Josh Cullinan from the Retail and Fast Food Worker’s Union about their ongoing dispute with McDonalds. Then we’ll go back in time with some old wharfies and hear stories of appalling conditions and how the workers unionised and fought for their rights.

The Australia Services Union took Maribyrnong Council (Melb.,Vic.) to Federal Court to get the redundancy payments of around $2.3 million dollars for their members made redundant with the outsourcing of the Council's home care service for the elderly. A fine victory.Yasmin from the National Union of Workers tells us about the new Call Centre newsletter bringing Call Centre workers together.

Mark from Earth Worker Workers Cooperative in Morwell. located in the Latrobe Valley the past capital of coal fired electricity generation in Australia, now in the throes of change talks about why Earth Worker and why climate change and job generation should mean a new future not a dark end. newsChinese Coal mining options next door to Adani dropped Queensland MUA leader calls for Labor to back climate over jobs with a fair transitionEmployer groups call for tighter laws against workersIncrease in Australian billionaires as inequality increasesWage theft at Pizza maker Della Rosa workers claimFonterra closes Dennington milk factory; 98 lose jobsTWU ready for concerted action involving 38,000 workers

This week we take you to the event organised by the RTBU and Spirit of Eureka, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the general strike in 1969 in defence of imprisoned union leader Clarrie O'Shea.

Coverage of the "Save Australian Shipping" rally in Melbourne. We hear from workers and union representatives about the current situation of Australian shipping.Information from the CFMEU about PFAS which is putting workers and the public at risk due to the West Gate Tunnel project.

Around Australia and the world large gatherings of workers have celebrated May Day the day of workers solidarity. So today we thought we would give you a great story of workers organising together to get better conditions and wages in an unlikely setting where casualisation and general disenchantment with their Union had given the workers a sense of hopelessness. We follow this with a speech given at the Melbourne May Day celebrations held on May 5th by a speaker from Friends of the Earth as it seems more and more obvious environmental destruction means a no jobs future. We also get the chance to hear from a great visiting hip hop group Rebel Diaz who wowed the crowd in Melbourne with their version of the worker’s classic Which side are you on

On Monday 29th April an International Workers Memorial Day ceremony was held outside Victoria Trades Hall where there was a call for Federal Industrial Manslaughter Laws.

This week on the program, we bring you the story of the hospital pharmacists who are dispensing free drugs as part of their campaign to secure their wages and conditions. We speak with Gianni Sottile who tells us more about the employer's extreme response to this action.We also speak with Thirza White, Assistant Secretary of the Tasmanian CPSU about the wave of strikes and stoppages causing headaches for the state's Liberal government in the lead up to the impending budget.