Exploited Labour: no accurate time sheets: no award rate of payment: no penalty rates: no union membership: not a thing to build a life on

I am listening to Kelly O'Dwyer rabbiting on at the National Press Club of Australia. She paints an economic wonderland of retirement income products, taxation incentives so that people with work.... All very well, but I wonder when I will hear an NPCA host a speaker on exploited labour in Australia. There is a wide range of labour exploitation in Australia and yet it seems to be treated as an occasional aberration. And it is happening in all sorts of ways to all sorts of people. One of the largest sectors of exploitation is based on gender. Women with low skills, women being discriminated against, women getting fewer promotions, women getting lower wages and salaries and.... And then there is the class/education divide and the multitude of people in lower-skilled jobs such as cleaners and look at what MYER has done with them ... and they are not the only employer into sham contracting. I have a friend whom I would describe as middle-class but she has been forced into sham contracting at an administrative level. She is in her middle years and because of age discrimination and age/gender discrimination, the likelihood of finding appropriately paid alternative work is unlikely. And please note that all this is before we get on to the topic of migrant labor, seasonal labor, very low-skilled labour, shonky labour hire companies and the similarly shonky labour hire companies who have a veneer of class and respectability. And so on. And this is before we get to foreign owned businesses, companies, and corporations bringing in their own labour or exploitation Australian labour. And then there are the industries where rip-offs are part of the culture. Top of that list in my experience are the service industries - tourism, hospitality, retail. Flat hourly rate payments abound. The biggest push for the abolition of penalty rates comes from this sector. There is a large sector of female employment, often at low skill levels. There is a large sector of casualisation - often teens and twenties people and again a significant cohort of females. And all this before I mention fruit-picking and horticultural and agricultural employment. I am an old union official who has worked across a wide range of industries and the employment of cheap foreign labour. I am happy to receive personal stories. I publish stuff on this topic on this blog.  

If you have first person stories you can email me at misseaglesnetwork@gmail.com. 

Exploitation of labour

Black jobs

The labour market's dark side

To-day is Anti-Slavery Day : Enrol in Australia's first ever free anti-slavery online course starting 22 October, UniNSW

To find out more about Anti-Slavery Australia
please go here

To-day, 18 October, is Anti-Slavery Day

Anti-Slavery Day,created in 2010 by an Act of Parliament in Britain, aims to raise awareness of modern-day slaver and to inspire people to do what they can to eliminate it. The bill defines modern-day slavery as child trafficking, forced labour, domestic servitude and trafficking for sexual exploitation.

This day is championed by Anti-Slavery International which, founded in 1839, is the world's oldest international human rights organisation and the only charity in the United Kingdom to work exclusively against slavery.  

18 October: Anti-Slavery Day

Anti-Slavery Day, created in 2010 by an Act of Parliament in Britain, aims to raise awareness of modern-day slavery and to inspire people to do what they can to eliminate it. The bill defines modern-day slavery as child trafficking, forced labour, domestic servitude and trafficking for sexual exploitation.

Anti-Slavery Australia on Facebook

Hear Anti-Slavery Australia Director Jennifer Burn talk about forced marriage in this 1800RESPECT webinar next Thursday 22 October

Register here: http://www2.redbackconferencing.com.au/1800Respect22Oct2015 

Posted by Anti-Slavery Project on Wednesday, 14 October 2015

What are you buying? How did it get to you? Whose hands has it passed through?

Australian Unions The temporary visa program is broken and facilitates the gross exploitation of migrant workers, a view confirmed by the Four Corners program that aired last night. Urgent action must be taken by the Federal Government to clamp down and regulate the entire temporary visa and labour hire system and remove rogue operators. There should be an immediate halt to any expansion of the temporary work visa program until the full outcome of the Senate Inquiry is known. National Union of Workers http://www.actu.org.au/actu-media/media-releases/2015/temporary-visa-program-front-for-slave-labour

Part 3: The conscious consumer becomes the aware and ethical shopper. Destroy the slavers from the checkouts of Australia!

PLEASE NOTE THERE IS A PETITION TO SIGN 

AFTER LAST NIGHT'S SLAVING AWAY ON FOUR CORNERS. 

PLEASE SIGN IT. GET IT AROUND. YOU WILL FIND IT HERE.

Hopefully, this post, Part 3 on the Four Corners program, Slaving Away, is the last ... but who knows?

Please remember the words at left: 

Every time you spend money, 

you're casting a vote 

for the kind of world you want.

