Your Rights At Work: We’re Ready To Fight For Them.
Our Industrial Relations plan in summary:
The AWP believes that the rights of working people and general health & prosperity of our society are inexorably linked.
Your rights at work are worth fighting for; not just for you and your family but for the whole country.
The AWP is committed to fighting for the dignity and rights of working people; to ensure their health and safety at work and their ability to strive for a fair days pay for a fair days work.
We will strive for a workplace system that is rights focussed. We maintain that full employment is the right of every citizen.
We will not stand by and watch as people live on “starvation wages”. We will not stay quiet as an underclass of “working poor” through casualised employment builds before our eyes. Nor will we accept workers’ penalty rates being taken from them. We will speak out whenever we see workers’ rights being trampled, and our voice will be loud and clear.
The AWP Employment, Workplace and Industrial Relations agenda centres upon the goals of full employment, job security, equitable wage growth, the regulated use of casual employment, the role of a strong and independent Industrial umpire and the maintenance of workers’ rights (such as the right to organise and collectively bargain), the right to join a union, the right to equal pay for equal work, the right to a safe workplace, the right to be treated with dignity at work and the right for every worker to withdraw their labour within a fair and reasonable context without fear of reprisal or litigation. We propose that any industrial laws, regulations, codes or commissions of enquiry do not hamper or degrade the basic civil and legal rights of any individual or association and that no citizen should be subject to any loss of legal remedy as a result of interaction with any code, regulation or commission of enquiry.
We Support Trade Unions And Your Right To Join One.
We believe that every Australia has the right to join the Trade Union of their choice and participate in the collective activities of their Union without fear of reprisal. We believe in freedom of association. We also acknowledge the incredible contribution to the Australia community made by the Trade Union movement. Australia is a better, stronger and fairer nation because of our Trade Unions. We all have better lives because of Unions.
Unions play a pivotal role in ensuring that the rights of all working people are upheld and that their safety at work is a priority. We support the right of entry into the workplace for Unions for the purposes to recruit, to investigate breaches of any industrial, workplace health and safety laws or matters pertaining to the general welfare of working people.
As organisations, Unions should always come under the full democratic and collective control of their members. To ensure proper governance standards are in place we would propose that all Trade Unions undergo financial and operational audits by the FWC every four years to ensure ethical and healthy governance. If there is an unsatisfactory finding by the FWC, the offending Union could face deregulation. There is no place for corruption or poor governance in Unions.
To support our view that Unions should be strongly democratic, we propose any elected Union Official would serve elected terms of no more that two years in duration with the ability to seek further, consecutive terms of elected office. We believe that union members should be individually written to, outlining when an election is occurring within their union and how they could nominate for an elected position should they want to.
One of the major failings of the relationship between some Unions and some political parties has been the “jobs-for-the-boys” mentality that exists. The AWP has no respect for cronyism. A Union leadership role should not be used as a stepping stone for a political career. To combat this, we propose that any Union Official holding an executive role within their Trade Union would be ineligible to sit in the Australian Federal Parliament or any State or Territorial Parliament for a period of no less than three years from the expiry or resignation of their term of office within the Union.
Australia’s system of union demarcation is antiquated and in need of review. It stifles freedom of choice for Unionists. AWP would propose a gradual process of removing the barriers of demarcation; our view would be to propose a gradual process of relaxing industrial demarcation that would allow any worker to join any Trade Union outside the existing areas of occupational or trade coverage. This would allow stronger organic Union growth, run by workers, for workers.
We Believe In Your The Right To Strike.
We believe that every worker has the fundamental civil right, individually or collectively, to withdraw their labour through industrial action to protect their health and safety, their economic welfare and or on matters of social justice. We believe this right should protected by law and that any workers who withdraws their labour is (i) not subject to sanctions under non-industrial laws, (common law) be they domestic or within the scope of any Trade Agreements with foreign entities and (ii) no worker should be subject to any civil action as a result of their industrial action.
A Fair Day's Pay For A Fair Days Work, (Including Penalty Rates).
We believe that fairness must be strong in every aspect of our society, especially in the workplace. We believe there should be a minimum legislated standard of pay and entitlements, with clearly articulated hours of work for every worker which would include penalty rates. We will never negotiate on penalty rates. We support them unequivocally and we realise that so many families depend upon penalty rates to make ends meet.
