On The Job

On The Job is back and with new hosts: Kleo Cruse and Emma Hartley. This episode is for all workers with a reproductive system – yes, that’s you! The social stigma attached to menstruation and menopause often means workers are enduring the pain of normal bodily functions in silence. We chat to Ann-Marie Allan from the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union and Kate Marshall from the Health And Community Services Union about how reproductive leave can help ease some of that pain. Keen to have reproductive leave at your workplace? Get things kickstarted by joining your union.Support the show: https://www.onthejobpodcast.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week in our summer series, we head back to August 2022 to examine the growing demands for food assistance from workers and their families. The promise of the Australian Dream is that you should be able to work one decent, secure job and earn enough pay to put a roof over your head, support your family and thrive. That all seems like a pipe dream in the current climate, where insecure work, no entitlements, climbing inflation, and a housing squeeze means that hard-working Australians are driven to the margins. Many of them are turning to organisations like Foodbank to help them make ends meet. Foodbank is Australia’s largest food relief organisation, operating on a scale that makes it crucial to the work of the front-line charities who are feeding vulnerable Australians. Foodbank provides more than 70% of the food rescued for food relief organisations nationwide. Matt Tilley is acting of CEO at Foodbank in Victoria. He joins us on the pod. You can now email us with your comments, story ideas, tip-offs, flip offs, and questions - otjpodcast@protonmail.com On the Job is made by Australian Unions. More about On The Job podcast Need help with working conditions? Call Australian Union Support Centre - 1300 486 466 About the host Francis Leach is Editor at Large for the Australian Council of Trade Unions Twitter - @SaintFranklySupport the show: https://www.onthejobpodcast.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to the first episode in our summer series, where we take a look back at some of the great conversations we had in 2022. Professor Joseph E. Stiglitz is one of the world's great thinkers. Professor Stiglitz won the 2001 Nobel Prize for his ground-breaking work in economics. Professor Stiglitz's work in pushing back against neo-liberal free market economic models and arguing for the importance of empowering workers and unions to build a more equitable economy is revered. He served as an advisor in the Clinton White House, holds a professorship at Columbia University, and was the first person the Greek government called for help when it faced a financial meltdown in 2010. He was is in Australia in July of 2022 to talk with Unions, workers, and the newly elected Labor government, and he joined me in conversation. You can now email us with your comments, story ideas, tip-offs, flip offs, and questions - otjpodcast@protonmail.com On the Job is made by Australian Unions. More about On The Job podcast Need help with working conditions? Call Australian Union Support Centre - 1300 486 466 About the host Francis Leach is Editor at Large for the Australian Council of Trade Unions Twitter - @SaintFranklySupport the show: https://www.onthejobpodcast.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Big business and corporations are always thinking about new and more subtle ways to change the perceptions and narrative about how they operate. On this week's edition of "On the Job", Emma Hartley and Kleo Cruse from ACTU HQ tell us about the bosses latest trick - "Woke-Washing." You can now email us with your comments, story ideas, tip-offs, flip offs, and questions - otjpodcast@protonmail.com On the Job is made by Australian Unions. More about On The Job podcast Need help with working conditions? Call Australian Union Support Centre - 1300 486 466 About the host Francis Leach is Editor at Large for the Australian Council of Trade Unions Twitter - @SaintFranklySupport the show: https://www.onthejobpodcast.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Australian workers are finding that what money they do earn is no longer anywhere near enough to pay the bills. Yet, employer and business groups are sharpening their attacks on Labor’s plan to get wages moving with its “Secure Jobs Better Pay” industrial relations legislation. Richard Denniss is the Chief Economist with the Independent think tank, The Australia Institute. He’s not fooled by the bleating bosses. He joins us once again on the pod to talk about the silent crisis they don’t want you to know about - The Profit Crisis. _____________________________________________________________ * You can now email us with your comments, story ideas, tip-offs, flip offs, and questions - otjpodcast@protonmail.com *On the Job is made by Australian Unions. More about On The Job podcast Need help with working conditions? Call Australian Union Support Centre - 1300 486 466 About the host Francis Leach, ACTU - @SaintFranklySupport the show: https://www.onthejobpodcast.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The recent budget handed down by Labor treasurer Jim Chalmers delivered a huge win for families all across Australia with the extension of Paid Parental Leave to 26 weeks, and more affordable early childhood education and care.Like all ground-breaking change, it didn't happen by accident.Unions and their allies have been campaigning tirelessly for over a decade to revamp Paid Parental Leave, better and affordable early childhood education, and the status of workers in the sector.Georgie Dent has been at the forefront of these campaigns.Georgie is Executive Director at The Parenthood, and has been central to the campaign for change.She joins us on this week's podcast. _____________________________________________________________ * You can now email us with your comments, story ideas, tip-offs, flip offs, and questions - otjpodcast@protonmail.com *On the Job is made by Australian Unions. More about On The Job podcast Need help with working conditions? Call Australian Union Support Centre - 1300 486 466 About the host Francis Leach, ACTU - @SaintFranklySupport the show: https://www.onthejobpodcast.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Last Tuesday night, treasurer Jim Chalmers handed down the first Labor budget in nine years. For workers and Unions, it was an evening of milestones.As the Treasurer outlined his Budget, the inclusion of 10 days paid domestic and family violence leave and a significant revamp of paid parental leave represented huge victories for a series of long running Union campaigns.Michele O'Neil is the President of the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU). She joins us on the pod after a landmark week in Canberra. _____________________________________________________________ * You can now email us with your comments, story ideas, tip-offs, flip offs, and questions - otjpodcast@protonmail.com *On the Job is made by Australian Unions. More about On The Job podcast Need help with working conditions? Call Australian Union Support Centre - 1300 486 466 About the host Francis Leach, ACTU - @SaintFranklySupport the show: https://www.onthejobpodcast.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Job turns 100 this week!

