The Titanic’s owner, Louis must pay our stolen super and wages back now. Wage theft is a crime in Victoria, our fellow union members fought hard to make that the case. We will report our employer to the Victorian Wage Theft Inspectorate to make sure he can’t get away with stealing from us or any other of his future workers. Louis employs a lot of young workers at The Titanic Williamstown. We don’t want them to think that it’s okay for employers to treat us so badly. We want younger workers to know that this is not acceptable and that they’re entitled to stand up for themselves and demand to be treated with respect at work. That’s why we’ve come together in our union, and why we’re fighting back. Louis, you ignored us when we contacted you individually. Have we got your attention now?

NECA CEO Oliver Judd is opposing wage rises for low-paid electrical apprentices. Judd, a former corporate lawyer, wants to block increases for hundreds of apprentices employed by Electro Group Training in NSW and the ACT. The ETU has negotiated an enterprise agreement that will deliver modest improvements to wages and conditions for our NSW and ACT members at group trainer Electro Group. These apprentices have previously been subject to basic award conditions. NECA is not a party to the EBA, in fact NECA group training is the main competitor to Electro Group. Yet despite this, Judd has asked the Fair Work Commission to block registration of the Electro Group EBA. The NECA CEO, who was paid over $250,000 in 2020, seeks to stop apprentices benefiting from a union EBA they spent months negotiating. ETU members at Electro Group fought hard to get their union EBA. If Judd gets his way, Electro Group apprentices will be stuck on some of the lowest wages paid to any group of Australian workers.

We need the Australian Government get on board with other countries with a real Climate Policy that will also transition Australian workers in to new clean and sustainable jobs. Bendigo workers want to see Australia invest in green energy and steel to reduce Australia's impact on our environment and secure the future for the next-generation of Australians. Bendigo is known as the 'City in the Forest' surrounded by farm land and amazing winery's, the result of the governments inaction on climate change will create job losses, decimate our agricultural and wine industries as well as having devastating effects on our beautiful city. With other counties committing to zero emissions within only a few decades Australian fossil fuels exports will decrease leaving workers to face job losses unless we have a plan. If others have a plan, it is time that we have a plan too. Australia should be part of the solution not the problem.

First Nations People of Australia have a right to self-determination, being the first peoples of this country. This means we have a right to determine who we want to represent us as First Nations Students Officer.

The Higher Education Act (2005) requires by law that University Council members have “an appreciation of the values of a University”. Given RMIT values include being “agents of positive change for our students, the community and beyond”, it is simply untenable that Ziggy Switkowski continues in his role of RMIT chancellor or as a Council member whilst chair of Crown Resorts Board .

In historically male-dominated occupations such as blue-collar trades, amenities for workers are often an afterthought or not provided at all. When they do exist, they are often very unhygienic, unsanitary, far away from the worksite, locked or in an unsafe location. The effects are worse for women who have a wider range of needs for bathroom amenities such as menstruation, pregnancy, breastfeeding and more. The laws that regulate bathrooms and amenities in workplaces MUST be updated to force companies and workplaces to follow the rules and provide good amenities for ALL workers. The more support we have in this campaign, the more likely we’ll be able to force positive change and make our workplaces safer and more inclusive for everyone.

Hutchison Ports Australia have disgracefully sacked respected Indigenous worker Kevin “Bones” Kelly from their Port Botany terminal. Hutchison has never accused Kevin of any wrongdoing. They say Kevin is not fit to perform his duties, but they have no medical evidence to support this claim. Kevin’s own doctor cleared him for work after a few weeks on workers’ compensation. After he was cleared, he carried out full duties without issue for 11 shifts before he was stood down and then sacked. Kevin is one of many workers recently sacked by Hutchison’s at Port Botany, including a high number of Indigenous workers. Hutchinson’s poor record of Indigenous worker promotion and retention indicates that it is a company rife with systemic racism. Thomas Mayor, National Indigenous Officer of the Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) said: "There was no genuine reason for sacking Kevin and Hutchison have a record of disproportionately sacking Indigenous workers. There can only be one word to describe the company's management, and everyone should learn the truth of it. Hutchison Ports is racist." Kevin was a world champion boxer. He is respected across the maritime industry and across the community. We will stand shoulder to shoulder with the Maritime Union of Australia until he is reinstated – We call on Hutchinson’s to reinstate Kevin “Bones” Kelly, end the sackings and end the systemic racism in the company’s management! Paul Keating, Sydney Branch Secretary of the MUA said: "I have known Kevin for many years. He is a good friend and greatly respected by his comrades on the waterfront and across the MUA. This sacking is utterly unjust. In all my years as a union official, I have never seen the treatment of a worker by an employer in this way. The MUA will not stand for this from Hutchison or any employer. The MUA expects reinstatement immediately."

