On The Job is back and with new hosts: Kleo Cruse and Emma Hartley. This episode is for all workers with a reproductive system – yes, that’s you! The social stigma attached to menstruation and menopause often means workers are enduring the pain of normal bodily functions in silence. We chat to Ann-Marie Allan from the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union and Kate Marshall from the Health And Community Services Union about how reproductive leave can help ease some of that pain. Keen to have rep...
May 15, 2023•18 min•Season 2Ep. 1
The last pod in our summer series takes a look at one of 2022's best pieces of investigative journalism. Since it arrived on our streets over a decade ago, Uber has prided itself on being a "disrupter" with little regard for convention. At the heart of their business model is a fanatical commitment to upend the employer/employee relationship and create a new army of sole contractors working on their tech platform with Uber having no responsibility for them, and with drivers having no rights and ...
Jan 22, 2023•19 min
This week in our summer series, we head back to August 2022 to examine the growing demands for food assistance from workers and their families. The promise of the Australian Dream is that you should be able to work one decent, secure job and earn enough pay to put a roof over your head, support your family and thrive. That all seems like a pipe dream in the current climate, where insecure work, no entitlements, climbing inflation, and a housing squeeze means that hard-working Australians are dri...
Jan 15, 2023•17 min
In the latest episode of our summer series, we head back to June 2022. At the time, Tesla billionaire Elon Musk was launching a hostile takeover bid for one of the world's biggest and most influential social media platforms, Twitter. At the same time, the Tesla founder has been playing footsy with the libertarian/alt-right, blabbing on about freedom of speech, and promising to unleash the dogs of hate speech and misinformation back onto the platform. Now had did that all turn out for the man who...
Jan 08, 2023•24 min
Welcome to the first episode in our summer series, where we take a look back at some of the great conversations we had in 2022. Professor Joseph E. Stiglitz is one of the world's great thinkers. Professor Stiglitz won the 2001 Nobel Prize for his ground-breaking work in economics. Professor Stiglitz's work in pushing back against neo-liberal free market economic models and arguing for the importance of empowering workers and unions to build a more equitable economy is revered. He served as an ad...
Jan 01, 2023•17 min
Australian workers know all too well the dangers posed by working in an unsafe environment where being on the job means exposure to dangerous, toxic airborne substances. Zac Smith is the Acting National Secretary of the CFMEU. He's our guest on this week's pod to discuss silicosis, and what Unions are doing to stop it. The cruel punishment suffered by workers because of asbestos exposure lives long in the memory of the Union movement. Now, there is another airborne scourge in many workplaces tha...
Dec 18, 2022•14 min•Season 1Ep. 109
Big business and corporations are always thinking about new and more subtle ways to change the perceptions and narrative about how they operate. On this week's edition of "On the Job", Emma Hartley and Kleo Cruse from ACTU HQ tell us about the bosses latest trick - "Woke-Washing." You can now email us with your comments, story ideas, tip-offs, flip offs, and questions - otjpodcast@protonmail.com On the Job is made by Australian Unions . More about On The Job podcast Need help with working condit...
Dec 11, 2022•30 min•Season 1Ep. 108
Last week was a huge one for workers across the country as Labor passed its new Industrial Relations laws, The Secure Jobs Better pay bill. Australian Unions have spent a decade campaigning for a fairer deal when it comes to our workplace laws, and the Albanese government has started the work of repairing our broken system with this legislation. The Secretary of the ACTU, Sally McManus is my guest this week discussing the implications of these new laws. Also, we're joined by Jamie Newlyn, Assist...
Dec 04, 2022•23 min•Season 1Ep. 107
Australian workers are finding that what money they do earn is no longer anywhere near enough to pay the bills. Yet, employer and business groups are sharpening their attacks on Labor’s plan to get wages moving with its “Secure Jobs Better Pay” industrial relations legislation. Richard Denniss is the Chief Economist with the Independent think tank, The Australia Institute. He’s not fooled by the bleating bosses. He joins us once again on the pod to talk about the silent crisis they don’t want yo...
Nov 27, 2022•18 min•Season 1Ep. 106
As the FIFA World Cup gets underway in Qatar this week, the plight of migrant workers who have built the stadiums that are hosting the games will dissolve into the background for many people. For others though, this World Cup has become as much about human rights and workers safety and freedom from exploitation as it is about the scores and results. On this week's pod, I take a deep dive into the issue of workers and human rights in Qatar. Have reforms made it ok to play the world's greatest spo...
