Stick Together

In addition to your weekly wrap of union news, our feature report this week is the recent nationwide strike of early childhood educators. This strike is the largest of its kind in the sector's history. Union members are standing up for equal pay and professional recognition. We cross to one of the rallies and speak with United Voice's Assistant National Secretary, Helen Gibbons.

News round-up with reports on:Murdoch University the first white collar work place threatened with removal of all conditions and wages to basic award settings.Rape & Domestic Violence Services Australia withdraws from the 1800RESPECT helpline, following  shift to a for-profit business model. We give you the background and see how business sees rape as an opportunity.Song: All the Same by Moz who is in detention on Manus.

News round-up plus we take you on-site to the Longford dispute down in Gippsland where Esso/ UGL have slashed wages and conditions of skilled maintenance workers using the same methods Carlton United tried on at CUB. The men outside the Esso gas plant are in for the long haul. We hear their side of the story.

On this weeks show, along with our regular wrap of union news, we hear from Will Stracke about the same sex marriage postal survey and why Equality Is Union Business. Also, in light of the proposed merger between the CFMEU, MUE and TCFUA we speak to Max Ogden about the history of Union amalgamations in Australia.All those eligible to vote in the postal survey on same sex marriage must update their details by August 25th . You can do that by going to https://check.aec.gov.au/

August 1917 saw one of the biggest industrial actions in Australian history. It began at the  tram and rail workshops in Sydney and spread across Australia as more and more sections of the community went out in support. It was all about the introduction of Talyorism or time and motion structures into the railway work shops. Colin Hesse talks to Pat Cranney about the theatre piece he and Christina Mimmocchi have developed to commerorate this important event in Australian Working history.The Australian Unemployed Workers Union has recently been denounced by Michealia Cash the Federal Minister for Employment proving the union’s effectiveness. The AUWU has responsed with the Call Out Cash Campaign. We talk to Owen Bennett from AUWU about this development.

In addition to a weekly wrap of union news, this week we head to Brisbane where the industrial dispute at the City Council continues to rage. With more unions beginning action, we speak with the QLD RTBU about the strikes and the underlying issues that pushed bus drivers to strike.We also speak with the ASU's Leon Wiergard about another example of an employer trying to teminate an enterprise agreement. This time the employer is using the NDIS as a smokescreen to attempt to wipe away conditions from workers who are already amongst the lowest paid in the country.The petition referred to in the show can be found here.

Outside Crown Casino in Melbourne the ETU and its supporters re-dubbed Jamie Packers cash cow Frown: A World of Unemployment as maintenance workers are fired as a cost cutting exercise.Greedy, the Fat Cat was there en lieu of Scabby the Rat who the courts decided was too threatening to be allowed to come to demonstrations of worker solidarity.

As well as the regular wrap of News, this weeks show focuses on the Gig Economy and the issues this presents for workers. How does it work? Is there a role for government to protect these workers? What's the role of Unions? We speak with Daniel Victory from Maurice Blackburn Lawyers to discuss the 'gig economy'.

In addition to your weekly wrap of union news, this week we bring you a story of international solidarity that stretches across the Indian Ocean, and beyond. Unionists from Indonesia, Madagascar, Australia and elsewhere are locked in a fight with transnational stevedoring company ICTSI. This company's aggressive industrial stance and disregard for local laws and international labour conventions make it a threat to dock workers unions across the globe. We speak with union leaders from either side of the Indian ocean, who despite being separated by great distance, find themselves in a common struggle for dignity and a living wage.

Heyfield’s mill threatened with closure while Mytleford workers locked out for 10 weeks with the corporate employer refusing to negotiate. The final outcomes very different but both sending shock waves through the industrial landscape.Ged Kearney Autralian Council Of Trade Unions the ACTU national President as she closes the NextGen 2017 ACTU Conference.