Migrant Workers Centre

Migrant workers in Victoria are sometimes treated like an underclass. We face language and cultural barriers, insecure employment arrangements, discrimination and sometimes precarious visa arrangements. These things make us vulnerable to bad employers.

The Migrant Workers Centre helps migrant workers in Victoria connect with other migrant workers, understand our rights and get empowered to enforce them.

The Migrant Workers Centre can:

  • Educate workers about issues regarding workplace safety and rights
  • Assist workers from emerging communities to address problems they encounter at workplaces
  • Collaborate with community partners to organise events and grassroots campaigns focusing on workplace rights for migrants
  • Bridge language barriers that limit workers’ access to information
  • Promote workplace rights on our own media platforms, as well as mainstream and ethnic community media outlet

New Campaign Campaigns

  • 不要將我們的簽證系統私有化
    簽證工作應由受過充分訓練和經驗豐富的公務員負責，而不是交給以盈利爲目的的公司。 自由黨一再利字當頭，置人民和國家與不顧。對於公共事業服務，你不能指望自由黨。 讓我們告訴自由黨，我們不想看到澳洲的簽證系統變得越來越昂貴，並給我等移民家庭帶來越來越多的煩惱 – 現在就在請願書上簽字。
    10 of 100 Signatures
    Created by Josephine
  • End wage theft & human rights abuses on Australian farms
    All workers, regardless of where they’re from, deserve to earn a living wage and work in safe conditions. But the Migrant Workers Centre and Unions NSW’s latest survey of more than 1300 backpackers reveals the majority of farm managers are engaging in rampant wage theft and outright abuse. Workers from 54 countries were surveyed about their rates of pay, entitlements and conditions. Key findings ● 78% of survey respondents reported being underpaid at some point. ● 80% were underpaid while on piece rates, and 61% were underpaid on hourly rates. ● Some piece-rate workers reported earning less than $1 an hour. ● Only 2% earned $26 or more an hour. ● The lowest daily wages were reported by piece-rate workers employed on grape and zucchini farms, earning an average $9 per day, followed by blueberry farm workers who averaged $10 per day.
    1,221 of 2,000 Signatures
    Created by Migrant Workers Centre
  • PERMANENT VISAS FOR ALL WORKERS WHO CALL AUSTRALIA HOME
    Scott Morrison’s visa system favours big businesses at the expense of working people. There are workers who have lived in this country for years, who have families and communities here, and every day do the work that keeps our country running - but who are stuck in limbo from temporary visa to temporary visa. Meanwhile, the government has enabled exploitative employers to churn through a vulnerable temporary migrant workforce with limited rights. We need a fair visa system that puts workers over profit, and that gives every worker a fair chance - no matter where we come from.
    2,608 of 3,000 Signatures
    Created by Migrant Workers Centre
  • Monga Lounge, Pay Up!
    International students and all migrant workers are being ripped off far too often by dodgy employers. This is just a taste of what bosses should expect if they steal from international students and all other migrant workers including refugees, asylum seekers, working holidaymakers and temporary visa holders. It's stories like this that prove why we need to change the rules to stop endemic wage theft and stop dodgy bosses from ripping off all workers.
    71 of 100 Signatures
    Created by Wallace Huang
  • We need a proper health response
    The ban prevents temporary migrants who have recently been in China from travelling to Australia. This approach is not backed by the World Health Organisation. The Coronavirus doesn't know your visa status. We need a proper health response. This ban discriminates against international students and workers on temporary visas who can't return to their communities. Many of those affected have lived in Australia for years and call this country home. Temporary migrant workers are more likely to be in insecure work, have less access to paid leave and there has been no consideration of the hardship this ban will create. People stand to lose their jobs, their ability to pay for rent and there will be ongoing impacts on visa eligibility into the future. The Migrant Workers Centre supports all temporary visa holders and will offer assistance to those whose employment has been impacted. Sign up here to call on Scott Morrison to end the ban 近日，澳洲政府决议禁止所有非澳洲籍公民及持永久居民签证者，並且有中国大陆旅游史的旅客入境。这措舉并不符合日前世界卫生组织針對新型冠狀病毒所發布的规章。新型冠状病毒并不认得个人是持有 何種簽證。我们要的是更严谨的防疫措施。 澳洲政府此項规定，不僅是政策歧视國際學生，更让所有持证短期签证的劳动者，无法返回工作职位。 很多无辜受遭殃的旅客都居住在澳洲很多年，他们也称澳洲为他们的家。多数短期移工签证者在澳洲，工作都极为不稳定，都沒有休假給付；这个政策的祭出，完全没有考虑到这一群签证持有人的难处。他们极有可能失掉工作，未来可能面临付不出房租的窘境；甚或是对签证资格造成影响。 所有的外籍人士短期移工签证者，若因依該政策导致工作权利受到影响，移工中心将会进行协助。 请支持该份连署要求斯科特·莫里森下架禁飞令。
