Happy Labour Day!

We must do a better job of celebrating the greatest of all the Australian holidays. Sh*t that actually means something.

  • 8 hour work days
  • Annual leave
  • Fair pay awards
  • Safe working conditions from Injury and stress

Talk to any Americans and they can’t believe the conditions we have, as workers. But it also means we shouldn’t concede or stay stagnant in workers rights.

Labour Day!

15 Likes

We can’t ever be complacent about workers rights, they can be quickly taken away.

7 Likes

Screw Labour Day it’s Adelaide Cup day for us in SA today.
We don’t have a holiday for Melbourne Cup but have one for a tiny horse race that no one attends

1 Like

A moments silence for casual workers and contracted staff.

9 Likes

I was born on Labour day

You should be a Blues singer.

Edit: alternate ending:

Everyone is born on Labour Day.

I don’t get 8 hour days, annual leave or meal breaks but luckily get more than fair pay and very good working conditions. We do well in this country and need to resist the american way that is creeping in for guys like Uber drivers that are needing tips to get anything resembling a decent wage.

2 Likes

I’m working today despite not being required to. Happy labour day jerks

2 Likes

That’s exactly right.

We can be grateful for what we have, but it doesn’t mean being complacent with what we have or to stop fighting for more.

We are slowly getting workers rights taken away. Just like our health care and education systems.

Celebrate what we have, and never stop aspiring to have better and affordable services & rights for our society.

2 Likes

Did Essendon train today or are they taking a moomba holiday?

Do Bush Lawyers work on Labour Day? :wink:

Bump

1 Like

Yay. I’m going to work for a 3 hour shift. Is that even legal? Might need to hit them up for four hours pay.

1 Like

I’ve been Casual for 3 years for a National Company, though I get paid by an Agency.
I work Full Time hours, and work every weekday.
Never have I been called up by the Agency to inform me I wasn’t required on any day within those 3 years.

My attendance is good, I’m hardly ever late, and I accept O/T 80% of the time when required.
Furthermore, when the boss is away, I’m basically put in charge of a small crew.

2 years ago, F/T was offered, I gladly accepted and filled in all relevant paperwork, as well as taking my own time out to attend the mandatory Medical.
For some reason, it was placed on Hold…indefinitely it seems.

So still no A/L, no payment for Public Holidays like today, no sick leave/family leave.
I rang Fair Work Australia.
They pretty much just said…“talk to your employer”.
Well der, I’ve already done that.
They also said they would email me thru the relevant sections of the EA.
Still waiting 6 days later.

Can’t say Labour Day means all that much to me !

2 Likes

I was in that situation for maybe fourteen months.
It was with a bank.
At the start it was all gravy but eventually I got pretty sick of the contempt of it all, so I moved into cushy, cushy government work.
Mmmm.
Just annoyed I didn’t do it sooner, as all it did was push back my long service leave with this place.
Three months long service leave plus whatever annual leave I have racked up so more like five months on full pay.
Mmmm.

Sorry, that sounds like I’m being a jerk, but I’m trying to say I was in your situation and it sucked and I got out and it was worth it.

Edit: Oh, just remembered. Shortly after I left I heard the people in that department were training their Indian replacements.

1 Like

After the Howard cuts in the public service, there were mass recruitments of casuals just to be able to serve the government according to its wants,
After a while, a rule came in that employment as a casual for 12 months converted to permanent.
That didn’t stop sackings of casuals before the 12 months, but it did bring home gaps in continuity and expertise.
Is there any such rule applying to the private sector?

1 Like

Hated that when working at Maccas as a casual while at Uni. Would complain only to be told “We can find someone younger to do the hours you want.”

No contractors at my department without COO approval. I think now you still need to win a Gazetted position to be made permanent - though this could have changed.

Bump