One thing Slaving Away makes clear is there is room for the conscientious, ethical shopper.  If you are someone who has breezed through your shopping only focusing on personal needs or needs of your household; if you are someone who has never considered the term 'ethics' in relation to visits to Coles, Aldi, Woolworths, then now is the time to step up.

First of all, let me introduce you to Shop Ethical!  

Shop Ethical! still continues as it started - a booklet you can keep with your wallet for your shopping trips.  Then it became a website. And now, for your smart phone, there is an app.  Shop Ethical can tell you about sustainable fishing, fair trade, human and animal rights abuses... and more.

However, it is best if you can keep up for yourself because quite often the naughties make the headlines.

Take Baiada, the poultry people. Their brands are well-known: Lilydale (a major supplier to Coles  and even the cooked chooks at Coles are Lilydale) and Steggles. 

However, it is not only chooks that Baiada kill.  They kill people too. And racism has been an issue within its migrant workforce.  Hardly the employer of your choice - that's if you really had a choice, which many migrant workers do not have.

I steer clear of Baiada products since all that came to my notice.  I am predominantly vegetarian but another household member is a carnivore - so chook is bought once a week for that person.  However, since the slavery accusations, I have declared to the household that chicken is DEFINITELY off the menu until I can find a really ethical source.  I don't rank my chances highly!

Akers Farms (turn to Part 2) apparently provides most of the sweet potatoes up and down the east coast.  I'm going to go back to local farmers markets and see what I can find in the way of an ethical source.  

As you, the ethical consumer will realise, fruit and veg in the major suppliers comes either on a plastic wrapped tray or loose.  I've never paid much attention - but I did happen to note that I bought some packaged celery and zucchini from Aldi and one gave information about the supplier.  I think we, as ethical shoppers, have to be able to check the source of a product if we wish.  So I am going to be writing to the Big 3 asking for the source of the product to be supplied on the loose fruit and veg.  

It is noteworthy that Slaving Away did not deal with Metcash, the suppliers of IGAs.  Not enough hours in the day?  Brands the same and if dealt with once in the Big 3, no need to go there again?

So what will the ethical shopper be looking out for:

• Fair Trade -v- Unfair Trade
• Animal cruelty
• Human cruelty - as in Slaving Away
• Fair pay and safe working conditions
• Union membership
• Local product and produce to support local jobs and firms
• Ethical corporate conduct
• Pricing - fair, too high, too low.  Watch out for too low. How? Why? What shortcuts?
• Quality

If you think of a few other necessary things to add to the above list, please let me know.

Part 1 - Slavery in Australia. Is the 'Let 'er rip" attitude on visas for overseas workers going to be stopped? The Robinvale experience

Above - Indigenous Mexican people caught up in slavery

Thank God it doesn't happen here in Australia?

You are sadly and badly mistaken.

A visit to this site will disabuse you of the fact that slavery is a thing of the past.

And...

Last night, Four Corners in their program, Slaving Away, did just that too.

To some Australians, I feel sure that the contents of last night's Four Corners program will have been a revelation.  To many of us, it was not.  To many of us, it is close to home.  One of the towns (and there were quite a few) which was highlighted last night was Robinvale, situated on the Murray River in north-western Victoria.

I have posted twice before on this blog in connection with Robinvale.  Please background yourselves with these.  

The segment in last night's program showed nothing that was new to the inhabitaants of Robinvale. 

In one of the posts linked above, I embedded an article about Robinvale written by the well- known journalist Elisabeth Wynhausen.  This was published in The Australian almost seven years ago.  Little has changed.  Those who own the fruit get fatter. The labour hire Simon Legrees around Robinvale prosper.  The enslaved play dodgem and try to remain invisible.  

To see or to find the invisible slaves one has to be up early - about 5.30am - and be around at pick-up time, about 4pm.  There is a view in Robinvale that the drivers of the pick-up and deliver buses claim Centrelink benefits. With their bus-driving work, probably cash in hand, taking place outside office hours it is not difficult for them to give an appearance of being unemployed.  Last night, showed the oppressors as Chinese - but my information from Robinvale says that the Tongans are pretty good at this.  There is a significant Tongan population in Robinvale - even to having its own churches. 

People are packed into their accommodation, cooking in their rooms and living space.  This is of concern to the local Fire Brigade  who have noted the people packing in local houses and accommodation.  There have been no people burned to death - but it is always of concern.  One motel  burned to the ground last year and has not been rebuilt.  The motel was thought to have housed 80 to 100 people enslaved in a labour hire program.  The fire occurred about 8.30 am. The occupants had been taken to the farms.  But the shudder comes as people imagine what might have occurred at another time of day.

