Important Letter from the Secretary’s Desk

Dear SDA Members,

The Queensland Branch of the SDA has always focused on the industrial needs of our members and the support they need to be able to provide for their families.

We engage with Governments of all persuasions to get the best outcome for members.

Recently we met with the Queensland LNP Government to cooperatively work to change knife sale laws in Queensland, and we will be meeting with them again soon about the sexual safety of minors working in retail and fast food.

We respect that our more than 25,000 members will have a number of views on political issues and will vote for any one of a number of different parties come election time.

BUT, there is a lot on the line for Queensland workers at this upcoming Federal Election.

Here is a list of the legislative changes made by the current Federal Labor Government over the last 3 years that have benefited our members and that are under threat at this election:

• more rights for casuals and a path to permanent work;
• the right to disconnect and not take calls after hours;
• same job, same pay for labour hire workers;
• made wage theft a crime;
• increased fines for wage theft x5;
• banned pay secrecy clauses;
• superannuation on Government Paid Parental Leave;
• removal of minimum earning required to receive superannuaion;
• made it easier and quicker to recover unpaid wages and superannuation;
• made it illegal to advertise jobs below the award wage;
• world-first rights for gig workers;
• a stronger & fairer workplace umpire; and
• strong new rights for workplace Shop Stewards and Delegates including paid training leave; and
• a number of other improvements.

Many SDA members are already benefitting from these laws, including the members at the Kmart Distribution Centre in Brisbane which now receive $8 to $13 extra dollars an hour because of the Same Job Same Pay legislation. This has also lead to a number of new permanent jobs at this site.

But the Dutton led federal opposition have said that if they win Government they will reverse the following laws and there are real concerns they will remove others.

What the Coalition could repeal:

• they will repeal the rights for casuals to have a path to permanent work. They will revert to the previous definition of casual employment;
• they will repeal the right to disconnect;
• they may repeal the Same Job Same Pay for labour hire workers;
• they are talking about waterding down wage theft laws, cutting penalties for employers who engage in wage theft;
• they may strip rights from Independent Contractors;
• may abolish rights for gig economy and road transport workers;
• may abolish the Fair Work Commission (FWC) and Fair Work Ombudsman (FWO);
• may abolish union shop stewards and delegates rights.

This Federal Election we encourage people to genuinely consider the workplace rights our members have gained, and that are under threat. If we lose them now, we may never get them back.