It is even more important because the pandemic has impacted the earnings of households. Unemployment due to COVID has increased in our community and this means working families are more in need than ever before to meet their basic needs like putting food on the table and cannot afford their escalating rate bills.

In 2018, the University's annual revenue was $2.53 billion. Vice Chancellor Michael Spence has a yearly salary of $1.53 million. Sydney University is one of Australia's wealthiest institutions. Tutors, lecturers and professional staff are essential to the learning experience for students, and a 30% reduction will mean larger tutorials, overworked tutors, and less responsive student services. Students are already facing the prospect of massively increased university fees, with humanities degrees set to more than double in price, to $14,500 per year. For staff, the threat of unemployment means the possibility of being forced onto the already insufficient JobSeeker payment, due to be reduced to only $810 a fortnight from September. It is unconscionable that staff and students should bear the brunt of the University's funding crisis. We demand No Cuts!

This is part of a series of attacks against staff and student from both the Liberal government and university management. Courses are getting slashed while the price of education is increasing. Social work students under current liberal plans will also see the cost of their degrees double in 2021. The University of Sydney is one of the richest universities in the country and Vice-Chancellor Michael Spence sits on a million-dollar yearly salary. Management can easily afford to fund the School of Education and Social Work, but they're only concerned about their profits. We need to fight back against all attacks against our education! If you want to join the campaign, join the USYD Education Action Group and join the organising group for Education and Social Work students https://www.facebook.com/groups/1267400043595226/. Join the National Day of Action on August 28 to fight for our education! https://www.facebook.com/events/281188686290641/

Standard DSP only has a $174 per fortnight allowance for earning beyond the DSP payment. For every dollar after that, the recipient loses 50c in every $1. The effect of this is to reduce the hourly wage in earnings to around $10 per hour. This legislation, which creates a two class disability payment system, is discriminatory. We need to join together and demand that the Government provide all DSP recipients with the same level of benefits. This must be addressed immediately. If you also want a copy and paste letter to forward to your local minister, please feel free to use the following… To minister <name>, I have recently become aware of an unfair and unjust practice of the Australian government paying 2 different disability support payments (DSP). The standard DSP is income and asset tested and restricts recipients to being renumerated for their employment to around $10 gross/hour maximum. The second category is reserved for those classified as ‘legally blind’. As this payment has no income or asset restriction, all money earned from employment is retained. As disabled people face enormous struggles in their day to day life, whether their particular disability is legal blindness, or some other disability type, all should have the same set of access to a fair pay for work undertaken. As a society we have long ago moved toward equity and as such all should be granted the second DSP. This needs to be addressed as a matter of urgency. Sincerely, <Your name>

The coronavirus pandemic is affecting everyone, and it is working people who are carrying our community through this crisis.  But it also working people that have borne much of the worst impacts of the crisis: wrecked jobs, reduced hours of work, severe income cuts, being forced to access superannuation and being put at risk of exposure to the virus. Tens of thousands of working people have put their bodies and lives on the line to get the entire Australian community through the pandemic. Working people are the hidden heroes of the pandemic and we must support them.

Thousands of us are still being stalled in negotiating a rent reduction, and are facing eviction in coming weeks. At the end of September the much needed Jobseeker and JobKeeper payments will be slashed. At the same time, the COVID19 Omnibus eviction moratorium is set to end. For those of us who were already struggling to stay afloat we will be expected to live on $3 a week. While we’re expected to stay home, we need to make sure we have a secure home to stay in. The COVID19 pandemic demands long term solutions. Deferring the problem only exacerbates the crisis. Time is running out. #ExtendTheMoratorium #RentReliefNow #Nooneleftbehind

In the middle of a global pandemic and an economic crisis that's only getting worse the government is misleading people on Centrelink payments about pointless and punitive 'mutual' obligations activities. It's not safe. Right now there are no penalties in place for refusing to do most mutual obligations, however people can be forced into a job they don't want and the government has given job agencies license to bully, harass and lie to people. This has made many JobSeekers confused and distressed, and many are doing activities against their will when they don't have to. We have called a strike to protest this behaviour. Go here for more information about your right not to do 'mutual' obligations right now: https://auwu.substack.com/p/how-to-participate-in-the-auwu-mostrike

Spotless Group Holdings is an integrated services company that also provides laundry management to hospitals and the broader health care system. Spotless laundry workers handle COVID linen from health care providers. Paid pandemic leave will give workers the peace of mind to take leave when they feel sick, even if they are casuals. It means no worker has to choose between their health and paying the bills; or worry about their next pay check when self isolating. For the good of the community, the workers and the company, Spotless must give workers paid pandemic leave now.

Driving past the site to the southern car park is costing some workers up to 80 minutes every day. This is unpaid time away from their families that is completely unnecessary. Wood Group said they would provide a northern car park to stop this from happening. It's time they made good on that promise.

I’m Tara, I'm 22 and I’m a proud Hospo Voice member in Queensland. Wage theft up here is as bad as anywhere. And it’s time we did something about it. To get my first job in hospo, when I was 18, I first had to work for free as a “volunteer”. At my next job, I was paid $18 per hour. No penalty rates, no super. I tried to fight for what I was owed. But I didn’t have proper payslips. I had no idea how to make these bosses pay up. I didn’t have the money to go to court. Eventually, I gave up. I’ve had to accept that I won't get back my money. It makes me really angry. Working in hospo is my passion, so I want to make sure wage theft doesn’t keep happening to me or anyone else. I was blown away by how Hospo Voice members in Victoria helped win tough laws to criminalise wage theft, earlier this year. Now we need the Queensland Parliament to pass strong laws too- so wage thieves go to jail, and it’s quick and easy to win back what we’re owed. + + + + Brought to you by Hospo Voice - Your Hospitality Union. Powered by United Workers Union.

Woolworths has made mega profits due to the pandemic. Woolworth Wyong warehouse staff have moved more during the pandemic than the last three consecutive record breaking Christmas periods, helping the company achieve record growth. Now they want to be paid equally to workers in the big city.

Health, aged care, and disability support workers cannot socially distance from the people they work with and are at higher risk of contracting COVID-19. Many of these frontline heroes are in low paid and insecure work and cannot afford to take time off. Saying no to a shift can mean the difference between putting food on the table or going hungry. Paid pandemic leave for health, aged care and disability support workers is not just the right thing to do, it is a critical public health measure. We see the growing evidence coming from Victoria. As at 23rd July: - The Victorian Government figures state there are 447 COVID cases linked to 35 aged care sites. - 529 healthcare workers have been infected so far. - 80% of COVID transmissions in Victoria have been in workplaces. - Of 3,810 cases between 7-21 July, nearly 90% (3,400) did not isolate between feeling sick and getting a test. And the rest of Australia is not immune. We cannot have Australian workers going to work with a runny nose or mild symptoms because they are worried about how they will pay for the groceries at week’s end. We cannot wait until the situation gets worse. Stop stalling - fund paid pandemic leave for health, aged care, and disability support workers.