Urgent Action: Call for the Australian Senate to drop the Ensuring Integrity Bill
Nov 13, 2019
PSI affiliates in Australia are facing an extreme, anti-democratic union-busting piece of legislation that is currently before the Australian Parliament.
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The Fair Work (Registered Organisations) Amendment (Ensuring Integrity) Bill 2019 is an attack on the rights of all working people in Australia to join, run and be represented by the union of their choice.
The legislation will restrict freedom of association, the right to organise, and the right to collectively bargain. It will introduce harsher and more rigorous standards on unions than on any other organisation in society, including corporations.
The legislation will effectively criminalise unions and union leaders by treating minor technical and civil breaches as serious matters that could result in union leaders facing criminal penalties. It will allow a ‘person with sufficient interest’ - which could include employers, employer associations and industry lobby groups - to hinder and attack trade unions by applying for a wide range of orders including disqualifying an elected union leader or deregistering a union. This extreme bill will undermine workplace safety, make it harder for workers to get pay increases and be represented in the workplace.
In its current form, the Ensuring Integrity Bill violates the International Labour Organization’s Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise Convention (No. 87) and the Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining Convention (No. 98).
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PSI has sent letters to members of the Australian Senate, urging them to respect international labour law and reject the Ensuring Integrity Bill.
We invite all PSI affiliates to send letters to a group of Australian senators. Please feel free to use the model letter below, remembering to send a copy to [email protected].
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Also please tweet the senators:
Senator’s twitter handles:
@jacquilambie
@stirling_g
@Senator_Patrick
@PaulineHansonOz
@MRobertsQLD
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And tag the ACTU leaders:
@sallymcmanus
@MicheleONeilAU
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Suggested tweets:
The #ensuringintegrity bill violates international workers’ rights and is undemocratic. Reject the bill!
The #ensuringintegrity bill is a danger to trade unions and democracy. Reject the bill!
All Australians have the right to join and be represented by the union of their choice. Reject the #ensuringintegrity bill!
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Thank you for showing solidarity with Australian trade unions.