'Change the Rules' rally on 9 May 2018: union members walked from Victorian Trades Hall, down Latrobe Street to the Magistrates Court, finally resting their feet at Flinders Street Station.
There are many rules that need to change to redress the inequality between working people and big business that has arisen over the past 30 years.
Changes being sought by unions that would impact ANMF members and their families include:
Defining ‘casual’ work
Many Australians, including the partners and family members of nurses, midwives and personal care workers, are stuck in casual work, sham contracts, the gig economy and labour hire – without paid leave or job security.
Unions say that after six months in casual work, people must have the choice to transfer to a permanent position.
Paid family and domestic violence leave
In the 2016–20 public sector nurses’ and midwives’ EBA, the ANMF (Vic Branch) secured 10 days family violence leave.
The union movement is seeking a change to the national employment standards to include 20 days paid leave for workers experiencing family violence.
A living wage
Our minimum wage is now nearly 5 per cent below the widely accepted poverty line. We need to change the rules to make a living wage that is 60 per cent of the median wage as a legal minimum.
End wage and superannuation theft
It is now too hard, too expensive and too time-consuming to recover stolen wages. We need to change the rules to make it easier for working people to recover stolen wages and super, and have meaningful penalties for wage theft.
