National Union of Workers

We are a labour union based on the collective strength of tens of thousands of members standing in unity.

NUW members work for all sorts of employers, from multinational corporations to small businesses, in a diverse range ofindustries.

We are united by a set of common values and interests. These interests include fighting for a better standard of living for all our members and empowering our fellow members to have control over their working lives. We uphold the shared values of solidarity, equality, social justice, dignity and unity.

It is important that NUW members campaign and fight together no matter how we are employed, whether permanent, casual, part time, contract. We must stand together because EVERY WORKER COUNTS. Find out more about our campaign: Jobs you can count on!

New Campaign Campaigns

  • Coles and Woolworths must end labour exploitation on their farms
    The majority of Australians do their grocery shopping at Coles or Woolworths. Yet the farm workers who feed us, who pick and pack the fruit and vegetables we all eat, are enduring wage theft and exploitation on Australian farms. Two thirds of surveyed workers reported earning below minimum wage, sometimes as low as $4.80 per hour. Cash contractors act as controlling mediators between farms and workers, often resulting in stolen wages, no superannuation, sexual harassment, bullying and harassment. Coles and Woolworths must not continue to profit from this exploitation. Add your voice to stand with farm workers today!
    262 of 300 Signatures
    Created by National Union of Workers Picture
  • Stop the threats & harassment
    Workers at Della Rosa have come forward about wage theft and bullying and harassment. From a recent SBS report: “...we were bullied by our seniors to not speak to anyone regarding poor working conditions and systematic underpayment. We were threatened that we would be out of work if we didn’t toe the line.” After several attempts to resolve widespread wage theft by the NUW, we are taking the fight for workers wages to the next level. Soon, NUW members will go to the Federal Court of Australia, with our legal representatives at Maurice Blackburn, to seek stolen wages for a group of Della Rosa workers to the tune of over $600,000. But there is another problem at Della Rosa in Melbourne's northern suburbs. Migrant workers have told the union they have been bullied and harassed. Workers say they are shouted and their jobs are threatened. Workers say management targets them based on where they come from or what visa they are on, that they are threatened if the speak up. The problem must be fixed from the top. Emilio de Lorso can fix this problem. He can weed out threatening and racist behaviour and put an end to it. The community is now watching to see that workers have a safe and discrimination-free workplace. A group of NUW members have broken their silence, read more at SBS news here: https://www.sbs.com.au/yourlanguage/punjabi/en/article/2019/05/23/migrant-workers-allegedly-underpaid-600000-melbourne-pizza-manufacturer
    154 of 200 Signatures
    Created by National Union of Workers
  • Supermarket CEO's: Meet Perfection Fresh workers targeted for joining the union and Speaking Out!
    Workers at the Perfection Fresh glasshouse in South Australia were the first group of workers to kick out dodgy contractors and win their first enterprise agreement. They are now joining with other Perfection Fresh workers to win basic rights as workers, have the company recognise their freedom to be union and make sure workers are able to speak out! By speaking out together and supporting the struggle of brave farmworkers we can make sure REAL action is taken to end worker exploitation and abuse that is happening throughout the supermarket supply chain. "The company puts too much pressure on us and has no respect for our rights. They target any worker that joins the union. The working conditions are extremely unsafe and many of us have become injured. As farmworkers we are asking Coles and Woolworths to support us and help us fight for our right to speak out!" - Safdar, worker and union delegate at Perfection Fresh
    853 of 1,000 Signatures
    Created by National Union of Workers
  • Chemist Warehouse: Respect Your Workers
    Chemist Warehouse relies on broken rules to keep workers in insecure work - about 70% of staff in distribution warehouses are labour hire casuals. Many workers who have years of experience with the company are made to rely on daily text messages, sometimes as late as 10pm, to confirm if they have a shift the following day. Being placed on unpaid standby for days or weeks on end is also common. Workers are afraid to speak out for fear of losing shifts. The workplace culture is toxic, with many of us facing bullying, intimidation and sexual harassment. Chemist Warehouse could provide us with decent, safe and secure jobs - but they have chosen not to. We've been bargaining with the company since 2018 but they have ignored our demands. That's why hundreds of workers across Victoria and Queensland are now taking industrial action against Chemist Warehouse. Show your support for striking workers by signing the petition.
    18,664 of 20,000 Signatures
    Created by Chemist Warehouse workers
  • Workers at Baxter Laboratories are getting burned!