Coles in-store Butchers have completed an apprenticeship and have extensive product knowledge. Butchers and Meat Packers inform customers on best cuts of meat for a particular receipt and how to cook, prepare and handle that meat. All this will be gone as Coles will now have it’s product processed at a third-party facility and will be brought to the store either gas flushed or cryovaced. In-store butchers and Meat Packers will be replaced with a store service rep that may not have ever worked with meat before or for that matter may not have ever cooked a leg of lamb before. When the public seems to want to know more about their food, and prepare their own food, Coles have decided to offer less. This is a shameful move that shows Coles cares more about profits than people. The only thing going DOWN DOWN at Coles will be the service…. Sign the petition and send Coles a clear message that this is unacceptable. At the height of this pandemic, these workers were putting food on our tables. What Coles is doing is wrong…. Help these workers get a better deal. Authorised by Matthew Journeax Acting Federal Secretary AMIEU 39 Lytton Road East Brisbane QLD 4169

Supermarket workers are risking the health of themselves and their families to keep warehouses running, shelves stocked and fuel pumps running. Coles and Woolworths should not pocket sky-high profits made off these essential workers' backs without recognising workers' sacrifices. In an email to Coles workers, the Chief Operations Officer, Matt Swindells, said "Finally, this week you will have heard that Coles is awarding a discretionary pay increase of 2.5% for all our wages-paid store team members. All team members covered by the 2017 Enterprise Agreement will receive the well-deserved increase from 6 September 2021 and you’ll see it in your payslips as of Wednesday 15 September." What is well-deserved is pandemic pay that is adequate (2.5% doesn't keep up with inflation which lies at 3.8%) and recognises the incredible sacrifice of working with the Delta variant spreading in the community.

*update* National Cabinet is due to meet on August 27 and apparently discuss this issue however we will keep this petition up until our demands are met. Your voice matters. Please share this petition widely. Scott Morrison has said we must ”learn to live” with COVID-19 once we reach an 80% vaccination threshold of adults. This leaves 36% of the population unvaccinated, including most young people under 16 years old. The health toll on young people could be a disaster. Learning to live with the virus poses an unacceptable health risk until all ages under 16 are vaccinated. The National Plan and vaccine thresholds must be updated and include young people. We are concerned about young people returning to school unvaccinated for the following reasons; 1. Compared to previous variants, the delta variant is more virulent in young people. The Western Australian AMA former President Andrew Miller in WA Today states "The other real worry is that about 40 per cent of kids still have symptoms at four months, and 7 per cent have disabling physical or mental issues at six months, which can lead into long COVID syndrome." 2. Compared to previous variants, the delta variant has a 10-15 times higher transmissibility in young people. To date, young people are disproportionately affected. In Victoria, 45% of infections are in children and teenagers. In New South Wales, the figure is 30%. (22/8/21) Note these disproportionate infection rates are occurring in the context of remote learning in Victoria and NSW. Concerningly in the regional area of Shepparton, where school remained open for some of the current statewide lockdown, every school has become an exposure site and is now closed with multiple children, young people and their families now infected. The infection rates could rise further if students return onsite before being vaccinated. Unlike most workplaces, once students return to classrooms, social distancing will be practically impossible. Furthermore, adequate air ventilation, filtration and monitoring infrastructure, at this stage, does not exist. 3. The Doherty report was written before the recent evidence that indicates that the transmissibility of the Delta variant is much higher in young people. The Doherty model's rationale for excluding young people in their vaccine quotas rests on the assumption that "[e]xpanding the vaccine program to the 12-15 year age group has minimal impact on transmission and clinical outcomes for any achieved level of vaccine uptake". This is outdated.  More recent epidemiological modelling indicates that the necessity for heavier social distancing measures will be reduced if 5-15 year olds are included in the vaccination strategy (McBryde et al. 2021). Both the NSW and Victorian Chief Health Officers have recognised that young people are now a vector for broader community transmission. 4. As school staff we are acutely aware of the mental health challenges that students face under lockdown. However, returning students to onsite learning as a predominantly unvaccinated group and into an unsafe environment is not a solution.

My life would be very different if I could hop on a bus or a train or a tram whenever I wanted. Right now going anywhere takes a lot of planning and is not affordable for me, because Public Transport is inaccessible. For over forty years people with disabilities have been campaigning for the same access to transport as everyone else, to have the same access to jobs, work and community, but for many of us lockdown life is normal life. Previous governments have not kept their promises. The Disability Discrimination Act (1992) requires that all infrastructure is fully compliant with the Standards for Accessible Public Transport 2002 (DSAPT) by 31 December 2022. That’s 500 days away. And we are woefully behind. Only 15% of Melbourne’s Tram Network is accessible, and buses, trains and taxis across regional Victoria fail daily to meet the needs of residents with disabilities. THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT THE ANDREWS GOVERNMENT CAN DEAL WITH THE SOLUTION ONCE AND FOR ALL We want to see a commitment from the state government to deliver universal access in the next term of government. This would contribute to our economic recovery and deliver a more comfortable, efficient Public Transport system for all Victorians. It would also help Victoria meet its commitment to halve emissions by 2030. And it’s not just the disability community that will benefit from universal access. Parents with prams, older Victorians and people wishing to avoid increasing traffic congestion will all reap the rewards of these upgrades. TAKE ACTION: SEND AN EMAIL TO MINISTER CARROLL HERE Support our community of disability activists by reaching out to the Minister for Public Transport, Ben Carroll, and call on him and the Victorian government to take action for universally accessible Public Transport. Jess and the DRC Campaigns Team

GrainCorp is a big, profitable company. In 2020, their revenue was $4.3 billion and they've told us make $105 million in profit in 2021! GrainCorp supplies frying oil for McDonalds, KFC and other major takeaway brands as well as doughnut makers Doughnut King and Krispy Kreme. We also make the margarines for brands like Flora, Bortelli and Meadowlea. Whilst workers are out every day, risking our health, the CEO of GrainCorp, Robert Spurway, has a yearly salary of $1.2million - that's more than 20 times our wages!