Latest news with #workerRights
ABC News
a day ago
- Business
- ABC News
Australia addresses claims of worker mistreatment within the PALM scheme
Fiji is the single largest supplier of workers to the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility scheme — with 5000 workers currently employed on farms, abattoirs and aged care centres across Australia. The scheme is not without its problems, there's continued reports of worker mistreatment, family breakdowns, and difficulties accessing entitlements like superannuation. But Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade says it's listening – and has been working on improving the scheme for participants. DFAT's First Assistant Secretary Jan Hutton, who leads PALM and Australia's broader Pacific skills program, was in Fiji where she's been speaking with government and stakeholders.
RNZ News
3 days ago
- Business
- RNZ News
WorkSafe changes will deter employees from raising concerns
Worksafe HQ in Wellington Central Photo: RNZ / Angus Dreaver The Council of Trade Unions says proposed changes to WorkSafe shifts rights away from workers and to their employers. The government is shifting WorkSafe's priorities from enforcement, to giving more advice . The safety regulator is getting a new letter of expectations, having its finances rearranged, and it's main purpose re-defined in legislation. The changes would not come with any new funding. Council of Trade Unions president Richard Wagstaff told Morning Report the changes will deter employees from raising concerns, out of fear of being blamed. "What we need is a culture where workers are able to talk about what needs to be done on the job and what needs to be made safe, not one where they can be blamed for [it]," Wagstaff said. "I think it just reflects a government and a minister who sees everything as needing rebalance and she tends to rebalance things towards employers..." The existing system needs to be strengthened not weakened, he said. While he did support making advice clearer and more available, Wagstaff said WorkSafe was under-resourced. "And I think WorkSafe understands that... what they need is resources to develop that guidance and promote it." Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Brooke van Velden said she expected the regulator to review its enforcement and prosecution decision-making to focus on "clear breaches and causation", and being even handed. This would include "strengthening its approach to worker breaches of duty". "I've been hearing there is a real culture of fear of people around WorkSafe, and I want people to feel like if they ask for help they will get that help - and so for any business or any worker who wants to know what it is that they should be doing to keep their workers safe, they will know where to go," Van Velden said. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon speaks to media in New Delhi, India on 19 March 2025. Photo: RNZ / Marika Khabazi She denied that this could mean slowing down the rate of prosecutions. Wagstaff said WorkSafe needs to have a reputation that it will enforce the law when required. "This really signals it's not intended to do so anymore." Council of Trade Unions was not properly consulted on the changes, he said. Christopher Luxon told Morning Report just being an enforcement agency wasn't the right approach. "What we're wanting to do is rebalance it so it puts more of its effort on guiding those businesses to help manage their critical risks, what we don't want is lots of rules that actually people in businesses are struggling to navigate and as a result don't focus on the critical things that actually cause harm at work," Luxon said. "At the moment you just don't want to have a whole bunch of guidance and rules out there everyone's trying to navigate and work out what the hell it all means. "We actually want small businesses focused particularly on the things that will hurt their employees." Luxon said the government hoped the number of people dying at work decreased. Asked why the responsibility was shifted away from bosses to employees, Luxon said it was "rebalancing it". Everyone needed to take individual responsibility, he said.
National Post
08-05-2025
- Politics
- National Post
'The common good': The last Pope Leo was a champion of the working poor
Article content In 2013, when Argentinian Jorge Mario Bergoglio became pope he chose the name Francis, a tribute to one of the most popular saints in the history of Christendom. Article content Article content St. Francis of Assisi, who lived in the 13th century, was loved because of his deep devotion to the poor. Indeed, Pope Francis showed a great love for the most marginalized of this world, especially the millions of migrants who are the poorest of the world. Article content Article content Article content Pope Leo XIII, who served from 1878 to 1903, has not been declared a saint, but his influence on the Church and the world was immense. He, too, showed a great concern for working people everywhere who slaved away for a mere pittance and had little time for family or even to worship God. They were in many ways the dross of the Industrial Revolution, who, along with poor pay, were subject to the illnesses and diseases spewed out by factories. Article content If his new name is something to go by, we might expect our new Pope to also show great concern for those who labour under the dark cloud of exploitation. Article content On May 15, 1891, Leo promulgated the encyclical Rerum Novarum, which translates to 'Of New Things.' For Catholics, and any observer of the plight of labour, the encyclical was considered — and still is — a landmark document on worker rights. Article content Last month, Fr. Joe Connelly wrote a beautiful essay on the Catholic website Guardian Angels in praise of Rerum Novarum, a document that was not just relevant to conditions in the late 19th century but to many parts of the world today. Article content Article content 'During an era marked by the rise of capitalism and the exploitation of labor, Pope Leo XIII boldly defended the rights of workers and the sanctity of the family,' he wrote. Article content Article content 'Rerum Novarum emphasized the importance of just wages, decent working conditions, and the rights of laborers to organize for their mutual benefit. Rejecting the extremes of unchecked capitalism and socialism, the encyclical called for a balanced approach that respects both the rights of workers and the principles of private property.' Article content 'Rather than relying solely on the state, the encyclical emphasizes the responsibilities of families, local entities, and voluntary associations in caring for the vulnerable and promoting the common good. This principle remains as relevant today as it was in Pope Leo XIII's time, guiding Catholics in their efforts to foster solidarity and build thriving societies.' Article content The encyclical urged the owners of capital to give their workers decent pay, shorter workdays and workweeks, so that those who laboured would have time to spend with families and in worship.
