Young Worker Abuse

Young Worker Abuse Video Clip

The following facts are from articles that appeared in The Age, The Herald Sun and The Daily Telegraph newspapers and press releases from the Australian Council of Trade Unions and the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union. The articles are listed at the end of the transcript.

"KNOW WHERE YOU STAND?"

"The Federal Government's Industrial Relations reforms have given employers the power to exploit working Australian children."

"Young workers are at a disadvantage as they lack the ability to properly negotiate wages and conditions with their employers."

"FACT: Children as young as 14 years old have been pushed onto Federal Government approved AWA individual contracts that reduce pay by abolishing or modifying conditions and entitlements."

"FACT: Young workers are vulnerable to exploitation and are often bullied or discriminated against if they refuse to sign an individual contract."

"FACT: A South Australian report titled 'Dirt Cheap and Disposable' revealed: 36% of young workers were pressured to work overtime without pay
43% were pressured to work while sick
42% were forced to work through meal breaks
22% were fired for reasons that they felt were unfair (and)
25% were bullied at work"

"FACT: Every month, more than 2000 young workers are being forced onto AWA individual contracts."

"Australian Workplace Agreements encourage child abuse by making it legal for employers to increase their profits through the exploitation of young workers"

"FACT: There are documented cases of young workers earning as little as $3 per hour."

"FACT: A recent court case found that 22 young workers at a juice bar in Sydney had been underpaid by as much as 75% after losing their weekend and penalty rates."

"FACT: Many workers in bakeries and fast food outlets have seen their wages fall by up to 25%."

"FACT: A popular restaurant chain illegally underpaid its employees and those who suffered injuries such as electric shocks and burns were told not to tell the doctor that they received the injuries at work."

"Young employees are more likely to sustain serious injuries at work than older employees but very few make a claim for compensation."

"FACT: Last year, nearly 30,000 young Victorians said they experienced a "work-related injury or illness," yet only 2952 lodged a WorkCover claim."

"FACT: Data from WorkSafe Victoria shows that nearly 3400 Victorians aged under 25 were admitted to hospital over the past three years."

"FACT: Of those young Victorians admitted to hospital, 767 suffered a major cut or open wound, 236 had a limb or fingers amputated and 105 suffered severe burns."

"FACT: When young workers are intimidated by their employers they are reluctant to report workplace hazards increasing the risk of injury to themselves and others."

"The workplace relations system, KNOW WHERE YOU STAND?"

'Government Plan to Reduce Apprenticeship Skills', AMWU Website, 23 November 2006
''2007 AEU Federal Conference Address', Address by AMWU National Secretary Doug Cameron to Australian Education Union Federal Conference', AMWU Website, January 16, 2007
'Ban Individual Contracts For Under 20s', ACTU Website, 18 August 2005
'Report Supports ACTU Call To Ban Individual Contracts For Young Workers', ACTU Website, 8 September 2005
'Fed Govt Fails To Protect Young Workers From Sham Contracting', ACTU Website, 28 August 2006
'Kids Under 15 Years Old Are Signing Individual Contracts Under IR Laws', ACTU Website, 19 October 2006
'Young workers and women losing out under new IR laws says ACTU', ACTU Website, 23 February 2007
'Federal Government voting rule changes could rob young workers hurt by IR laws of their vote', ACTU Website, 16 April 2007
'Loss of protection from unfair dismissal is the key to abuse of young workers: ACTU', 9 July 2007
'Howard Government workplace watchdog approves $3 an hour wage for young worker: fundamental flaw in IR laws exposed', ACTU Website, 3 August 2007
''Fairness test' farce is not protecting young workers from unfair IR laws says ACTU', ACTU Website, 17 August 2007
'Workers in cafés, shops & bars have lost up to 1/3 of their pay under WorkChoices: new report', ACTU Website, 13 September 2007
'Young workers' rights', The Daily Telegraph, 13 August 2007
'Pub fined for forcing worker on to AWA', Herald Sun, 19 September 2007
Catalano, C. 'Young suffer bad injuries in silence', The Age, 15 September 2007
Dryden, J. 'Boss ignores warning and teen's eye damaged', The Age, 15 September 2007

Written, Filmed, Edited, Produced and Directed by Adam Basile.

Extra keywords: Labor Federal Election 2007 Liberal Fascist Dictator Dictatorship Totalitarian Democracy Democratic Worker Labour Labourer Censorship Slavery Exploitation Union Boronia Grass Roots Campaign Anti Establishment Politicians Police Local State Federal Government Kevin Rudd Julia Gillard Australianlabor

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• John
• Howard
• ACTU
• AMWU
• AWA
• AWAs
• IR
• Unions
• Workchoices
• Industrial
• Relations
• Workplace
• Workers
• Rights
• Children
• Child
• Abuse

[chubbaraff]

The Workers, United, Will Never Be Defeated!

[cookiemonster1016]

omg yo labor supporters are full of shit each time your stupid pedo government has gotten into power they have f***ed up big time thanks to your government we have to pay to go to uni y dont you all go bak to the farms people like you shouldnt have the right to vote

[MsTsarbomba]

i hope all the dickhead green alp supporters look forward to hyperinflation your bum gillard communist socialist criminals.the global village is here,open borders,wealth redistribution,loss of property rights,the global currency,failed crops,suicidal farmers,chinese purchases of aussie land and resources.hiv hep and disease infected 3rd world settlers getting priority over aussies.australia the dumb country,the global village is here,up your bum gillard and bob brown,fuckin communist traitors

[luneco100]

watch this space if the madmonk wins thats what you will get

[narutofightindreamer]

@acidie Obviously, you've never had to suffer by working as a "Food Service Worker" before. I'd like to see you "educated" by being made to work for a whole year in a random McDonald's or Dominos. You'd learn to love to hate the job. That's how truly unrewarding the experiance is in all areas. And don't pop back that "no one's making me stay there". Because without these crappy jobs a lot of us would starve and be homeless. With the economy the way it is, these are the only jobs anyway.

[mutley741]

fuck people saying yawn, put a saw in ur pocket and get joggin

[Streetcar1743]

I yawn at the young workers not having rights. They have plenty of rights. If they would just quit being stupid on the job, maybe they will last. This is why companies are turning to OLDER workers because older workers are more trustworthy! We older people just don't quit when ever we want to. Older workers don't tear up equipment. Older workers show up whenever they are supposed to.

[liber8me]

exactly. as of March 2007, only five per cent of the total workforce is employed on AWAs.

this report - dirtcheap - was commissioned by the unions so already there was bias and it was done in 2005. funny how they dont give you the date at an election in 2007

[uni000ver000sal]

Can you get the sack if you are caught having sex in the work place?

[uni000ver000sal]

Lets see what you brain washed reatards will be saying in 12 months time!

Where are all the Union Power Players?

On the Front Bench of the Rudd Goverment!

The only time I have been bullied at a work place was when Union Officials entered the joint! Why da fuck you think we have secret ballot voting now?

I am not anti-union but the way Unions have represented the "Little Man" lately is shamefull.

[mattbourke]

pay uni?

it was actually gough that wanted to make uni free for everyone and the people were against it