There are queries in Robinvale of how the powers-that-be might effectively tackle this rural slavery. There are queries about taxation - is it being paid or is it being avoided?  There are queries about occupational superannuation - is it being paid or is it being avoided?  Does the enslaved labour understand occupational superannuation?  Should the labour be still around at retirment, do they know how to claim any payments (if there are payments) and what happens to support them in their later years?

As reported in my previous posts Robinvale thinks it is being screwed; done-over; short-changed by what is happening.  Housing availability can be categorised as DIRE.  Nearby Swan Hill has no housing problem.  Any money available for housing in the area, seems to end up in Swan Hill while nearb Robinvale needs at least 100 houses.  It is estimated that, overall, the town is short by 750 beds. 

The locals would like to see a recognition of vertical integration of the whole labour hire rorting - which may mean bringing together ovelapping departments, adjoining interests.  There's taxation; wages; health; superannuation and retirement income; industrial relatioons; immigration ..... 

And there has to be enforcement, severe clamping down.  But is there an inclination to do this at the Federal level?  You see, the Federal Government has made it clear that they are going to expedite the Working Holiday Visa (417) and the Employer Sponsored Work Visa (457).  To do this, the current Federal Government has introduced the concept of Designated Areas.  In short our current Australian Government is aiding and abetting the shady side of the street in regard to the easy use of 417s and 457s.  All this at a time of very high youth unemployment and underemployment.  

So what does this really mean - what is the end result?

1. The government has surreptitiously introduced policies that fit into a total picture of driving down wages.  Is this to convenience employers? Is it so Australia can compete againswt low-wage countries, particularly those in Aisa?

2. If there is increased employment under 417s and 457s, what is the government doing to ensure there is no exploitation of workers in these categories.  Rorts and abuse under 457s have a long history. Recent rorts and abuses can be seen here >>>  

FWO concerns over 417 visas

Hungarian workers on 457s told to go home after complaining about pay rates

Adelaide businesses face court over alleged workplace breaches involving 457 visa-holders

sc417 visa holders abused and encouraged not to pay tax 

Latest news from Ethical - with top story the battle against McDonalds at Tecoma

Update. July 2013 No to McDonalds! Palm oil slavery Animal testing Tax Havens Quick bites

Say No to McDonalds! Fast Food giant McDonalds has taken their move to build a store in the leafy Dandenong Ranges township of Tecoma in Melbourne's east to a new level. They are now suing 8 local residents. See the Age article McDonald's uses fear tactic, say Tecoma eight. Despite the community clearly not wanting the development, the CEO of McDonalds in Australia says "we can't see what the problem is". > Listen to mp3. This is corporate bullying of ordinary citizens. It's time to say enough. > Join the 'Burger Off!'community campaign. Sign these petitions (1) (2), join the Facebook campaign. Come to thepublic rally on Sunday 28th. Be inspired by people power with the 'Resitance is fertile' CD. Globally, the McCount is presently an enormous 34,392restaurants in 116 countries - 896 in Australia. Criticisms of McDonalds include: cruelty to animals, selling unhealthy food, targeting children in ads, exploiting workers and contributing to the destruction of rainforests. See more at  11 Things McDonald's Wishes You Never Knew About .   Slave labor linked to palm oil Businessweek has released a groundbreaking article connecting Indonesia's palm oil industry to widespread cases of forced and child labor (18/7/13). The stories include workers, many of whom are children, being defrauded, abused, and held captive on palm plantations. The investigation focused on Kuala Lumpur Kepong, one of the world’s most significant palm oil suppliers, a major supplier to agribusiness giant Cargill. > See full story >Take action at the RAN Campaign > More on Palm Oil > More on Agribusiness in Australia. Animal testing for cosmetics in China A Choice investigation has found that major cosmetic brands are failing to inform customers that their beauty products are tested on animals in China. Skin and eye irritation tests must be conducted on animals in order for cosmetic products to be sold in China, which are paid for by manufacturers. > ABC News (vid, 6/5/13). > Seecompanies list compiled by Choice. Also, in related news, India has announced that it will implement a ban on animal testing for cosmetics (1/7/13). See more on animal testing. Tax Havens for Australian companies exposed A Uniting Church report, 'Secrecy Jurisdictions', reveals 61 of the top 100 companies hold subsidiaries in 'Tax Havens' - countries that offer low levels of tax and regulation, and thick layers of secrecy. News Corporation, Westfield and the Goodman Group were among those holding more than 50 entities in low-tax jurisdictions each (25/5/13). > more > See this infographic on how Associated British Foods group (the brand owners of Tip Top bread and Don smallgoods) dodge their tax in Zambia - depriving the country of $27 million in lost revenue since 2007. Money that could be spent to help free people from hunger. > Find out more and take action at EndTaxHavenSecrecy.org Quick bites ... Excellent new ASIC report 'Labour and Human Rights Risks in Supply-Chain Sourcing' - looks at policies and disclosure of top companies in Australia (24/6/13). The Australian Federal Court has found Steggles engaged in false advertising that claimed its meat chickens were free to roam in large barns. (10/7/13)AusFoodNews International consumer products group PZ Cussons has acquired Australian premium baby food brand Rafferty’s Garden for AU $70 million. (10/7/13) AusFoodNews

Are you supporting slavery with your iphone and other tech equipment?

