Australian Unemployed Workers' Union

The Australian Unemployed Workers' Union (AUWU) is an Australian union representing unemployed, underemployed, and unwaged workers', as well as all recipients of Social Security in Australia. The AUWU is a national organisation, with divisions and branches operating in every State/Territory in Australia.

AUWU
Full nameAustralian Unemployed Workers' Union
Founded2014
Key people(vacant), President

Owen Bennett, Vice-President

Alex North, National Operations Coordinator

Jeremy Poxon, Communications Coordinator
Office locationAdelaide, South Australia
CountryAustralia
Websiteunemployedworkersunion.com

History

Australia has a rich history of unemployed workers' struggles:[1][2][3] from the 1840s Depression to the 2008-9 Great Recession, unemployed workers have organised themselves and fought to have their grievances heard and their demands addressed. With somewhere between 30-100 unemployed workers' groups emerging at the end of the 1970s alone,[4] out of work workers have continuously been "active agents" in agitating to change an socioeconomic system that some say creates systemic, structural unemployment and disproportionately punishes them.[5]

Australian forerunners to the AUWU include the Victorian Unemployed Workers' Union (UWU) circa 1977-1990, the Wollongong Out of Workers Union (WOW), and the depression-era organisations of the 1930s.[1]

The AUWU was founded in 2014 and began as a small, grass-roots advocacy group.[6] Since then, the AUWU has grown enormously, with branches in every State/Territory in Australia and a membership base of over 15,000 members.

Coverage

Membership is open to all and free (however, some voting rights are limited to unemployed and under-employed members). Members agree to the AUWU's list of demands, guiding principles, and constitution.[7][8]

List of demands

AUWU members and supporters are unified in their support of a "List of Demands" (much like the L.O.G of claims by the Wollongong Out of Workers' Union):[9]

Fair welfare
  1. Raise all Centrelink benefits to the Henderson Poverty Line.[10]
  2. Abolish work for the dole (WFD).
  3. End discrimination against Centrelink recipients (including income management).
  4. Remove punitive eligibility for Centrelink payments.
  5. Abolish use of privately owned employment services industry and reinstate Commonwealth Employment Service.

Fair work
  1. Undertake extensive government-run job creation programs (i.e. job guarantee program).
  2. Secure employment for all workers.
  3. Enforce minimum wage and award conditions in all workplaces.
  4. Reduce working week to 35 hours.
  5. Lower retirement age to 60.[8]

Activities

The AUWU provides the following services to its members (all of which are Free):

  • A free 1800 Advocacy Hotline.
  • A regularly updated Rights Guide for unemployed/underemployed workers' navigating the Social Security system, jobactive system, and the Employment Services Industry.
  • Local branch meetings, presentations/invited speakers, and events.
  • Email/Online Advocacy support services
  • Advocacy and "know your rights" training sessions
  • In-person Advocacy support services

The AUWU additionally carries out campaigns[11], produces original research, senate submissions, and reports[12], analyses Australian unemployment crises[13], gathers stories of unemployed workers' lived experiences[14], runs a regular "Fight Back" podcast[15], among many other activities.

In the media

In a June 2017 interview with the Courier-Mail, Greens senator Lee Rhiannon expressed support for the AUWU, and revealed she has donated $300 to the union.

2GB broadcaster Ben Fordham has publicly criticised the union, claiming it 'coaches people how to dodge responsibilities when it comes to work for the dole or finding a job...' AUWU member Ewen Kloas's response to this criticism was published by news.com.au.[16]

In a statement to news.com.au, Liberal senator and Minister for Employment Michaelia Cash opined that, "Australian taxpayers and indeed those looking for work would be offended by a 'union' whose sole purpose appears to be keeping members out of gainful employment and encouraging them to shirk their responsibilities," and added that the organisation needs to "take a good hard look at itself."[16]

See also

References
  1. Fox, C 2000, Fighting Back : the politics of the unemployed in Victoria in the Great Depression, Melbourne University Press, Carlton South, VIC.
  2. Broomhill, R 1978, Unemployed Workers: a social history of the Great Depression in Adelaide, University of Queensland Press, St. Lucia, Queensland.
  3. Bolton, G. C. 1972, A Fine Country to Starve in, University of Western Australia Press, Nedlands, W.A.
  4. Mendes, Phillip (2003). Australia's Welfare Wars. Sydney: University of New South Wales Press. p. 173. ISBN 0868404853.
  5. Fox, Charlie (1991). Working Australia. North Sydney: Allen & Unwin. ISBN 0044423519.
  6. Schneiders, Ben (18 October 2014). "Australian unemployment union wants to represent the out of work". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 14 July 2017.
  7. "AAWU Constitution & Guiding Documents". Retrieved 22 April 2019.
  8. "AUWU List of Demands". The Australian Unemployed Workers' Union. Retrieved 22 April 2019.
  9. Southall, Nick (6 May 2011). "Working for the class: The praxis of the Wollongong Out of Workers' Union". libcom.org. Retrieved 22 April 2019.
  10. "Poverty Lines Australia". Melbourne Institute, University of Melbourne. 2018-10-18. Retrieved 22 April 2019.
  11. "AUWU Campaigns".
  12. "AUWU Research & Submissions".
  13. "AUWU Analysis".
  14. "AUWU Stories".
  15. "AUWU Fight Back Podcast".
  16. "Unemployed workers union hits back at 'bludgers' club' claims". news.com.au. Retrieved 14 July 2017.
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