    Baxter Laboratories in Boronia manufactures sun and skin care products for some of Australia’s best known brands such as Coles, the Cancer Council, Dermaveen and Lucas’ Paw Paw Ointment. Workers at Baxter Laboratories want a living wage. NUW members are fighting for a fair pay offer and better working conditions. After 4 months of protracted negotiations, members took protected industrial action and stopped work for 24 hours on 11th October. Like so many other hardworking Australians, workers at Baxter Laboratories are struggling to make ends meet because they are not paid a living wage. Meanwhile workers are being asked to work harder and faster. To add insult to injury, Baxter Laboratories is withholding back pay on the grounds that the first offer that was put out to a vote was not accepted. Workers should be entitled to vote down unfair pay offers without being penalised for it. Send Brent Baxter a message, that you buy sunscreen and you support workers being paid a living wage!
    234 of 300 Signatures
    Created by National Union of Workers
  • Support the Coles Somerton workers fight for fair redundancy!
    Workers at Somerton Coles warehouse need a fair redundancy package of 4 weeks - the same as other Coles sites, no less! NUW Members will be taking protected industrial action outside Coles HQ in Glen Iris where community supporters will also be invited to gather and send a message to Coles until we win a fair deal. Unity is Strength! #ChangetheRules so workers have the ability to collectively bargain across sites and industries. We should not have to fight for fair pay and conditions separately across multiple sites when we are all working for the same company. "It's ridiculous. Every Coles site should have one EBA and be done with it" - NUW delegate Andrew
    29 of 100 Signatures
  • Australia wants Fair Food!
    Workers on farms across Australia are currently forced to work long hours, often 14 or 16 hours and even up to 22 hours a day. Many are paid cash payments; as low as $4 and commonly $12 or $14 an hour, while the minimum wage is $21.61. These workers pick and pack the fresh fruit and vegetables that we buy at the supermarket. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6NjOjNAShnQ Many producers use dodgy labour hire contractors to try and cut costs. These labour hire contractors routinely steal workers wages, provide them with substandard accommodation for exorbitant fees, and seek sexual and monetary favours for visas or preferential treatment. Workers who speak up are ignored, silenced or have their employment terminated. All this is happening while the Big Supermarkets engage in 'price wars' during the ad breaks we watch on TV. As a duopoly, Coles and Woolworths have incredible buying power. Competition among producers to supply the supermarkets is immense. Coles and Woolworths exploit their market position to demand that producers supply products at lower and lower cost. Coles and Woolworths claim their Ethical Sourcing Code of Conduct ensures that fresh food products are ethically produced. The reality facing workers on these farms proves that this is not true. When producers are confronted with the choice between complying with codes or losing a supply contract with a Big Supermarket, they choose to cut corners. Even after extreme exploitation and slave-like conditions were exposed on Four Corners in May 2015, workers are still fighting for justice on many farms around Australia. Without workers being able to actively participate in their union and speak up about conditions on farms, codes of conduct will never work. Workers who produce our fresh food are putting out a call to clean up the supply chain, a call for a Fair Food Agreement to immediately outline standard conditions and rights that workers can collectively enact.
    6,610 of 7,000 Signatures
    Created by National Union of Workers Picture
  • Stand with Ratha! Stop #everydayracism and #everydaysexism
    Ratha works at Butler Market Gardens, a farm in Victoria that supplies Coles Supermarkets. She has been a casual worker for almost 10 years. Ratha has been standing up for Cambodian casual workers in her workplace. She has stood up against the unfair treatment of the Cambodian casual workers including unfair rosters. She stood up against a supervisor bullying non-English speaking workers demanding that they work in silence. Ratha is one of the few workers confident to speak English and to stand up for her rights and the rights of other migrant workers in this workplace. Her boss is now trying to punish and maybe even sack Ratha for her courage. We need to send her boss a message that strong migrant women who stand up against unfair bullying behaviour and defend the rights of other migrant workers should be protected not targeted. We are asking you to support Ratha and help protect her job. Tell Rick Butler that #everydaysexism and #everydayracism will not be tolerated and don’t sack Ratha for standing up for her rights and rights of other migrant workers.
    3 of 100 Signatures
    Created by National Union of Workers Picture
  • Yakult workers deserve a fair pay rise, not a kick in the guts!
    Workers deserve a fair pay rise, the cost of living is increasing and wages are not. Yakult is making millions of profits and workers are struggling to keep up. This is a kick in the guts!
    256 of 300 Signatures
    Created by National Union of Workers Picture
  • Save Secure Jobs in Tasmania!
    Edith Creek workers and their families deserve to know whether they will have secure jobs for 2018 before Christmas. While Murray Goulburn is working through what its future looks like, workers at Edith Creek have already been told they are not part of that future. To give Edith Creek workers security and hope going forward it’s important that Murray Goulburn sell the factory site and equipment to a new owner committed to continuing dairy manufacturing and secure jobs in the region.
    257 of 300 Signatures
    Created by National Union of Workers Picture
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