Dear Networkers,

Right now, while you’re reading this  on your phone or computer, 
you may have a product of slavery in your hand.

The reality is that almost every electronic device we use in our everyday lives 
could include conflict minerals mined by slaves in the Congo.

Picture from here

This week, we brought together some of the world’s leading experts to discuss slavery in electronics - and right now, you can download the free podcast of that discussion to learn a few simple steps you can take to prevent slavery from entering your pocket.

Download the podcast for FREE right now to stop supporting slavery

Many of the world’s major electronics companies fuel the demand for conflict minerals. While companies like Intel, HP, Apple and Microsoft are taking concrete steps to end the demand for slave-mined minerals in the Congo, there is one company that has not – Nintendo.

As Sasha Lezhnev of the Enough Project explains in the podcast, "There are many things that consumers can do to influence these companies, and whether these companies move the needle on this issue is really up to us."

That’s why we need your help to put pressure on Nintendo to ‘level up’.

Tell Nintendo to take the first step toward ensuring their products 

are free of conflict minerals mined with slavery

The greater the pressure from consumers, the more likely we are to make a real difference. So once you’ve taken action, please forward this message to a friend and ask them to join us in calling on Nintendo to take concrete steps to ensure slavery is not in their products.

Yours in solidarity,
Amy, Kate, Debra, Mich, Jess, Nick and the Walk Free team

---

Walk Free is a movement of people everywhere, 
fighting to end one of the world's greatest evils: Modern slavery. 

Follow on Twitter | Friend on Facebook | Subscribe on Youtube |

Further reading:

Slavery becomes a personal question online

Creating dependencies with electronics worker slavery
Coltan
Combating tech's  conflict minerals with disclosure
Hilary Clinton's statement

Joe Hockey and Filial Piety: working up the LibNats shopping list

Click to enlarge

Picture comes from here - please read a sons views of filial piety in practice

I recall a time back in the 1970s when a friend invited me to a Liberal Party barbecue in a Queensland regional city.  My friend explained the sort of economic thinking that was around in the Liberal Party at the time and has come to fruition across the world; is part of the gospel (oops! wrong word - gospel means good news) of libertarian think tanks such as the CIS and the IPA.  The propaganda was, is simple.  If a country, say India, makes better sandshoes at a better price than we can match, we should let them do it and we will do something else that we are good at.  A simple dollar and cents equation with a bit of a hat tip to expertise.

This thinking has spread across the world - recently I have eaten rice bubbles which turned out to be Made in Egypt (didn't like them - preferred the Kellogg's variety to which I have become habituated); pizzas sold dirt cheap through NQR that come from Germany; and of course there are the omni-present labels saying Made in China .... although I did come across Made in Bangladesh the other day.  I buy basmati rice from Pakistan.  Now there are some overseas countries I don't mind buying from - Bangladesh and Pakistan need the trade and the jobs.  And so does Australia.

In the simplistic factoids of the conservative political parties and the libertarian think tanks, everything is reduced to price.  In cavalier fashion they dismiss arguments such as social impact; skills building and retention; and self-sufficiency.  Certainly, the human dignity which fairly paid work provides doesn't rate a mention.  Barriers must come down and we must allow ourselves to be invaded by price cutting built on the back of slave labour or, at least, conditions akin to slave labour in places like China and India.

And what has been the result of all that wishful thinking?

Check the links below for the glowing (NOT) report on working life in Asian countries.  Even in these bad stories, some people feel that life has improved for them - but that is because they have come off a low, harsh and extremely cruel base.

Meantime, in Australia work is being abolished and off-shored to cheap labour markets in Asia.  Australia is prostrating itself before China and India to cut up our country.  But then if we have no respect for ourselves and our country, I suppose this is only to be expected.