Great Britain is facing an economic crisis and a grim winter as the Tory government, under new Prime Minister Liz Truss, cuts taxes for the wealthy as ordinary people struggle to heat their homes and put food on the table.This latest trickledown, meltdown has sunk the British pound, and workers and trade Unions are once again readying to take on the Conservative government that has all but abandoned working people.Britain saw a wave of industrial action across all sectors as it sweltered through summer, and it's likely to see plenty more as workers and unions say enough is enough.Our guest this week is Kevin Rowan. Kevin is Head of Organising, Services and Learning with the Trade Union Congress (TUC) in Great Britain.Kevin talks with us about how there's still power in a Union! _____________________________________________________________ * You can now email us with your comments, story ideas, tip-offs, flip offs, and questions - otjpodcast@protonmail.com *On the Job is made by Australian Unions. More about On The Job podcast Need help with working conditions? Call Australian Union Support Centre - 1300 486 466 About the host Francis Leach, ACTU - @SaintFrankly Support the show: https://www.onthejobpodcast.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Millions of Australian workers know what it's like to shiver through a winter in a rental property that is too cold, without enough heating, or is drafty or damp.It impacts your wellbeing, mental health and can actually make you sick.The last thing people on low wages and in insecure work need in their lives is to miss work because they're ill.Better Renting is an organisation that campaigns to improve the quality of rental properties to ensure renters getter a better deal and stay healthy.Their recent survey revealed that the vast majority of renters in Australia are living in housing that could be making them sick.Joel Dignam is the Executive Director of Better Renting. He is our guest. We also hear from ACTU Assistant Secretary, Liam O'Brien, on why substandard housing is a work and safety issue as well._____________________________________________________________ * You can now email us with your comments, story ideas, tip-offs, flip offs, and questions - otjpodcast@protonmail.com *On the Job is made by Australian Unions. More about On The Job podcast Need help with working conditions? Call Australian Union Support Centre - 1300 486 466 About the host Francis Leach, ACTU - @SaintFrankly Support the show: https://www.onthejobpodcast.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Australians love to talk about how we need to give our children the best possible start in life.Yet when it comes to providing those kids with accessible, affordable, early childhood education, things get sketchy.And it really falls away when we examine the pay, conditions, and career prospects of the people entrusted with educating children at that crucial early stage of their lives - early childhood educators.These educators are grossly underpaid and equally undervalued. They love their work and the children they nurture, but as our guest on the pod today tells us - you can't pay the bills with love.Early Childhood Educators have had enough. This week across Australia, they are taking industrial action to highlight their plight.We're joined by Helen Gibbons, Executive Director - Early Education, with The United Workers Union, and Talie Mengell an early childhood educator who has been working in the field for 20 years. _____________________________________________________________ * You can now email us with your comments, story ideas, tip-offs, flip offs, and questions - otjpodcast@protonmail.com *On the Job is made by Australian Unions. More about On The Job podcast Need help with working conditions? Call Australian Union Support Centre - 1300 486 466 About the host Francis Leach, ACTU - @SaintFranklySupport the show: https://www.onthejobpodcast.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The promise of the Australian Dream is that you should be able to work one decent, secure job and earn enough pay to put a roof over your head, support your family and thrive.That all seems like a pipe dream in the current climate, where insecure work, no entitlements, climbing inflation and a housing squeeze means that hard working Australians are driven to the margins.Many of them are turning to organisations like Foodbank to help them make ends meet.Foodbank is Australia’s largest food relief organisation, operating on a scale that makes it crucial to the work of the front line charities who are feeding vulnerable Australians. Foodbank provides more than 70% of the food rescued for food relief organisations nation-wide.Matt Tilley is acting of CEO at Foodbank in Victoria. He is our guest on this week's pod. _____________________________________________________________ * You can now email us with your comments, story ideas, tip-offs, flip offs, and questions - otjpodcast@protonmail.com *On the Job is made by Australian Unions. More about On The Job podcast Need help with working conditions? Call Australian Union Support Centre - 1300 486 466 About the host Francis Leach, ACTU - @SaintFranklySupport the show: https://www.onthejobpodcast.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week's episode of 'On the Job' is a double feature.First up, ACTU President, Michele O'Neil, joins us for a discussion about Labor's Climate Bill which has just been passed in parliament. How will it impact the lives of working Australians? What opportunities and challenges will it present? Is the promise of a new, green economy one that will offer good, secure jobs?Then we turn the spotlight on one of Australia's favourite front men. Phil Jamieson made a name for himself as the singer with the legendary Australian band, Grinspoon. Like so many artists, he found his working life come to a shuddering halt at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Having found his way through that, he has just released his very first solo album called "Somebody Else".Phil joins us to discuss how those in the music industry have been impacted by the pandemic, how artists and those who work with them are rebuilding Australia's live music scene, and how his love of music is what sustained him. Read the ACTU's full statement on the climate bill here_____________________________________________________________ * You can now email us with your comments, story ideas, tip-offs, flip offs, and questions - otjpodcast@protonmail.com *On the Job is made by Australian Unions. More about On The Job podcast Need help with working conditions? Call Australian Union Support Centre - 1300 486 466 About the hosts Sally Rugg - @sallyrugg Francis Leach, ACTU - @SaintFranklySupport the show: https://www.onthejobpodcast.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.