The ACTU’s Change the Rules campaign has generated considerable attention, and it’s easy to see why – wherever you turn, the odds are stacked against workers. Whether it be through the stagnation of wage growth, the Fair Work Commission, enterprise bargaining, or exploitation of the casualised workforce and the booming gig economy, it is clear that a significant structural inequality exists. This campaign comes at a time when, more than ever, workers rights are under attack, and the Labor Party must commit to implementing changes that address the current imbalance.
The Fair Work Commission’s decision to ban a strike by rail workers in NSW in January was a watershed moment in Australia’s industrial history and struck at the heart of workers’ rights. Without the right to strike, the balance of power tips dangerously in favour of employers. The Fair Work Act legislates to prevent industrial action that causes economic or social harm to the public, essentially attacking the stated purpose of strikes on employers. Even after protracted negotiations characterised by Transport Minister Andrew Constance demonising ‘union bosses’ and the interests of RTBU members, and even after the RTBU followed the rules, the system still found a way to favour the employer. The right to strike is such a powerful bargaining tool for a worker, and is restricted, not by their own volition or a manipulative employer, but by the law.
The Fair Work Commission has made similar anti-worker decisions, including cutting penalty rates a year ago. In this instance is hospitality and retail workers, jobs which traditionally aren’t particularly high-paid, who work unfavourable hours and spend time away from family and friends by working on weekends, are losing take home pay that has serious impacts on budgets.
Casualisation has been on the rise for many years, but now another branch of insecure work has exploded with the rise of the ‘gig economy’ – a workforce full of workers who have regular hours and are regarded by the public as employees, and yet are classified as independent contractors. With no protection against unfair dismissals and no rights that full and part-time workers receive, it is no surprise that the Transport Workers Union has unearthed a routine system of exploitation among delivery giants such as Foodora, Deliveroo and Uber Eats. There is currently no legal avenue with which workers in the gig economy can protect their rights; the sheer number of Australians who are in casual work or part of the gig economy, and whose only supply of income is through this work, is a clear indication that the law must be changed to allow them access to basic rights.
The Change the Rules campaign has similarly brought to light many other concerning trends in Australia. The fact that the top 1% own more wealth than the bottom 70% of Australians, that 1/3 of big business haven’t paid any tax, that wage growth is stagnating and failing to keep up with the cost of living, that many big businesses don’t pay any tax, highlights the need to address these issues.
The Labor Party has made some terrific announcements around industrial relations, including strengthening penalties to workplaces who underpay and exploit workers. The future for workers in Australia is very uncertain. Unions fought for so many of the working conditions that we take for granted today, and are now fighting against similar structural inequalities. We must stand behind the ACTU and fight to change the rules.
Written by Mac Waugh
