Author Archives: AUWU

We are joining forces with GetUp!

As unemployed workers, governments have always locked us out of policy decisions that affect our lives. With your help, we can finally have our voices heard.

Since 2015, unemployed workers have been building a strong voice within the AUWU. Now, we have joined forces with GetUp! to make our voices even stronger.

As part of this campaign, GetUp! will amplify the voices of unemployed AUWU members demanding the Coalition increase Newstart and address Australia’s growing jobs crisis.

Please fill out our short questionnaire to lend your voice to this campaign. 

GetUp! will provide media training, ongoing support, and cover all associated costs of anyone acting as a spokesperson for this campaign.

Thanks to GetUp’s reach, we have an opportunity to start a new era of Australian politics in which the rights and dignity of unemployed workers are respected.

For this campaign to work, it is crucial individual unemployed workers speak out.

To apply to represent the AUWU in this campaign, please fill out this short 2 minute questionnaire.

Once you fill it out, we will be in touch with more details.

Let’s make history!

Additionally, GetUp! are giving free tickets away to AUWU members to its Future to Fight For campaign events next month in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. This event will feature the famed Job Guarantee advocate and key economic advisor to the Sanders campaign Steph Kelton. Apply online for a free solidarity ticket here – just remember to say you are an AUWU member when you submit your application!

Justice For Josh Snap Action

It’s now been over 30 months since 18-year old Josh Park-Fing died on his Toowoomba ‘Work for the Dole’ site – yet, the Morrison government still refuses all requests to release the report into his death, or take any responsibility for this dangerous program.  In fact, last month the Morrison government significantly expanded this punitive and dangerous program. Two-and-a-half years after their tragic loss, Josh’s grieving family continues to wait for answers.

Josh’s employment service provider NEATO has now been fined a measly $90k for forcing him into a compliance activity that ultimately took his life.

Join the AUWU’s Snap Rally at Kelly O’Dwyer’s office tomorrow afternoon to demand Justice For Josh and help us present this petition! RSVP below.

To ramp up the pressure, we are also asking people to call Kelly’s office office on (03) 9822 4422. Tell her to release the report into Josh’s death. Ask her why her government continues to roll out a program that fails to meet proper workplace health & safety standards 64% of the time. And tell her, for the safety and well-being of all workers, to shut this awful program down

Report the Rort Newsletter Issue #5

WEDNESDAY 24TH OCTOBER 2018

After a short break we’re continuing to send out your stories of job agency abuse each week, as reported on our forum. In the past few weeks we’ve noticed a pattern of mothers being forced to bring their children into job agencies while they do job search activity, which they could easily undertake at home. The necessity of caring for your children is a legitimate reason for not attending appointments and activities. If you’ve experienced this misconduct then please share your story, and also make a complaint to the Department of Jobs and Small Business on 1800 805 260.


AN EXAMPLE OF VINDICTIVE BEHAVIOUR

I recently finished 6 months WFTD, doing 16 hours per fortnight. Yesterday I had an appointment with my JSP to “negotiate” a new job plan. I had been given a new consultant for this. She started by saying that my Annual Activity requirements had increased, and that next time I did WFTD I would be doing extra hours. She said that also because of my increased Annual Activity, I would have to attend their office 3 times per week for 2 hours at a time. So, 6 hours per week in total. for “job searching” on their computers. She said I was not excluded over school holidays from attending these “activities”, and that I would have to bring my children into the office….

Read more »

SINGLE PARENT AND JOBACTIVE EXPERIENCE.

I’m a single parent of primary school-aged children. A few years ago I was moved off the Single Parent Pension and onto Newstart. Since then I have been routinely harassed, bullied and misled by my “JobActive” Employment Provider. Despite never being in any breach of the “Mutual Obligation Requirements”, (including doing 6 mths Work for the Dole), I have on numerous occasions had my payments suspended due to my Employment Provider’s errors…

Read more »

MENTAL HEALTH AND UNEMPLOYMENT

My brother has developed schizophrenia and he is unemployed. Yes it has been diagnosed by the medical profession. I have tried to help him by getting him on newstart and tried to get help via mental health department to get him assessed for a disability pension. No luck…

Read more »

ABUSE AND MALADMINISTRATION

I’m 45, homeless (sleeping under bridge at the moment), have been diagnosed with severe social anxiety, major depressive disorder and suicidal ideation.
Over the last 2 years I have been suspended over 40 times. None of those suspensions was upheld on appeal because all were in violation of the deed of service or social security law…

Read more »

CURRENT CAMPAIGNS:

Calm Your Farm: Scott Morrison wants to force unemployed workers out into rural areas to work on farms, under threat of losing their social security payments. Not only is this proposal a further blow to the rights of unemployed workers, it would put their lives at risk — last year the government’s Seasonal Worker Program claimed 12 lives. Morrison’s government should be working to create jobs, not devising further punishments for unemployed workers. Sign the petition!

Unable to get through to Centrelink? Contact Keenan, the minister for Human Services, and your local MP.

If you’ve complained to the Department of Jobs and Small Business about your job agency and they’ve failed to take it seriously, contact the Commonwealth Ombudsman on 1300 362 072.

HOTLINE REPORT:

The top issues recorded by our advocacy team on the hotline in the last week were:

Agency failing to provide services (36% of calls) and

Job agency bullying (36% of calls)

UNEMPLOYMENT SNAPSHOT:

Newstart: $347.98 per fortnight below the poverty line.

Job seekers to job vacancies: 16 to 1

Penalties imposed on unemployed workers (Oct-Dec 2017): 93,778 financial penalties and 369,540 payment suspensions.

VOLUNTEER WITH THE AUWU:

Get in touch if you have any skills/enthusiasm/time to give.

CONTACT:

If you have a problem with your job agency please contact our volunteer advocacy team.

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The AUWU is an entirely volunteer-run organisation – we survive off your donations.
AUSTRALIAN UNEMPLOYED WORKERS’ UNION INC
BSB: 633 000 ACCOUNT NUMBER: 154665681

Report calls for government to offer jobs not compliance!

Working It Out: Employment Services in Australia is now available! A report investigating job agencies from the point of view of unemployed workers, authored by Per Capita think tank, and the AUWU.

Key Recommendations:

  1. A Government commitment to full employment and the enactment of policies to achieve this
  2. The restoration of some market share of the employment services system to public service delivery
  3. The establishment of an Employment Services Ombudsman
  4. The separation of enforcement of mutual obligations from the provision of employment services, and the restoration of public sector responsibility for the imposition of penalties
  5. The introduction of standardised training for employment services and limits on the maximum caseload size of consultants
  6. An immediate increase in the rate of Newstart by $75 per week
  7. An increase in Commonwealth Rent Assistance through indexing it to housing costs
“It’s not hard to work out. Make the system about helping people get work instead of about punishing people.” – Susan, unemployed worker, Melbourne, VIC. July 2018.

Changes effective 20 September 2018

Yes they are confusing!

Read the Department’s own fact sheet here.

To help you interpret what this means for your situation, remember:

  • “annual activity requirement” = things like approved study, or paid work, or voluntary work, or Work for the Dole, and are usually over a period of 6 months
  • “mutual obligations” = things like job searches, appointments with your job provider, and are usually spelled out in your “job plan”