Melbourne ‘terror’ trial comes to an end

This week Australia’s biggest ‘terrorism’ trial came to an end. Seven of the so-called ‘Barwon 12’ were convicted of being members of an unnamed and unspecified terrorist organisation.

Young workers and trade unions in Australia

In July Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) figures revealed that trade union membership is continuing to decline. This trend is particularly pronounced among young workers. In fact, The Australian newspaper pointed out that if current trends continued there would not be a single union member under 35 years of age by 2018!

Pressure mounts on 7-Eleven

It is clear that UNITE’s campaign to organise 7-Eleven workers in Victoria is starting to have some effect. Today the Workplace Ombudsman announced plans to send ‘know your rights’ brochures to thousands of international students at universities and TAFE colleges throughout the country.

Young workers need fighting unions

UNITE, the fighting union for fast food and retail workers in Victoria, has been making waves recently by taking on employers that specifically exploit young workers. One of the cases that UNITE was involved with was when Video Dogs, a video shop in the Melbourne suburb of Carlton, offered to pay young workers with DVD [...]

Interview with 7-Eleven worker

A UNITE organiser recently interviewed one of our newest members. Below he tells us a bit about his working conditions and life as an international student. Peter (who has withheld his real name for fear of discrimination) is 22 years old and works at a 7-Eleven store in the Melbourne CBD.