We would promote that a review of the minimum wage takes place annually and we would support that the system of industrial Awards are maintained to set a bench mark of basic wages and conditions and that Award reviews take place every 5 years.
To ensure no working arrangement is met that is sub-standard in terms of wages, conditions and fairness, we would promote and encourage the entry into collective agreements of all workers across all industries or occupations in a democratic process that is ratified by the FWC. We would support the eradication of any gender pay imbalances through this process.
A healthy work / life balance is a right for every worker. We support reasonable levels of flexibility made permissible by mutual consent to maintain healthy work / life balances for all workers, and that any Award or Collective Agreement reflects provisions for the social, emotional and physical health as well as parental responsibilities of working people.
We Support The Industrial Relations Umpire.
We will fight to ensure The Fair Work Commission is de-politicised and any political appointments are removed. We will fight to see the FWC is a truly fair and independent umpire; one with no bosses' mates and is reformed into is an institution to protect the rights of all workers.
Our goal is to see that industrial umpire is adequately funded and is kept free of any political interference directly or indirectly. We want the powers of the FWC maintained to allow the issuing of binding orders, conciliation and arbitration, dispute resolution processes and such penalties as is seen fit by Commissioners, Justices and a Full Bench with reference to the Act and that the premise of all industrial decisions are based upon what is seen as reasonable and fair and which would comply with existing evidential conventions.
We support the notion that Australia’s Industrial Relations system ensures recognition and compliance with existing international laws, treaties and conventions that protect and enhance the rights of working people, specifically the International Labour Organisation convention #87 (supporting freedom of association and the right to organise), convention #98 (regarding the right to collectively bargain).
We strongly support the processes which facilitate open and honest good faith bargaining between employers, workers and their representatives are maintained by the FWC. We believe in strong comprehensive Collective Agreements.
To ensure that employers must adhere to honesty in negotiation by fully disclosing accounts, budgets and profit forecasts and that any union participating in any negotiation agree to the non-disclosure of any confidential information.
We Will Fight For The Rights Of Casual Workers.
The Australian Workers Party is serious about the rights of casual workers. We would advocate to ensure the rights of casual or precarious workers are protected with legislated limits of tenure of all casual positions, that being six months and that any casual worker may seek a process of appeal through the FWC should he or she feel unfairly terminated by a cessation of given hours within the period of six months of regular casual employment.
We want to see the movement of any casual workers into full employment should he or she so chose. We believe that any casual position that has been active for a period of six months or more with consistent weekly hours of 30 hours or more, should be seen as being a full time position.
AWP believes that fair pay for casual workers is achieved through site rates of pay in workplaces where a majority of workers are subject to a collective agreement. Where there is no collective agreement, the Award rates of pay should apply. To ensure that no casual worker is financially disadvantaged, we would push for severe penalties for any labour hire agency who do not pay their workers fairly.
In our commitment to the rights of casual workers we would ensure the regulation of the labour hire industry through the creation of a Labour Hire Ombudsman’s Office. This authority would operate through the structure of the existing FWC and would have the binding powers and authority of the FWC. This Labour Hire Ombudsman’s Office would oversee the rights and protections of all casual workers and would articulate the legal and ethical responsibilities of wage fairness, workplace health and safety and dignity at work are also placed upon the host employer as well as the labour hire agency.
Overseas Workers in Australia.
The Australian Workers Party is concerned at the proliferation of the use of overseas workers in Australia on working visas. We would support the review of all legislation involving such visas (such as 457 Visas) and would advocate a tightening of requirements on corporations who have an agenda to import labour at reduced wages.
AWP does not support exploitation of any kind. We would propose safeguards that will protect foreign workers from any exploitation through the enforcement of equal pay & condition standards that are on par with Australian workers. Additionally, we would propose the review of all and any existing working visa provisions to stop any future exploitation of foreign workers.
We Want To End “Sham” Contracting.
There is no place in Australia for what is known as “sham” contracting. The Australian Workers Party would propose to outlaw any independent contractor arrangements that are deemed by the FWC to be “sham” contracts or any arrangements that promote operations to are deemed “sweatshop” arrangements, with severe penalties, including imprisonment against any individual or company engaged in this type of exploitation of workers.