Nov 20, 2022•28 min•Season 1Ep. 105
The recent budget handed down by Labor treasurer Jim Chalmers delivered a huge win for families all across Australia with the extension of Paid Parental Leave to 26 weeks, and more affordable early childhood education and care. Like all ground-breaking change, it didn't happen by accident. Unions and their allies have been campaigning tirelessly for over a decade to revamp Paid Parental Leave, better and affordable early childhood education, and the status of workers in the sector. Georgie Dent ...
Nov 13, 2022•23 min•Season 1Ep. 104
How as your weekend? I hope it was cracking good fun! Did you know that not too long ago the idea of 'the weekend' didn't exist? Two days off in succession for workers to enjoy leisure time was unthinkable for generations of workers. Our historian, Dr. Liam Byrne is once again our guest on the pod. He's here to tell us the history of how Unions and workers created the weekend. _____________________________________________________________ * You can now email us with your comments, story ideas, ti...
Nov 06, 2022•21 min•Season 1Ep. 103
Last Tuesday night, treasurer Jim Chalmers handed down the first Labor budget in nine years. For workers and Unions, it was an evening of milestones. As the Treasurer outlined his Budget, the inclusion of 10 days paid domestic and family violence leave and a significant revamp of paid parental leave represented huge victories for a series of long running Union campaigns. Michele O'Neil is the President of the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU). She joins us on the pod after a landmark wee...
Oct 30, 2022•17 min•Season 1Ep. 102
The gender pay gap remains unacceptably and woefully high. Across Australia, it remains a fact that women on average earn around 14% less than their male counterparts. In the ACT though, there's an example of how you can not only close the gap - but end it. Maddy Northam is The Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU) ACT Regional Secretary. She joins us to tell us how it was achieved. _____________________________________________________________ * You can now email us with your comments, story ...
Oct 23, 2022•16 min•Season 1Ep. 101
On the Job turns 100 this week! Yep, it's our 100th episode, and I want to thank you for being part of the journey. This week, we do a bit of California dreaming, and meet one of the heroes of Cali's fast-food workers movement. California has just passed its most significant labour rights act on decades, AB257, which raises the hourly wage to $22 an hour and guarantees worker representation on a new board that will oversee wages and conditions in the industry. Ingrid Vilorio has been a Jack in t...
Oct 16, 2022•19 min•Season 1Ep. 100
For many workers, recent climactic events like bushfires and floods have not only caused huge disruption in their personal lives, they've caused chaos in their working lives as well. In response, workers at the Australian Youth Climate Coalition (AYCC) have taken the lead on this issue. They've just negotiated something called Climate Disaster Leave. Grace Vegesana is a Climate & Racial Justice Campaigner with AYCC and she's our guest on this week's pod. AYCC - https://www.aycc.org.au/ Suppo...
Oct 09, 2022•18 min•Season 1Ep. 99
Great Britain is facing an economic crisis and a grim winter as the Tory government, under new Prime Minister Liz Truss, cuts taxes for the wealthy as ordinary people struggle to heat their homes and put food on the table. This latest trickledown, meltdown has sunk the British pound, and workers and trade Unions are once again readying to take on the Conservative government that has all but abandoned working people. Britain saw a wave of industrial action across all sectors as it sweltered throu...
Oct 02, 2022•23 min•Season 1Ep. 98
As another AFL season reaches its crescendo, it's an opportunity to reflect on how the Australian game has become such an extraordinary cultural phenomenon. The game, which emerged out of the paddocks and fields of mid 19th Century Melbourne, has had many versions of its origin story told. One part of its history that is often overlooked is the role that organised workers and their unions had in the success of footy as a spectator sport. Dr. Tony Ward is a historian based at Melbourne University...
Sep 25, 2022•16 min•Season 1Ep. 97
Millions of Australian workers know what it's like to shiver through a winter in a rental property that is too cold, without enough heating, or is drafty or damp. It impacts your wellbeing, mental health and can actually make you sick. The last thing people on low wages and in insecure work need in their lives is to miss work because they're ill. Better Renting is an organisation that campaigns to improve the quality of rental properties to ensure renters getter a better deal and stay healthy. T...
Sep 18, 2022•28 min•Season 1Ep. 96
For decades, Qantas was an institution that inspired a form of civic pride in most Australians. It was an airline with an impeccable safety record, a reputation for excellence in service, as well as being a great place to work. In 2022, Qantas' stellar reputation is in tatters, replaced by a long list of grievances - delayed and cancelled flights, lost baggage and safety concerns. At the heart of this has been CEO Alan Joyce's relentless job stripping, cost cutting and a union busting crusade th...