    5,854 of 6,000 Signatures
    Created by Migrant Workers Centre
  • International students ripped off by Novus Services Group!
    We came to Australia to try to build better lives for our families back home. The money Nick owes us would have gone to Daniel’s son’s education. Daniel spent two years away from family to earn money and learn skills to give his son a better chance at having a good life. Now those dreams are shattered. Nick Krest and Novus Services Group must be held to account. Novus cannot be allowed to continue to use wage theft as a business model.
    243 of 300 Signatures
    Created by Daniel and Tatiana
  • Josh Frydenberg must meet with migrant workers
    The 1.1million migrant workers left behind by Josh Frydenberg aren't just a statistic. We have families, we are part of the community, we live here. If Josh sat down with migrant workers, he might understand that locking us out of JobKeeper is making people homeless, forcing us to choose between begging or starving. For many of us, going home is simply not an option because there are no flights or borders are closed. We are stuck without a job, without support from the Government, and losing hope.
    220 of 300 Signatures
    Created by Migrant Workers Centre
  • KFC: Don't take jobs away because of visa status!
    Peter Dutton and the Federal Government has already made life very hard for people seeking asylum. We’ve seen years of cruel indefinite detention, insecure temporary protection visas, and cuts to refugee and asylum seeker assistance programs. Corporate behemoths like KFC don’t need to make it even harder through hiring practices that discriminate against workers who are currently seeking asylum.
    242 of 300 Signatures
    Created by Migrant Workers Centre
  • Extend JobKeeper To All Workers #NoWorkerLeftBehind
    A few weeks ago, he ruled out giving migrant workers a wage subsidy, saying a line had to be drawn somewhere. Now, with an extra $60 billion to spend, the Morrison government is out of excuses. How can Josh Frydenberg condemn over a million workers to starve when the Government has $60 billion in its back pocket? Don’t worry if you’ve never emailed a politician before, or if you’re not sure what you say. All you need to say is that you’re calling on the Morrison Government to expand their wage subsidy, and talk about what it would mean to you. If you’ve lost your job due to COVID, you can write about the challenges you’re facing, and what it means if you’ll be able to pay rent, buy groceries and support your family. If you haven’t lost work or you are eligible for support but want to write a letter to Josh Frydenberg in solidarity, you can share what expanding JobKeeper will mean for people you know or in your community. It’s a critical moment and an opportunity to put pressure on the Government to expand their wage subsidy. We need to send a strong message to Josh Frydenberg about what this could mean for over a million workers. Migrant workers and casual workers who do the same jobs should receive the same support, especially in times of crisis.
    20 of 100 Signatures
    Created by Migrant Workers Centre
  • 新型冠狀病毒：確保所有勞動者都取得特殊狀況給薪假
    所有在澳洲工作的勞動者，我們站在一起，我們不把任何人屏除在外。 現在，在澳洲有330萬個勞動者並沒有辦法拿到給薪假，而這是32%的全國勞動人口。 如果這些人生病了，卻沒有病假或是被迫自主隔離在家，就沒有收入。 我們不能再等了，已經有人被迫自主隔離而失掉主要收入。 我們要求莫里森政府保證，給所有的勞動者兩周特殊給薪假。 現在就連署，讓所有因為新冠肺炎而受到影響的勞動者取得兩周特殊給薪假。
    89 of 100 Signatures
    Created by Migrant Workers Centre
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