United Voice has declared its support of a new bill that, if passed, will benefit the rights of cleaners nationwide.
On 25 February, Brendan O’Connor announced that the Labor Party will introduce a new bill in Parliament on 15 March to protect working people from exploitation.
“United Voice welcomes this bill and urges every member of the House of Representatives and every senator to stand up for the people they represent by supporting it,” the union’s national secretary, Jo-anne Schofield, said in a United Voice release.
“While brave individuals have come forward to expose the illegal activities in their workplaces, this is not enough,” continued Ms Schofield. “What is urgently needed is strong legislation to stop these illegal and unethical employers in their tracks. That is why this bill is so important.”
In particular, Ms Schofield noted that the Labor Party’s bill would help combat ‘underpayments, sham contracting, cash-in-hand payments, bullying, violence, unrealistic workloads and dangerous working conditions’, issues that that affect ‘people working in big and small [businesses]’ around the nation.
“If a business can’t make a profit without ripping off people, they shouldn’t be in business. It’s as simple as that,” she concluded.