The economic slow down means the Coalition will either abandon its promise of increasing budget surpluses and increase government spending 鈥 on infrastructure for instance 鈥 to stimulate the economy or it will double down on its commitment to a surplus, necessitating spending cuts. Its track record suggests the latter, writes Graham Mathews.
Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU)
The results of the federal election have shown the limitations of the Australian Council of Trade Union-led Change the Rules campaign, writes Sarah Hathway.
Uber Eats delivery riders and drivers protested the millions of dollars in unpaid wages and other entitlements from Uber and other multinational food delivery companies.
Activists from the Australian Council of Trade Union鈥檚 campaign to 鈥渃hange the rules鈥 for workers were told the day before pre-polling started that its official how-to-vote for the May 18 federal election would call on voters to put Labor first.
Disappointed, though not too surprised by the decision, some activists have decided not to聽hand out for the campaign.
Australia鈥檚 super-rich keep getting richer.
A new has found that the top 1% of the country鈥檚 plutocrats now own more wealth than the bottom 70%.
There has also been a record rise in the number of billionaires 鈥 from 33 to 43 鈥 with their combined wealth now at almost $160 billion last year.
Thousands of trade unionists marched through Sydney streets on October 23 as part of nationwide 鈥淐hange The Rules鈥 mobilisations coordinated by the Australian Council of Trade Unions.
Under the slogan 鈥淎ustralia needs a pay rise鈥, an estimated 170,000 trade union members and their supporters filled Melbourne鈥檚 CBD on October 23 for the Australian Council of Trade Unions-initiated Change the Rules rally.
Thousands of trade union members rallied in Perth's Solidarity Park on October 18 to kick off the nationwide series of Change the Rules protests organised by the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU).
Workers from five Alcoa sites throughout Western Australia voted at a mass meeting in Pinjarra on September 28聽to end their seven-week strike. The vote occurred after the Australian Workers鈥 Union (AWU), which covers the 1600 Alcoa workers, secured an agreement guaranteeing job security and ensuring that no workers would be replaced through casualisation, contracting or labour-hire companies.
More than 1700 delegates from 40 unions attended a mass meeting at the Melbourne Convention Centre on September 25, where they voted to hold an all-unions march and rally next month. Present at the mass delegates meeting were unions covering workers in the health, construction, education, public, transport and manufacturing sectors, among others.
Up to 5000 unionists marched through Sydney鈥檚 CBD on September 6 to demand the right to strike and the abolition of the Australian Building and Construction Commission (ABCC).
A study by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on labour relations in 26 developed economies, including Australia, has confirmed that workers鈥 real wages have fallen because labour market deregulation has 鈥済one too far鈥.
The IMF researchers noted the 鈥渟tatistically significant, economically large and robust negative effect of deregulation鈥 on labour鈥檚 share of national income, with workers鈥 share of national income falling drastically from 1975 to 2015.
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