The possibility of university-wide shutdowns in response to the COVID-19 virus is a terrifying one for casual and insecure workers who have no sick pay or leave entitlements. In Australian public universities, more than half of all teaching at our universities is delivered by casual staff, we are not marginal we are the backbone of the sector. This means that in the event of a shutdown, thousands of university staff are facing the loss of income they rely on to pay the bills and keep food on the table or even job losses. Casual workers who become sick in the coming weeks and months will have to decide whether they can afford to self-isolate or quarantine. This is both unconscionable and dangerous. The responsibility for this disastrous situation lies squarely on the shoulders of university managements who have responded to declining public funding by building an insecure workforce – all while enjoying some of the highest salaries in the world for university executives. So far, only Macquarie University has guaranteed access to sick pay and leave for casual staff in the event of self-isolation or shutdown. This is a welcome decision and we call on all other universities to follow their example. Currently, universities remain open for business, but the COVID-19 travel bans and public health crisis have given spendthrift universities across Australia an excuse to cut jobs. Frontline teaching staff have already lost work and more job losses are threatened. At the same time, staff workloads have intensified as student support needs have escalated. Despite the number of unknowns facing Australian universities, one thing is certain: domestic and international students will need more support – not less – because of the disruption caused by COVID-19. A well-staffed university workforce is fundamental if we are to meet the needs of students during this public health crisis. Casual staff must not pay the price for the COVID-19 outbreak. We are not a ‘soft expense’ to be cut when convenient, nor should we have to choose between our health, the health of our students and colleagues, and putting food on the table. By March 18 all universities must guarantee: · Casual staff continue to be paid if they are required to self-isolate. This is a basic requirement to secure the welfare of casual staff and ensure the safety of the university community. · Casual staff continue to be paid in the event of university shutdowns, even if they are unable to work from home. Casual staff perform work in teaching and research that is core to the mission of universities. Retention and support of casual staff must be a university priority. · Stop job cuts and austerity measures. Universities need more – not less – frontline staff to support and retain students through this difficult time. Endorsed by: NTEU UniMelb Casuals Network, NTEU ANU Casuals Committee, NTEU UoN Casuals Collective, NTEU UQ Casuals Caucus

As Australians, we stick together with our mates – we don’t leave people behind. But there are 3.3 million Australian workers with no access to paid leave – this represents 32% of all working people. If these workers become ill they will either attend work sick or potentially be subject to self-isolation quarantine at home without means to pay their bills. We can't wait - people are already being forced to go into quarantine and losing income. Many workers are also being forced to use their leave and some are even being stood down without pay. We are demanding that the Morrison Government guarantee two weeks paid special leave for all workers. Sign this petition to demand access to two weeks paid special leave for all workers affected by Coronavirus (COVID-19).

To whom may concern, We are a group of students who wish to contribute efforts to stop COVID-19 from the total outbreak in Tasmania. On 7th March 2020, Public Health Services has been notified of a confirmed case of coronavirus in Hobart. This brings the total number of confirmed cases in TAS to 2. This is a known fact that the coronavirus is a highly contagious epidemic disease that causes 64 confirmed cases and 2 death. However, people have not paid sufficient attention to prevent the transmission of the virus. To protect people's health in UTAS, we should avoid gatherings to guarantee that the virus will not spread from person to person. If you also want permission to study online, please sign in this petition. Thank you!

Long distance truck drivers in WA are made to endure third world working conditions in Australia in 2020. Truck drivers shouldn't have to squat behind a truck, or in the bush, when they need to go to the toilet, or go several days without having access to clean showers. It is double standards when the Government is regulating and legislating around fatigue management yet truck drivers have to skip rest breaks because the truck rest area is taken up by holiday makers. These improvements are not only extremely important for truck drivers’ safety and mental wellbeing but also for the Western Australian economy, and for the future of the transport industry. Truck drivers should be treated with respect, and afforded the dignity to do their work in appropriate conditions.

When negotiating the move into the ROC, one of the agreed items was the commencement of a shuttle bus to run from Redfern Station to the ROC. The shuttle bus was an enticement to encourage workers to move into a cohesive workplace. Now Sydney Trains have decided to take this away and leave workers in the ROC to fend for themselves.

