Job security - worth fighting for

Vanguard May 2013 p. 4
Ned K.

The struggle for job security has the capacity to unite workers within workplaces, industries and across industries. There are a series of demands on the following aspects of job security that can be used to unite people in the lead up to the federal election in September this year and beyond.

• Demand jobs for all those in Australia who need to work
• Demand protection against arbitrary dismissal
• Demand permanent jobs and leave entitlements for casuals employed by an employer or labour hire company for 6 months or more
• Demand no forced redundancy policies and agreements by local, state and federal governments
• Demand no outsourcing or contracting out of work
• Demand safe work, and no loss of income if injured at work
• Demand paid training to upgrade skills required to perform the work
• Demand sufficient paid time to complete the work, no cuts to paid hours
• Demand a living wage
• Demand the right to representation and a collective voice  
• Demand an end to sham contracting under the guise of sub-contracting and/or franchising
• Demand long service leave on an industry rather than single employer basis

These are short term demands around which concessions can be won from the big business class and their spokespersons in parliament.

For example, overtime penalty rates were won years ago by determined struggle. Howard tried to whittle this away by use of individual contracts (AWAs). However workers’ struggle in the Your Rights At Work campaign won it back.

This shows what can be done when workers and communities mobilise across the country.

Determined struggle will score short term victories on the issue of job security as well. However like all hard won reforms, they can only be sustained through Australian workers and their allies winning national independence from imperialism and implementation of an economy based on people’s needs, not profit for a minority.