Call the HACSU Helpline
1300 88 00 32

more info

Summer 2006

New Union Advertisements

New Union Advertisements Show Human Cost Of Work Changes. The ACTU and Australian unions today launched the next phase of their Rights at Work advertising campaign portraying the actual costs to families as a result of the Howard Government’s industrial relations changes.

The union ads highlight the effects of the new IR laws, which were introduced on March 27 this year, in taking away protection from unfair dismissal for more than three million employees and allowing employers to cut the pay and conditions of working Australians.

ACTU Secretary Greg Combet said at the launch of the new advertising campaign, "John Howard's IR laws have led to a rash of unfair sackings and changes to work contracts that have substantially cut the take home pay and employment conditions of many workers."

"We are launching the ads today using real people and their real stories; decent, hard working Australians, who have been sacked or had their pay and conditions threatened under these unfair laws."

He said many working families were struggling to keep their heads above water and the Howard Government's IR laws have reduced job security and put livelihoods at risk.

"These laws are unfair and un- Australian. As the ads show, they are having a devastating impact on many families. The Howard Government's IR laws are not just an attack on unions, they are an attack on the living standards of every Australian worker and their families," Mr Combet said.

The advertisements will run in all capital cities and regional areas and include two new themes.

The first series of ads are true stories, not actors, telling their experiences.

The second series of ads focuses on a working family and the financial pressures they face, caused by rising petrol prices, interest rates, food and other basic living costs while their income is threatened by a new employment contract at work.