Wage rises can’t wait

Wage rises can’t wait

Big business is thriving while workers struggle amidst cost of living crisis.  New Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) figures show working people are missing out, despite increased productivity and business profits doubling over the last year.  The figures come as...
School officers make a difference

School officers make a difference

IEU Chapters have marked School Officer Day (Wednesday, 8 June) with celebrations recognising the difference school officers and services staff members make to our schools and to education. IEU-QNT Branch Secretary Terry Burke said school officers had been an...
Mould at work is a health and safety issue

Mould at work is a health and safety issue

Recent wet weather and unseasonably high levels of humidity across Queensland has led to an increase in the prevalence of mould being reported at school sites. Members should be aware of the dangers associated with mould in the workplace and ensure their IEU chapter...
Wages frozen: employees told to wait

Wages frozen: employees told to wait

Queensland Catholic employers seeking to freeze school officer wages despite the deepening cost of living crisis, with teachers likely to follow. School officers and services staff should have received a wage increase from 1 May 2022 with teachers scheduled for an...
Workers lose $10k

Workers lose $10k

The average Australian worker would have earned $10,000 more if real wages had kept pace with productivity since 2013 – the year the Coalition federal government was elected. The figure was revealed in a new Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) report, released...
Members celebrate the IEU difference

Members celebrate the IEU difference

IEU members joined tens of thousands of union members from across Queensland and the Northern Territory over the long weekend to celebrate Labour Day/ May Day 2022. This year, members took part in events held in Alice Springs, Brisbane, Bundaberg, Cairns, Darwin,...
Australia’s insecure work shame

Australia’s insecure work shame

With more than one in four workers now in insecure work, the current federal government has failed to address job insecurity for hundreds of thousands of Australians – including many IEU members. Job insecurity didn’t happen by accident. “Australia used to have the...
32% more deaths at work since 2018

32% more deaths at work since 2018

One worker every two days is killed on the job in Australia, according to a major report by the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) into the Morrison federal government’s failings on work health and safety. Scott Morrison has also overseen an appalling 32 per...
A legislative agenda for working women?

A legislative agenda for working women?

With the federal election approaching many working women will be considering how their vote can make a difference in defining the nation’s legislative agenda. The past two years have been a time of reckoning for working women. Reckoning with the fault lines exposed by...
Natural disaster leave provides crucial support

Natural disaster leave provides crucial support

When floodwaters inundated vast areas of South East Queensland last month thousands of Queenslanders faced devastating impacts. For IEU members, access to paid natural disaster leave provided crucial support during stressful and challenging circumstances. As...
Respect@Work lite a failure for working women

Respect@Work lite a failure for working women

The federal government has missed a landmark opportunity to address workplace harassment following the passage of its watered-down Respect@Work legislation. The legislation formed part of the government’s response to the Human Rights Commission’s 2020 Respect@Work...
Federal agenda puts super futures at risk

Federal agenda puts super futures at risk

The Australian super system is, at its heart, an enduring victory for workers, something the current federal government has done its best to undermine. The current federal government’s controversial Your Super, Your Future bill, which passed the Senate in June of this...
Everyone should be safe at work

Everyone should be safe at work

All workers have a right to be safe at work, not just from physical injuries but also from work-related psychological injuries and poor mental health. Mental health continues to be the fastest growing challenge to the safety of working people in their workplaces...
Government presides over insecure work shame

Government presides over insecure work shame

Job security is intrinsically linked to workers’ wellbeing, yet the rate of secure employment continues to decline. Today, more than one in four Australian workers are in some form of insecure employment. This is a significant turnaround considering Australia used to...
Employers’ duty to protect staff from sexual harassment

Respect@Work lite leaves workers vulnerable

The federal government has missed a landmark opportunity to address workplace harassment following the passage of its watered-down Respect@Work legislation. The legislation formed part of the government’s response to the Human Rights Commission’s 2020 Respect@Work...
Major win for McCain workers

Major win for McCain workers

After facing two unlawful lockouts, McCain workers in Tasmania have secured a major win on their wages and conditions. The new in-principle agreement secured by members of the Australian Manufacturing Workers’ Union (AMWU) will see working conditions for factory...
Café 63 fined after serving up wage theft

Café 63 fined after serving up wage theft

Penalties of $170,000 have been imposed on the owners of Café 63 following an investigation into wage theft that included paying staff in food and drink.  The wage theft related to the underpayment of 33 employees in 2017 and 2018 – largely visa holders who were...
IEU members campaign for paid vaccination leave

IEU members campaign for paid vaccination leave

Australia’s perilously delayed COVID-19 vaccine rollout is placing significant pressure on schools and the wellbeing of students and staff. Our union believes all employees deserve access to paid leave for COVID-19 vaccination as part of a shared commitment to keeping...