We Believe In Workplace Safety.
The Australian Workers Party believes that all workplaces should be as safe and healthy environments as possible.
Our goal is to have world’s best health & safety practices in place in every workplace in our country. AWP would never support a reduction in government funding into the area of workplace health & safety application or research nor would we agree to any backward step in any legislative amendments in this area.
All workers deserve to go home alive and well after a day's work. To back up our commitment to this, we would support any legislation that makes industrial manslaughter subject to nationwide criminal codes and would be treated as a criminal offence.
- The restoration of the true right to strike.
- To advocate for a 32 hour working week for full time employees based on current weekly 38 hour rate ie 1 full week pay for 32 hour week worked.
- Full time employment through a JOB GUARANTEE (see our Job Guarantee policy).
- Zero involuntary unemployment – anyone wanting a job has one.
- A socially inclusive minimum wage through a set floor price for labour & a minimum living standard – anything less is unacceptable & exploitative.
- Every worker should be able to afford housing, food, clothing, run a car, utilities and have enough left over to have a movie night or day at the footy with their family occasionally.
- The right to join a Union & participate in the activities of their union including the right to strike, and do these things without fear of reprisal.
- The full restoration of penalty rates, regular & meaningful raises in pay rates and full rights at work that contribute to their well being, prosperity, health & dignity regardless of their job title, description or social status.
- The full restoration of the independent industrial arbitrator with penalties for employers who continue to exploit, ignore or breach worker’s rights or the decisions of the arbitrator such as lockouts or failing to pass on pay rises or conditions.
- Introduction of criminal Industrial Manslaughter laws – negligent bosses must be held responsible for their part in workplace safety.
- Restoration of true unfair dismissal laws for all workplaces – unfair is unfair regardless of the size of a business.
- Removal of ABCC & legislation forbidding any similar entity which removes the right of due process & access to legal redress.
- Free access to TAFE courses & incentives for business, including small business, to support further education & training of staff through TAFE.
- A new, more progressive system of Superannuation which will see greater benefits to working people (see our tax policy).
- Portable Long Service Leave for casual, part time & full time workers who needs to move from job to job, particularly in Construction, mining, hospitality & Community Services sectors.
- Strict regulations ensuring maximum 3 months casual employment before automatic conversion to permanent with all related entitlements.
- 33% casual loading not including penalty rates & other entitlements.
- Severe penalties for wage theft including non payment, underpayment for wages & superannuation + accrued entitlements.
- An end to 457 Visa rorting. These visas are actively being used to undermine Australians in applying for jobs, undermining wages & conditions & exploiting overseas workers who do not know their rights. Only Australian residents should be able to apply for Australian jobs, not have the positions filled from overseas.
- An end to $4 per hour traineeships. These are below the threshold & exploit young people while excluding them from basic entitlements.
- An end to Work for the Dole programs. These are below the threshold & exploit people while excluding them from basic entitlements including worker’s compensation & superannuation.
- An end to Australian Workplace Agreements once & for all, as well as individual contracts offering work at a disadvantage to the minimum.
- A fee paid to any worker wearing a company logo. Workers are not free bill boards to be exploited for advertising a company.
- Freedom to choose to wear union stickers & logos reflecting membership.
- A name & shame forum for employers who are habitual exploiters of staff.
- A review & modernisation of the Awards system as the basis for wage setting.
- Restoring workers compensation rights for travel to & from work.
- Opportunities for advancement within or without of a company via education, training & qualifications with tax incentives to the employer
- Half Day Public Holiday for MAYDAY Celebrations nation wide.
The AWP believes that the rights of working people and general health & prosperity of our society are inexorably linked.
Your rights at work are worth fighting for; not just for you and your family but for the whole country.
The AWP is committed to fighting for the dignity and rights of working people; to ensure their health and safety at work and their ability to strive for a fair days pay for a fair days work.
We will strive for a workplace system that is rights focussed. We maintain that full employment is the right of every citizen.
We will not stand by and watch as people live on “starvation wages”. We will not stay quiet as an underclass of “working poor” through casualised employment builds before our eyes. Nor will we accept workers’ penalty rates being taken from them. We will speak out whenever we see workers’ rights being trampled, and our voice will be loud and clear.