Sep 11, 2022•21 min•Season 1Ep. 95
Australians love to talk about how we need to give our children the best possible start in life. Yet when it comes to providing those kids with accessible, affordable, early childhood education, things get sketchy. And it really falls away when we examine the pay, conditions, and career prospects of the people entrusted with educating children at that crucial early stage of their lives - early childhood educators. These educators are grossly underpaid and equally undervalued. They love their wor...
Sep 04, 2022•17 min•Season 1Ep. 94
For generations of young Australians, our first job experience has often been in the world of fast food retail. Working hard at slinging burgers or working the register as someone grabs a feed on the run is often where we learn about the reality of the world of work. The good, the bad and the ugly. What is still all too common are stories of young people in those jobs being underpaid or exploited by unscrupulous employers. McDonalds is one of the largest employers of young Aussies in the fast fo...
Aug 28, 2022•27 min•Season 1Ep. 93
The promise of the Australian Dream is that you should be able to work one decent, secure job and earn enough pay to put a roof over your head, support your family and thrive. That all seems like a pipe dream in the current climate, where insecure work, no entitlements, climbing inflation and a housing squeeze means that hard working Australians are driven to the margins. Many of them are turning to organisations like Foodbank to help them make ends meet. Foodbank is Australia’s largest food rel...
Aug 21, 2022•17 min•Season 1Ep. 92
Anthony Albanese's Labor government is hosting a Jobs and Skills Summit in Canberra in early September where the problems and the inequality inherent in Australia's economy will be front and centre. Australian Unions will be there, arguing that it's high time that working people are put at the centre of every decision that effects the economy. To underline that, the ACTU has just released a new paper entitled " An economy that works for people. " We speak with the author of the paper, Dr Jim Sta...
Aug 14, 2022•28 min•Season 1Ep. 91
This week's episode of 'On the Job' is a double feature. First up, ACTU President, Michele O'Neil, joins us for a discussion about Labor's Climate Bill which has just been passed in parliament. How will it impact the lives of working Australians? What opportunities and challenges will it present? Is the promise of a new, green economy one that will offer good, secure jobs? Then we turn the spotlight on one of Australia's favourite front men. Phil Jamieson made a name for himself as the singer wi...
Aug 07, 2022•34 min•Season 1Ep. 90
All change that improves the lives of working people is hard won, and more often than not, it is Unions and workers who are at the forefront of the fight for change. That was the case again last week in federal parliament, when the Albanese Labor government introduced its landmark Paid Domestic and Family Violence Leave legislation. For over a decade, Unions and advocates have been campaigning for this legislation which would see women and men who need to escape violent and abusive personal circ...
Jul 31, 2022•22 min•Season 1Ep. 89
It's a very special episode of "On the Job" this week! Professor Joseph E. Stiglitz is one of the world's great thinkers. Professor Stiglitz won the 2001 Nobel Prize for his ground-breaking work in economics. Professor Stiglitz's work in pushing back against neo-liberal free market economic models and arguing for the importance of empowering workers and unions to build a more equitable economy is revered. He served as an advisor in the Clinton White House, holds a professorship at Columbia Unive...
Jul 24, 2022•19 min•Season 1Ep. 88
Since it arrived on our streets over a decade ago, Uber has prided itself on being a "disrupter" with little regard for convention. At the heart of their business model is a fanatical commitment to upend the employer/employee relationship and create a new army of sole contractors working on their tech platform with Uber having no responsibility for them, and with drivers having no rights and entitlements. This high-tech exploitation has made it a massive company that has caused controversy where...
Jul 17, 2022•22 min•Season 1Ep. 87
It's never been more expensive to complete a qualification at an Australian University. At the same time, it's never been more difficult, stressful, and financially punishing to work at one. Australia's tertiary education system has become obsessed with revenue streams, and at the heart of that strategy is making sure they keep the cost of staffing to a minimum. That has resulted in academic and professional staff being stuck in endless cycles of insecure and casual work for years on end. Whilst...
Jul 10, 2022•30 min•Season 1Ep. 86
On this week's podcast, we pay a visit to one of our favourite friends of the pod. Wayne Swan is a Labor legend. the proud Queenslander served as the Member for Lilley between 1993-1996 and again from 1998-2019. As Treasurer in the Rudd/Gillard governments, he steered Australia successfully through the Global Financial Crisis that decimated economies around the globe from 2008 until 2012 and beyond. Having retired from parliamentary politics, "Swanny" remains active as the National President of ...
Jul 03, 2022•30 min•Season 1Ep. 85