Now we have Joe Hockey pontificating about Asian "filial piety".    Filial piety is a Confucianism concept. It also explains why so much of Chinese thoughtfulness begins and ends with the family and does not extend to the nation as a whole, to systemic means of consideration for each other.  Australia has two distinct types of spiritual heritage. The First Nations constructed for themselves a reciprocal society - a society of rights and obligations. In Joe Hockey's pontificating parlance, this construct could be regarded as one of entitlement ... because people relied on the operation of reciprocity. The reciprocal societies of the First Nations have sustained them for sixty milennia.  

Then 200+ years ago, white settlers brought their western European Christianity to Australia.  They key commandment of this culture is to do unto others as you would have them do unto you.  Christianity gives the broadest of definitions to helping your neighbour.  Neighbours are not close relatives or friends, they are not those you choose to like or associate with.  Neighbours include the other, the outcast, the different.  A sense of entitlement is not encouraged.  It is simply that duty to God includes a duty to other human beings.  Now Hockey had a good Jesuitical education - as have Abbott and Joyce.  It is amazing the statements that issue forth from them which are demeaning of others; are vindictive and vengeful  and defaming; and don't exhibit an iota of Christian love, respect and fellow-feeling.  I reckon the Jesuits had better get back to the drawing-board!

Of course, there is a reason Joe has spoken out - and he was so brave wasn't he doing it in far away London!  There is a political shopping list being compiled by the conservative parties of Australia prior to the 2013 Federal Election which, they believe, is theirs for the taking.  Here are some front runners on the shopping list:

• Abolish Federal mining taxes - and treat Gina Rinehart, Twiggy Forest & Clive Palmer nicely
• Cut taxes for high income earners and corporates
• Cut Carbon Pricing
• Abolish Fair Work
• Take on the unions - Patricks -v- MUA revisited across a number of fronts
• Wind back environmental  priorities
• Give irrigators the Water Act they really, truly want and lust after
• Please provide suggestions for adding to the list

Things we can't expect the LibNats to do:

• Provide an improved childcare system
• Introduce a means test for the aged pension so that the wealthy can't get it
• Introduce a means test for child care assistance so that wealthy can't get it
• Please provide suggestions for adding to the list

Further reading:
Hockeynomics eats our safety net
We're 'entitled' to be outraged, Mr Hockey

Beyond codes of conduct: addressing labor rights problems in China

China Labor Watch

Labor in China: Working   conditions, wages and  stress

Walmart appoints Australian as China boss

Child labour in India

Indian 'slave' children 

Labour in India

Pakistan  exporters seek to improve labor conditions while unions struggles for basic rights

End forced labor in Vietnam

Hong Kong: ten years on and no improvement in sight

Workers  protest against overwork, bad conditions (Taipei, Taiwan)

Hired on sufferance: China's migrant workers in Singapore

Migrant worker sit-in makes waves in Singapore

Nike faces new worker abuse claims in Indonesia

Human trafficking - Iindonesia

The plight of the Burmese in Thailand

Internationally recognised core  labour standards  in Thailand

Related articles

• Hockey calls for review of all welfare payments

Cut, cut Qantas! Won't share the pie in Australia

Qantas is Australia's national flag-carrier.  

If anybody had never heard of Qantas outside Australia, 

many did when Dustin Hoffman made it famous in the movie, Rain Man

Keeping Qantas from crashing is now a doubly important factor in its operations: safety and public relations.  The Qantas record is a matter of national pride, but it is a record which is being eroded on daily basis.  Servicing by Australian staff has gradually been taken over by Asia and Asian staff being paid Asian wages.  In short, there is a race for the wages bottom which could imperil - and, it is believed by many, often does imperil - passenger safety.  Cut, cut, cut is the name of the game in international airlines - and the flying public is complicit in this.

People in the British Commonwealth have been led to believe that slavery was abolished in 1833 and later in the USA after the American Civil War.  Slavery exists to-day every time a wage is run down and diminished; when a labour market is oversupplied, work is scarce, and people offer themselves for cut-rate labour prices.

Qantas has now become party to this attitude.  It is a deliberate company policy.  It is personified by its CEO, Alan Joyce, who implements Qantas Board policies - including a strong anti-union attitude - under the leadership of Leigh Clifford.  Australian corporate watcher, Stephen Mayne, sums up the attitudes of Joyce and Clifford here.

Picture below from here.

All this is a lead in to suggest to Networkers that they pop over here to read an excellent article by barrister and human rights lawyer, Jocelynn Scutt.

Further reading:

Wider agenda in union stand-off with Qantas

Is this  the start of a brutal new era of IR?

QANTAS training workers in LA for strike threats

Company chairs urge industrial relations overhaul

An ironic Qantas victory
For Qantas challenges still loom
Alan Joyce opposes law changes for Qantas