The AWP Employment, Workplace and Industrial Relations agenda centres upon the goals of full employment, job security, equitable wage growth, the regulated use of casual employment, the role of a strong and independent Industrial umpire and the maintenance of workers’ rights (such as the right to organise and collectively bargain), the right to join a union, the right to equal pay for equal work, the right to a safe workplace, the right to be treated with dignity at work and the right for every worker to withdraw their labour within a fair and reasonable context without fear of reprisal or litigation. We propose that any industrial laws, regulations, codes or commissions of enquiry do not hamper or degrade the basic civil and legal rights of any individual or association and that no citizen should be subject to any loss of legal remedy as a result of interaction with any code, regulation or commission of enquiry.
We Support Trade Unions And Your Right To Join One.
We believe that every Australia has the right to join the Trade Union of their choice and participate in the collective activities of their Union without fear of reprisal. We believe in freedom of association. We also acknowledge the incredible contribution to the Australia community made by the Trade Union movement. Australia is a better, stronger and fairer nation because of our Trade Unions. We all have better lives because of Unions.
Unions play a pivotal role in ensuring that the rights of all working people are upheld and that their safety at work is a priority. We support the right of entry into the workplace for Unions for the purposes to recruit, to investigate breaches of any industrial, workplace health and safety laws or matters pertaining to the general welfare of working people.
As organisations, Unions should always come under the full democratic and collective control of their members. To ensure proper governance standards are in place we would propose that all Trade Unions undergo financial and operational audits by the FWC every four years to ensure ethical and healthy governance. If there is an unsatisfactory finding by the FWC, the offending Union could face deregulation. There is no place for corruption or poor governance in Unions.
To support our view that Unions should be strongly democratic, we propose any elected Union Official would serve elected terms of no more that two years in duration with the ability to seek further, consecutive terms of elected office. We believe that union members should be individually written to, outlining when an election is occurring within their union and how they could nominate for an elected position should they want to.
One of the major failings of the relationship between some Unions and some political parties has been the “jobs-for-the-boys” mentality that exists. The AWP has no respect for cronyism. A Union leadership role should not be used as a stepping stone for a political career. To combat this, we propose that any Union Official holding an executive role within their Trade Union would be ineligible to sit in the Australian Federal Parliament or any State or Territorial Parliament for a period of no less than three years from the expiry or resignation of their term of office within the Union.
Australia’s system of union demarcation is antiquated and in need of review. It stifles freedom of choice for Unionists. AWP would propose a gradual process of removing the barriers of demarcation; our view would be to propose a gradual process of relaxing industrial demarcation that would allow any worker to join any Trade Union outside the existing areas of occupational or trade coverage. This would allow stronger organic Union growth, run by workers, for workers.
We Believe In Your The Right To Strike.
We believe that every worker has the fundamental civil right, individually or collectively, to withdraw their labour through industrial action to protect their health and safety, their economic welfare and or on matters of social justice. We believe this right should protected by law and that any workers who withdraws their labour is (i) not subject to sanctions under non-industrial laws, (common law) be they domestic or within the scope of any Trade Agreements with foreign entities and (ii) no worker should be subject to any civil action as a result of their industrial action.
A Fair Day's Pay For A Fair Days Work, (Including Penalty Rates).
We believe that fairness must be strong in every aspect of our society, especially in the workplace. We believe there should be a minimum legislated standard of pay and entitlements, with clearly articulated hours of work for every worker which would include penalty rates. We will never negotiate on penalty rates. We support them unequivocally and we realise that so many families depend upon penalty rates to make ends meet.
We would promote that a review of the minimum wage takes place annually and we would support that the system of industrial Awards are maintained to set a bench mark of basic wages and conditions and that Award reviews take place every 5 years.
To ensure no working arrangement is met that is sub-standard in terms of wages, conditions and fairness, we would promote and encourage the entry into collective agreements of all workers across all industries or occupations in a democratic process that is ratified by the FWC. We would support the eradication of any gender pay imbalances through this process.