The Prime Minister has shown a level of incompetence and inability to effectively lead our country in a time of need and crisis.

Lactalis is one of the biggest dairy companies in the world. They are making mega profits. Yet we are barely surviving on their poverty wages. We can only just afford to pay our rent, soon we won’t be able to even afford to put petrol in the car to get to work. Women at our site have had to get second jobs as cleaners and gardeners just to get by. In the packing department, where a majority of women work, we aren’t even able the higher classification levels. We deserve to be paid equally to other workers. It’s only fair.

I'm one of dozens of current and former Mecca employees that have been on the receiving end of bullying, intimidation, discrimination and favouritism whilst working in their store. After just a few weeks of working at Mecca I began to dread going to work. I was bullied and ridiculed by managers over trivial issues, often on the shop floor in front of customers. After a month and a half I raised concerns with my line manager about the bullying I was experiencing, and shortly after I was fired from Mecca. Mecca Brands have been named the fourth best place to work in 2019 but the façade as the greatest place to work is not the case. Mecca workers, most of whom are young women in their 20s, deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. Mecca has a legal responsibility to provide a safe working environment and they are falling well short. The problem must be fixed from the top. Jo Horgan can fix this problem. She can weed out bullying and discriminatory behaviour and put an end to it. The community is now watching to see that workers have a safe and discrimination-free workplace. Mecca workers have broken their silence, read more here: https://www.theage.com.au/business/companies/its-all-fake-beauty-giant-mecca-facing-bullying-claims-20191117-p539q4.html

Imagine this, you work in the airport - it’s a good job, the job you used to tell people when they asked. However, the dreams of a good occupation is quickly hit down by the reality of the pay and conditions you have to deal with day in day out. Split shifts, insecure work, wages being driven down, and not enough hours working hours. That’s the reality in the airport! What’s worse is that airport management refuse to talk to (let alone address) workplace concerns - in fact, the management at the airport you primarily work from are now shutting out workers’ working under the airport roof. Yep they refuse to meet with airport workers working at the airport! These workers have asked for a meeting for months but Melbourne Airport continue to refuse. You have witnessed what the introduction of split shifts has meant that some of your co-workers have been forced to sleep at terminals or in and around tarmacs between shifts. You know that deliberate understaffing is causing injuries and poor working conditions which is resulting in a lack of experienced and trained staff members. And that’s just skimming the surface. On top of this, your wages demonstrate the harsh reality of trickle-down economics. The airports where you work in made over $2.2 billion in profits last year alone. This is the reality for airport workers at Melbourne Airport - yep, Victorian workers are facing these conditions right here in our own backyards.

The introduction of such a scheme would bring our state into line with other states, ensure the rightful recognition of professional engineers in NSW and above all else, provide community safety. With no registration scheme in place, NSW risks becoming a haven for unqualified engineers who cannot practice in neighbouring states, exposing the public to intolerable safety risks. The Professional Engineers Registration Bill 2019, introduced into Parliament by Yasmin Catley MP on Friday 25 October will ensure the engineers across NSW are adequately qualified, providing the protection our community deserves. Help us put pressure on the government to introduce a mandatory engineer registration scheme in NSW - sign our petition and we'll send an email to the Premier on your behalf.

My name is Jane, and my client Kim is one of thousands of NDIS clients who received the letter telling them their services with Australian Unity will be cut. I’ve been working with Kim for fifteen years, and I’ve never seen her this stressed. She chose to challenge Australian Unity’s decision on the basis that the changes would put her health and safety at risk, but now she’s on the verge of having her care discontinued, with no adequate replacement services in place. All Kim wants is to maintain quality care from her care workers she has had long lasting relationships with. She’s tried everything she can think of, and now she’s scared. As a former health professional, she knows her condition would be far worse, if it wasn’t for the well trained care workers she receives her daily care from.

On average 190 Australians working in the construction industry die by suicide each year, that's one death by suicide in this industry sector every second day. Males in the construction industry are twice as likely to commit suicide than males in any other industry and are six times more likely to die of suicide than a workplace accident. This is totally unacceptable, and worse still, the industry organisation doing something about it has been defunded and hampered in its efforts to change the situation. We call on our elected representatives in the South Australian parliament to vote to stand by our MATES and properly fund MATES in Construction SA.