Public holidays have immense social value. In an increasingly busy world where workers are working more and more hours, public holidays are more important than ever. We all need the chance to rest and have time with our families and friends. Tasmanian workers are now the lowest paid in the country, and we have less full day state wide public holidays than a number of other states and territories. But the Hodgman Liberal Government has recently proposed cutting some public holidays from Tasmanian public sector workers. They are also conducting a review in apparent secrecy with no consultation with unions or workers. Any review of Tasmanian public holidays must not result in a loss of public holidays for workers in any part of the State. A genuine review of public holidays should look at all options including whether we have enough public holidays and what is in the best interests of workers.

Newstart is $243 per week below the poverty line. Thanks to our government's refusal to raise the rate, unemployed Australians are being forced to needlessly endure crushing poverty every single day of their lives. Because there are far more job seekers than jobs available, the average time spent on Newstart is now five-and-a-half years. According to the ABS, there are currently 16 job seekers competing for every job available. In a wealthy country like Australia, which has "enjoyed" almost three decades of continuous economic growth, nobody should have to starve on lowly social security entitlements. We must fight for the right of unemployed workers to a liveable income. We must demand our leaders immediately raise Newstart to the poverty line.

This petition is being run by United Voice members in the ACT region. We are cleaners, security guards, early learning educators, and hospitality workers who need our federal politicians to represent low paid workers. We know what it's like to get underpaid and lodge a complaint, only to have our shifts cut, never recover stolen wages and see bosses go unpenalised. The ACT may have the highest average income in Australia but workers all over our community are getting ripped off by bosses and need change. Our local candidates should commit to working on these issues before they seek our vote in May.

Le Bon Ton is a New Orleans-style bar in Collingwood and one of Melbourne’s hottest late night venues. The bar closes at 6am on weekends and staff often don’t finish until even later. But whenever you work, you don’t get penalty rates. I worked for the owners of Le Bon Ton for more than a year and like countless other workers I wasn’t paid penalty rates either - I got paid a flat rate of as little as $18 per hour. In total, they stole about $5000 from me. Lots of others are also owed thousands of dollars. Will and Mick Balleau didn’t care if I couldn’t pay my rent. They’d you give a free beer at the end of your shift and reckon that makes it all right. They made me speak to their accountant who promised me the money. They even sent me a spreadsheet confirming I’d been underpaid by thousands and promised they'd pay me in the next pay run. But they never did. They were betting on me not knowing how to get my money. I finished working for them three years ago and I'm still waiting to get paid. What this is, is theft. But hospo bosses just keep getting away with it. I want to see these wage thieves held to account for how they treat their staff. The watchdog needs to take serious action against these guys. https://vimeo.com/319264816

Nearly 80 Australian seafarers have been sacked by BHP and replaced with exploited overseas visa workers. These should be Australian jobs for Australian workers, but Scott Morrison's Government chose BHP's profits over the jobs of locals.

Whilst the ANU has made great strides to tackle the complicated issue of providing accommodation for a growing student population, there are still many pressing and urgent issues for postgraduate students that must be addressed. There are still postgraduate students being exploited by predatory landlords, skipping meals to pay for the bare necessities, and sleeping rough in the library and their offices to ensure that they have a safe place to sleep at night. In recognising that the ANU is providing additional accommodation for students in the upcoming years, it is not merely enough to have this accommodation available, it also needs to be accessible, affordable and adequate. Additionally, to meet the first-year guarantee, second- and third-year students will need to seek accommodation off-campus in a city that was just named the most expensive rent market in Australia.

The Fair Work Ombudsman must investigate Dinner By Heston and take strong action against venues like these that use salary-based arrangements to underpay their workers. The law is clear: Employers must keep an accurate daily record of start and finish times, of the hours worked, and breaks taken, and have them signed weekly by employees. Employers must also do a reconciliation to see if staff have been underpaid. And if there is a shortfall, the employer must pay the difference. We are calling on the watchdog to enforce the law at Dinner By Heston. They must ensure these workers are paid for every hour they work and are paid back all their stolen wages.

The NRMA is buying up transport and tourism companies nationally. Recently, the NRMA began purchasing ferry services on Sydney Harbour in NSW. At one of these ferry companies - My Fast Ferry - management have been deliberately forcing their workers to accept below minimum conditions, and robbing them of their rightful pay rates. Workers at My Fast Ferry can earn as little as half the pay as those doing the same work, on the same boats, on the same harbour. Their only mistake is to work for the NRMA. The workers and their union – the Maritime Union of Australia - have requested that the NRMA do the right thing and treat their workers with the respect they deserve. Sadly, NRMA has decided to dig in behind existing practices, and continue to treat Ferry workers like second class citizens. How can you trust a company that behaves like this?

Melbourne’s famous Degraves Street is a den of thieves. We are demanding the Fair Work Ombudsman conduct raids up and down the street. Lawyers for Hospo Voice, the hospitality union, analysed payslips and rosters of workers at five venues with underpayments totalling $50k and award breaches that include below-award wages, non-payment of shift and public holiday penalty rates, superannuation and leave entitlements. Wage theft at these Degraves Street venues has been uncovered: Degraves Espresso, RMB Café, Xpressomondo, Little Cupcakes and The Quarter. Employers are getting rich by gaming the system. They know the chances of getting caught are remote and the worst they have to fear is being forced to pay back stolen wages. That’s why hospo workers fought for and won a commitment from Premier Daniel Andrews to criminalise wage theft if he is re-elected.

Professional and academic staff are integral to the quality of our education. Research higher degree and undergraduate students will both be negatively impacted by this proposed restructure, as already pressured staff are put more under the pump with increased workload and reduced support. FUSA Student Council would also wish to acknowledge the huge financial and emotional burden on staff and their loved ones that comes with job insecurity.

Every worker deserves a secure job they can count on. But even when a collective agreement provides for casual conversion, companies like Bulla ignore and break the rules. Frankie had been a loyal employee at Bulla’s Derrimut cold store , employed as a casual and working full time hours every day for 12 months. He had been told by Bulla that after 6 months work, he would be made permanent in line with the EBA conditions. Having a young family to support, this was very important to Frankie. After 6 months of casual work had passed Frankie asked for conversion. He was ignored. After waiting for 12 months he spoke to the delegate, and management finally handed him a contract. The offer was for a seasonal short term role, not the full time job he was entitled to. Frankie was given just 48 hours to sign the contract. The following day he politely raised the issue. Bulla’s response? 'We are no longer offering you a contract, and your employment is terminated effective immediately.' He was escorted off site past his shocked workmates for asking a fair question. Stand united in support with Frankie and against companies that have too much power - all workers deserve a job they can count on!

By forcing unemployed workers out onto rural farms, Scott Morrison is stripping Australian citizens of their right to freedom of movement. This will create a deeply segregated society - one where only certain, privileged citizens have basic workplace rights and freedoms. Over the past few months, Morrison has continued to trample on the rights of unemployed workers. He has taken away their rights to appeal unfair penalties made by private employment services providers; he has stripped their rights to a 'reasonable excuse' for not attending activities and appointments; and he has significantly expanded the coercive and dangerous Work for the Dole program. Australians who have become unemployed - due to no fault of their own - are being systematically branded as second-class citizens. Scott Morrison's plan will not create one single job for unemployed workers. It will only punish them for his government's own failure to create enough jobs. Let's send Scott Morrison a clear message - Create Work, Not Punishment!