Australia Visa Immigration Information

Australia, May 29, 2009 – The Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) is pushing for increased unemployment benefits in line with the big increase to the aged pension in last month’s federal budget.

The policy will be released at next week’s ACTU Congress that calls for a new deal for Australia’s income protection and employment safety nets. ACTU is pushing to align Australia’s programs closer to what’s available in the Scandinavian countries.

“In the immediate short term, protection of workers’ entitlements must be improved, and the casualisation of the Australian workforce, which has led to precarious and insecure jobs, must be reduced,” said ACTU president Sharan Burrow. “Looking further ahead, a new set of national standards for employment insurance and lifetime learning must be established.”

Currently, Australia’s Newstart allowance entitles unemployed single people to receive $226 a week. The per diem of this rate is less than half the minimum wage. It also falls behind the benefits of aged pension, which has been raised to $336.68 a week for singles.

ACTU is also arguing that the 16 week cap for the entitlement scheme should be extended to protect 100 percent of entitlements.
Furthermore, unions are recommending measures to boost training for laid-off workers. Wage subsidies for employers in areas of high unemployment are also being pushed for.

On top of boosting unemployment benefits, ACTU is also asking for a reduction in the use of casual and contract labour which ensures that awards allows casuals to convert to full-time employment after a specific period.

Source:
theage.com.au