On The Job

Australian Unions•www.onthejobpodcast.com.au

The way we work, how work is changing, how it used to be and what it might look like in the future.

It’s about who we work with, and who we work for.

It’s a discussion about the conditions in which we work and the demands of a job.

It’s talking about how it can be the best thing in our lives and also the worst.

Work can give us meaning and satisfaction, it can be the most challenging thing we’ve ever done and the most soul destroying days of our lives.

And that can all be in the same week!

Above all, we want to talk about work in a way that helps make work better for everyone
who listens.

Authorised by Sally McManus, Australian Council of Trade Unions, Melbourne.

Last refreshed: July 4th, 2025 at 11:15 PM ⓘ

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Episodes

Ross Garnaut on Australia's reset.

What sort of economy, what kind of jobs, what type of communities do Australians want to emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic? These are the questions that revered economist Ross Garnaut addresses in his new book "Reset - Restoring Australia after the Pandemic Recession." Ross Garnaut joins Francis and Sally to discuss how the current crisis offers Australia to build an exciting future that incorporates a net-zero economy, new smart manufacturing, and good, secure jobs. More about On The Job podcas...

May 02, 2021•23 min•Season 1Ep. 24

The history of May Day.

The 1st of May has been a special day for workers all over the globe. May Day has been a celebration of the solidarity and achievements of workers movements across generations, continents and cultures. What is its back story? Where did it all begin and why has it continued to matter? And what is Australia’s unique role in the history of May Day? Our favourite historian, Dr. Liam Byrne returns to the podcast to tell us. More about On The Job podcast Need help with working conditions? Call Austral...

Apr 26, 2021•31 min•Season 1Ep. 23

Why winning elections matters for workers.

Elections matter for workers. That is the lesson that was reinforced by the failure of Labor win the 2019 Federal poll. Since then, the Morrison Government has attempted to pass more draconian anti-worker and union busting laws. So far they’ve been thwarted from getting everything they want, but they’ll be back for another crack if they win another election. Misha Zelinsky is National Assistant Secretary at the Australian Workers Union (AWU) and he is a guest this week. He’s been writing recentl...

Apr 18, 2021•35 min•Season 1Ep. 22

The Billionaires Picnic

This week, Francis & Sally catch up with Mike Seccombe from The Saturday Paper to discuss how Australia’s billionaires actually doubled their wealth throughout the COVID-19 pandemic whilst workers were struggling to make ends meet. Also, do you know if the clothes you own have been ethically made? Angela Bell from Ethical Clothing Australia joins us to talk about the new online map that helps people find ethical threads! More about On The Job podcast Need help with working conditions? Call A...

Apr 11, 2021•36 min•Season 1Ep. 21

Amazon orders in the trolls.

The world’s largest online retailer, Amazon, is not phased by much, but when workers at one of its biggest warehouses in the United States started to organise to join a union, the tech shopping monster lost the plot. Jessa Crispin is an independent journalist in the US. She has has been writing about workers at Amazon for a number of years. She joins from Francis and Sally to discuss the campaign by workers at Amazon, and the company’s attempts online to go full Trump with a strategy of trolling...

Apr 05, 2021•44 min•Season 1Ep. 20

The end of JobKeeper - what now for workers?

The JobKeeper wage supplement comes to an end this week. Millions of Australian workers have relied on the payments to stay afloat during the pandemic and the economic crisis that came with it. So, what happens now? We catch up with veteran economics journalist with The New Daily, Michael Pascoe, to discuss what's to come for Australian workers now the Morrison government has withdrawn JobKeeper. Also, it's Melbourne International Comedy Festival time! Comedian Danny McGinlay joins us to talk ab...

Mar 28, 2021•30 min•Season 1Ep. 19

The vaccine rollout and the fight against Spotify.

On this week’s episode, Francis and Sally speak with ACTU Assistant Secretary Liam O’Brien about how the COVID vaccine rollout will impact your working life. Also, musicians are calling out Spotify for its paltry payment to musicians for streaming their music. Joey DeFranceso from the United Musicians and Allied Workers Union joins the podcast on the line from New York to talk about their campaign. More about On The Job podcast Need help with working conditions? Call Australian Union Support Cen...

Mar 21, 2021•42 min•Season 1Ep. 18

Trolls, threats and female journalists

In this week’s episode, Francis and Sally sit down with journalist Karen Percy to discuss the avalanche of online threats and abuse female journalists face and a new project that has been launched to tackle the scourge of trolling and online misogyny that women working in the media are subjected to. And we also get to meet Scott Goodings, Australia’s most celebrated TV historian, who kicks off a new segment on the pod called “Jobs on TV”. First up, it’s taxi drivers! More about On The Job podcas...

Mar 14, 2021•38 min•Season 1Ep. 17

Still waiting for the show to go on.

For tens of thousands of Australian artists and performers, their livelihoods came to a screeching halt when COVID19 struck in early 2020. Many of them have yet to return to the work they love, as the perils of performing in front of live audiences - the thing they love most - still prevents them from doing what they do best. On this week's episode, Francis and Sally chat with writer, director, producer, and performer Maeve Marsden to discuss how she, and others in the artistic community, are na...

Mar 07, 2021•22 min•Season 1Ep. 16

Need a pay rise? There’s an app for that!

The gender pay gap is not going to shift itself, and that’s why Meggie Palmer created PepTalkHer. Meggie joins Francis and Sally to discuss how the app she created is helping tens of thousands of women reframe their thinking about their value in the workplace, and empowering them to improve their wages and conditions. Also, the issue of silicosis lung disease is a growing crisis for workers all over the country who are exposed to silica dust at their workplace without the proper protection and p...

Feb 28, 2021•31 min•Season 1Ep. 15

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