North Sydney Your Rights at Work Campaign Update
Conveners
Here's an update on what the North Sydney Group is involved in,
and we encourage you to join in however you can.
Just in our NSW, there are 45 local groups like us, with hundreds of
volunteers, getting the message out there about how strongly we feel
about our rights at work.
And there's no better way than to express this sentiment that
at the upcoming Federal Election when we cast our vote for a
fairer workplace system. Under Howard, we have seen peoples'
working conditions eroded away, reducing things like penalty
rates for weekend work, overtime pay and much more.
The Workchoices laws are impacting not only on take-home pay,
but on people's family and social life.
But alas, there's plently we can do in the lead up to election
day, in our communities and workplaces.
So please, read on...!
In this update:
- Petition for Change - Have you signed on ?
- Enrolment - Don't miss out
- Fair Employer Scheme - Military Rd Businesses
- Election Day - Can you help out?
- Next Meeting
- Next Markets
PETITION FOR CHANGE
Already, a staggering 40,000 people in NSW have supported the Your
Rights at Work petition.
The petition is addressed to Kevin Rudd & the Labor Party, asking
Kevin to keep to his promise of putting back the fairness in the
workplace, because Howard has gone too far with the WorkChoices Laws.
The petitions will be presented to Kevin Rudd in the coming weeks, so
please grab a petition at www.nswrightsatwork.com.au and get
colleagues, friends and family to support it.
To read stories about how people are being treated unfairly by the
Howard government's unfair laws, and for more information about the
campaign, visit http://www.rightsatwork.com.au/rightswatch/
ENROLMENT
You may have heard that there are strict new deadlines for enrolling
to vote/updating your enrolment details, so if this applies to you or
anyone you know, make sure you or they visit the Australian Electoral
Commission website (www.aec.gov.au) or call the AEC on 13 23 26.
You can also verify your enrolment details online.
FAIR EMPLOYER SCHEME
The community endorsed Fair Employer Scheme has been up and running
for sometime. Website: www.fairemployers.com.au
Fair Employers undertake to:
- Maintain fair employment conditions
- Abide by employment related laws
- Not introduce Australian Workplace Agreements (AWA's) in their
workplaces
- Respect the rights of their employees to be members of a union
- Not convert their employees to independent contractors in order to
cut wages and conditions
- Endeavor at all times to deal with their employees fairly
There are a number of reasons why WorkChoices is bad for small
business, and you can read about it via the above website. Perhaps
you know a local business you could approach and ask to take part?
Participating Fair Employers receive recognition for their
commitment, via the website. Visit and look at the list of
Participating Fair Employers, and keep those businesses
in mind for your purchases!
The feedback we are getting from local small businesses who've
approached us at markets etc, is positive, and therefore we'd like to
get the word out more in our area.
We are proposing to approach shops along Military Rd, from Neutral
Bay to Cremorne, and would like some volunteers.
If you would like to help promote this scheme, or would like a
brochure, please contact us.
ELECTION DAY
We can't give you a date yet! But we can start preparing for the big
day! Can you lend a hand for the Your Rights at Work Campaign? We
will supply you with a bright Your Rights at Work badge and a large
campaign placard. You may even like to get yourself a Your Rights at
Work t-shirt for the event. See 'merchandise' at www.nswrightsatwork.com.au
We'd like to have a Your Rights at Work presence all across the
various communities in this electorate, to show our fellow neighbours
that our rights at work and worth fighting and voting for! To do
this, we need your help.
The following are some possible voting venues for our area, based on
2004 polling places:
Crows Nest North Sydney Girls High School, Pacific Hwy
Kirribilli St Aloysius' College, Burton St
Milsons Point St Aloysius' College, JeffreySt
Crows Nest East North Sydney Boys High School, Falcon St
Mcmahons Point Community Centre, 165 Blues Point Rd
North Sydney North Sydney Demonstration School, Bay Rd
Waverton Waverton Uniting Church Hall, 75 Bay Rd
Neutral Bay Neutral Bay Public School, Bydown St
Neutral Bay West Community Centre, Forsyth Park Off Montpelier St
Northbridge Northside Baptist Pre-school Centre, 112
Sailors Bay Rd
Northbridge East Northbridge Primary School, Sailors Bay Rd
Artarmon St Basil's Anglican Church, 6 Broughton
Road
Artarmon Central Artarmon Primary School, McMillan Rd
NEXT MEETING
Our October meeting will be held on Tuesday 9th October, at the
Neutral Bay Community Centre, 5.45 for 6pm. We'll be talking about
all these things and more, so come along.
MARKETS
The North Sydney Markets will next be held on Saturday 13th October.
If you'd like to volunteer for our Your Rights at Work stall,
please contact us.
The group is always open to your suggestions and comments.
So if you have any feedback please contact us.
Thanks very much and keep in touch, and keep talking to people about
their rights at work!
Julia Armitt