A healthy work / life balance is a right for every worker. We support reasonable levels of flexibility made permissible by mutual consent to maintain healthy work / life balances for all workers, and that any Award or Collective Agreement reflects provisions for the social, emotional and physical health as well as parental responsibilities of working people.
We Support The Industrial Relations Umpire.
We will fight to ensure The Fair Work Commission is de-politicised and any political appointments are removed. We will fight to see the FWC is a truly fair and independent umpire; one with no bosses' mates and is reformed into is an institution to protect the rights of all workers.
Our goal is to see that industrial umpire is adequately funded and is kept free of any political interference directly or indirectly. We want the powers of the FWC maintained to allow the issuing of binding orders, conciliation and arbitration, dispute resolution processes and such penalties as is seen fit by Commissioners, Justices and a Full Bench with reference to the Act and that the premise of all industrial decisions are based upon what is seen as reasonable and fair and which would comply with existing evidential conventions.
We support the notion that Australia’s Industrial Relations system ensures recognition and compliance with existing international laws, treaties and conventions that protect and enhance the rights of working people, specifically the International Labour Organisation convention #87 (supporting freedom of association and the right to organise), convention #98 (regarding the right to collectively bargain).
We strongly support the processes which facilitate open and honest good faith bargaining between employers, workers and their representatives are maintained by the FWC. We believe in strong comprehensive Collective Agreements.
To ensure that employers must adhere to honesty in negotiation by fully disclosing accounts, budgets and profit forecasts and that any union participating in any negotiation agree to the non-disclosure of any confidential information.
We Will Fight For The Rights Of Casual Workers.
The Australian Workers Party is serious about the rights of casual workers. We would advocate to ensure the rights of casual or precarious workers are protected with legislated limits of tenure of all casual positions, that being six months and that any casual worker may seek a process of appeal through the FWC should he or she feel unfairly terminated by a cessation of given hours within the period of six months of regular casual employment.
We want to see the movement of any casual workers into full employment should he or she so chose. We believe that any casual position that has been active for a period of six months or more with consistent weekly hours of 30 hours or more, should be seen as being a full time position.
AWP believes that fair pay for casual workers is achieved through site rates of pay in workplaces where a majority of workers are subject to a collective agreement. Where there is no collective agreement, the Award rates of pay should apply. To ensure that no casual worker is financially disadvantaged, we would push for severe penalties for any labour hire agency who do not pay their workers fairly.
In our commitment to the rights of casual workers we would ensure the regulation of the labour hire industry through the creation of a Labour Hire Ombudsman’s Office. This authority would operate through the structure of the existing FWC and would have the binding powers and authority of the FWC. This Labour Hire Ombudsman’s Office would oversee the rights and protections of all casual workers and would articulate the legal and ethical responsibilities of wage fairness, workplace health and safety and dignity at work are also placed upon the host employer as well as the labour hire agency.
Overseas Workers in Australia.
The Australian Workers Party is concerned at the proliferation of the use of overseas workers in Australia on working visas. We would support the review of all legislation involving such visas (such as 457 Visas) and would advocate a tightening of requirements on corporations who have an agenda to import labour at reduced wages.
AWP does not support exploitation of any kind. We would propose safeguards that will protect foreign workers from any exploitation through the enforcement of equal pay & condition standards that are on par with Australian workers. Additionally, we would propose the review of all and any existing working visa provisions to stop any future exploitation of foreign workers.
We Want To End “Sham” Contracting.
There is no place in Australia for what is known as “sham” contracting. The Australian Workers Party would propose to outlaw any independent contractor arrangements that are deemed by the FWC to be “sham” contracts or any arrangements that promote operations to are deemed “sweatshop” arrangements, with severe penalties, including imprisonment against any individual or company engaged in this type of exploitation of workers.
We Believe In Workplace Safety.
The Australian Workers Party believes that all workplaces should be as safe and healthy environments as possible.
Our goal is to have world’s best health & safety practices in place in every workplace in our country. AWP would never support a reduction in government funding into the area of workplace health & safety application or research nor would we agree to any backward step in any legislative amendments in this area.
All workers deserve to go home alive and well after a day's work. To back up our commitment to this, we would support any legislation that makes industrial manslaughter subject to nationwide criminal codes and would be treated as a criminal offence.
