Pharmacists study for 4 years, undertake an intern year and continuous professional development through their careers to ensure they can care for our community. That they are paid under $54,000 for such a vital job is a national shame. For two years Professional Pharmacists Australia (PPA) have argued in the Fair Work Commission to increase wages. Our members have provided evidence that a pharmacist’s work-value has increased with greater educational requirements, greater responsibilities and workload and yet pay has not kept up with change. The Fair Work Comission has rejected raising all wages, but will now consider intern and pharmacist rates and allowances for professional services. Sign to support our final submission to raise pay and ask your colleagues to sign as well.

Workers at Botany Cranes went without pay increases for five years in order to support the business through a slow period. In 2018, they finally came to an agreement with management on a new set of wages and conditions. The workers were relieved. They thought it was a done deal. But now, management are refusing to sign that agreement. Then, as if to add insult to injury, they've sacked long time employee and union delegate Howard Byrnes. Howard was sacked for raising issues on behalf of the whole Botany Cranes workforce with management. Workers were worried that the EBA hasn't been signed by management, that their superannuation hasn't been paid in months, and that their redundancy and income protection insurances are out of date. Howard was just doing his job as union delegate and raising these issues on behalf of the workers.

If Cathy doesn’t vote for the bill, it probably won’t pass. This is a chance to finally get the help these children desperately need. Cathy has said she wants her constituents to tell her how they feel, and that she’s undecided. She must be told loud and clear that she needs to show some backbone.

Workers in Australia have a right to join and participate in their union. The Federal government should not be allowed to tell workers what they can and can't wear. This is a blatant attempt by the Federal government to stop workers being active in their union. Sign our petition to tell the Federal Minister that this is unfair.

Hospital pharmacists provide essential services to our community. Cutting pharmacists wages and conditions, including removing senior level roles means patients won’t have access to experienced pharmacists. Patients rely heavily on senior pharmacists to provide advice and get dosages right – it’s just wrong to compromise these patients and penalise staff by cutting their working conditions and pay.

Great societies have well run, smart public services. STEM expertise in the Australian Public Service is vital so that our country can deliver the infrastructure, technical outcomes and public policy that Australians expect and deserve. STEM professionals are under increased pressure to deliver, while across the country staffing numbers are cut, funding is slashed and the voices of our scientists, engineers and technical experts are ignored. We see the results all around us –scientific advice ignored, project overruns, waste, cost blow outs. At the same time wages are stagnating, conditions are reduced, and job security is diminishing. We need to restore STEM capacity in the Australian Public Service and create a public service where professional expertise is respected as the key enabler it is, not an overhead to be cut.

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.

Silica dust is present in many common building materials. Gravel, sand and newly developed compressed stone materials like caesarstone all contain silica. It’s all around us. Along with scleroderma, exposure to silica has been linked to other diseases, including, autoimmune diseases, silicosis, chronic renal disease and even lung cancer. When a person inhales fine silica dust after it’s been cut or ground, it makes its way into your lungs, scarring and damaging them irreversibly. The most terrifying part of these diseases is the disease can lay dormant in your lungs, showing no signs of ill health, until years after exposure. Getting exposed to silica in such high concentrations changed my life. Working with sand between 1973 and 2002 meant that I have now been diagnosed with scleroderma. My life will never be the same. And I’m not alone, recently 22 silicosis claims were logged with WorkCover in Queensland, including for six people who were diagnosed as terminally ill. In the past year in Victoria, there have been 13 silicosis claims by stonemasons, but the reality could be even worse, with many not even being aware they have been exposed to silica dust, with some symptoms not showing until years after the initial exposure. I wouldn’t have developed this illness, had my workplace taken safety seriously. Switching out silica for an alternative material, or using proper extraction techniques and being provided with appropriate PPE if there was still exposure could have stopped me from developing scleroderma. We’re demanding better exposure standards that actually protect people like me, who work with this dangerous material day in and day out. Sign the petition to help get our exposure standard in line with the rest of the world. Demand our exposure standard be upgraded to 0.025mg/m³, matching America’s exposure standard, and keeping up to date with the state of knowledge.

The Treasury Building has a shocking but important history that must be preserved. It is filled with Tasmanian political, administrative and judicial history and was the place of many executions. Those executed included Matthew Brady, sent to Australia from Britain for taking part in an infamous peaceful protest in 1819 over famine-like conditions and lack of representation. Brady was hung on the steps of the Treasury after escaping the isolated Sarah Island on Macquarie harbour, becoming a legendary bushranger and a Robin Hood-like character; fighting off the British garrison at Sorrell. The history of political prisoners in Australia like Brady is an electrifying story that positions Australia and Tasmania at the center of the global trade union narrative. Yet it is a history barley mentioned, half forgotten; rarely told – the Radical History Collective intends to change that. The campaign to preserve the Treasury building is one of many fights that need to be had to preserve the rich and glorious history of the political prisoners sent to these shores.

APS3 Biosecurity Officers are deeply disappointed that after many months, department representatives have proposed an APS3 to 4 broadband process that is not fair or reasonable. The process that has begun makes access to the broadband dependent on applying for promotion through a rigorous recruitment process. This was not the intention of the broadband when we negotiated our EA in good faith.

It is hard to imagine an organisation less suitable to sponsor an award which symbolises the best of Australian society. Commonwealth Bank has been found to be entirely morally bankrupt – an organisation which has for decades profited by exploiting the trust of the Australian people, enriching itself at the expense of hard-working Australians. It has swindled working people – including its own workers – and destroyed lives. This disgraced company has no business sponsoring our highest national honour.

Carols by Candlelight at the Werribee Mansion is an annual tradition for the Wyndham community, the highlight of the Christmas calendar. Many members of the Wyndham community have grown up attending carols at the Mansion and now bring back their own families as adults. It is an important coming together of faiths and cultures in recognition of the spirit of the holiday season. Unlike in other Melbourne municipalities, Wyndham Carols by Candlelight is not hosted by Council. Unfortunately, the organising committee who usually run Wyndham Carols have provided no reasoning for the cancellation, aside from citing "unforeseen circumstances". To recognise the significance of this event to the community, we are seeking that Council step in to save Christmas by facilitating a community-led Carols by Candlelight.