EMPLOYMENT LAW

Union membership in Australia hits a new low of 12.5% – but it can be turned around
Union membership in Australia hits a new low of 12.5% – but it can be turned around Just before Christmas, the ABS released its latest data on trade union membership. Not

Australians have waited too long for a pay rise – the Senate needs to pass the Secure Jobs, Better Pay Bill
Australians have waited too long for a pay rise – the Senate needs to pass the Secure Jobs, Better Pay Bill Anthony Forsyth, RMIT University and Labour Law Down Under

Legislating to Rebuild Worker Power: The Industrial Relations Reforms We Need from the Albanese Labor Government
Legislating to Rebuild Worker Power: The Industrial Relations Reforms We Need from the Albanese Labor Government Anthony Forsyth, RMIT University and Labour Law Down Under Blog. This is an edited

The Health and Medical Research Gig Economy and how to fix it (by Professor Joo-Cheong Tham & Dr Martin Stebbing)
The Health and Medical Research Gig Economy and how to fix it (by Professor Joo-Cheong Tham & Dr Martin Stebbing) This latest guest contribution on the Labour Law Down Under

Striking out: the system for Australian workers to achieve higher wages is broken. What comes next?
Striking out: the system for Australian workers to achieve higher wages is broken. What comes next? Anthony Forsyth, RMIT University and Labour Law Down Under Blog. This is an edited

Really want to lift workers’ wages? 6 industrial relations reforms we need, whoever wins the 21 May election
Really want to lift workers’ wages? 6 industrial reforms we need, whoever wins the 21 May election Anthony Forsyth, RMIT University and Labour Law Down Under Blog. This is an

A critical election for industrial relations reform and the future of higher education
A critical election for industrial relations reform and the future of higher education Anthony Forsyth, RMIT University and Labour Law Down Under Blog. This piece is also being published in the

Higher education, a sector in crisis and what can be done: the case of Melbourne University (by Professor Joo-Cheong Tham)
Higher education, a sector in crisis and what can be done: the case of Melbourne University (by Professor Joo-Cheong Tham) This latest guest contribution on the Labour Law Down Under

Qantas cabin crew agreement ‘negotiations’ show that wages won’t grow without structural reform
Qantas cabin crew agreement ‘negotiations’ show that wages won’t grow without structural reform This latest guest contribution on the Labour Law Down Under Blog is by Corey Rabaut, National Industrial

Insecure work is not a union construct – it’s the reality of workers’ lives
Insecure work is not a union construct – it’s the reality of workers’ lives Anthony Forsyth, RMIT University and Labour Law Down Under Blog – image credit: Sam Wallman The

In a COVID-normal world of work, Australians need unions now more than ever
In a COVID-normal world of work, Australians need unions now more than ever As we head into the federal election, get ready for a Coalition scare campaign on ‘union power’

Addressing the limitations of financial support for non-government employees during the Covid-19 pandemic
Addressing the limitations of financial support for non-government employees during the Covid-19 pandemic This latest guest contribution on the Labour Law Down Under Blog is by Maria Hakim, Law/Medical Science Student

The Future of Unions and Worker Representation: The Digital Picket Line
The Future of Unions and Worker Representation: The Digital Picket Line Today, my book ‘The Future of Unions and Worker Representation: The Digital Picket Line’ is out in the world,

Women workers have every right to be angry and no reason to smile
Women workers have every right to be angry and no reason to smile This latest guest contribution on the Labour Law Down Under Blog is by Renee Burns – Research

Labour laws protect the rights of Australian workers to say “No” to COVID risks in the workplace
Labour laws protect the rights of Australian workers to say “No” to COVID risks in the workplace An edited version of this post was published on 18 January 2022 in
The CFMEU siege, vaccine mandates, and Deputy President Dean’s dissenting (anti-vax) ruling
The CFMEU siege, vaccine mandates, and Deputy President Dean’s dissenting (anti-vax) ruling Just over two weeks ago, the Melbourne office of the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union was under

Exploring the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Australian workers, businesses and the system of labour regulation: a special issue of the Australian Journal of Labour Law
Exploring the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Australian workers, businesses and the system of labour regulation: a special issue of the Australian Journal of Labour Law I recently had

‘The Patricks of the pandemic’: Qantas and the unlawful outsourcing of 2000 jobs (by Josh Bornstein & Anthony Forsyth)
‘The Patricks of the pandemic’: Qantas and the unlawful outsourcing of 2000 jobs (by Josh Bornstein & Anthony Forsyth) An edited version of this post was published under the authorship

Australian laws are not on the side of employers mandating Covid-19 vaccines, nor should they be (by Professor Joo-Cheong Tham)
Australian laws are not on the side of employers mandating Covid-19 vaccines, nor should they be (by Professor Joo-Cheong Tham) This latest guest contribution on the Labour Law Down Under

The future of unions …
The future of unions … Subscribers may have noticed a considerable lull in activity on the blog! I’ve been very busy completing the book mentioned below, which will come out

McCormick Foods workers want a pay increase – their dispute shows Australia’s enterprise bargaining system is broken
McCormick Foods workers want a pay increase – their dispute shows Australia’s enterprise bargaining system is broken Picture: Opposition Leader, Anthony Albanese, addressing workers at the McCormick Foods picket line,

‘Thanks, but really, no thanks’: Morrison’s IR reform bill hurts our pandemic heroes
‘Thanks, but really, no thanks’: Morrison’s IR reform bill hurts our pandemic heroes An edited version of this post was published in the Sydney Morning Herald on 19 February 2021: New

Casual employees: Why the Morrison government’s ‘double-dipping’ gambit fails the pub test
Casual employees: Why the Morrison government’s ‘double-dipping’ gambit fails the pub test This latest guest contribution on the Labour Law Down Under Blog is by Professor Joo-Cheong Tham of Melbourne Law

Collectivising the gig economy: In the pandemic, it’s a matter of life and death
Collectivising the gig economy: In the pandemic, it’s a matter of life and death Anthony Forsyth, RMIT University and Labour Law Down Under Blog. This post was recently published in

Conflict or Cooperation? Australian Union Responses to COVID-19
Conflict or Cooperation? Australian Union Responses to COVID-19 Anthony Forsyth, RMIT University and Labour Law Down Under Blog. A longer version of this post was just published in Sachin Padya and

The Identity of the ‘Employer’ in Australian Labour Law: Moving Beyond the Unitary Conception of the Employer
The Identity of the ‘Employer’ in Australian Labour Law: Moving Beyond the Unitary Conception of the Employer Anthony Forsyth, RMIT University and Labour Law Down Under Blog This article was

Unions in the Fair Work Act Decade – and the Aftermath of ‘Change the Rules’
Unions in the Fair Work Act Decade – and the Aftermath of ‘Change the Rules’ This post includes some edited extracts from my recent article: ‘Ten Years of the Fair

Paid maternity leave? ‘Over my dead body!’ Introducing Abbott: the man who could sway post-Brexit trade deals
Paid maternity leave? ‘Over my dead body!’ Introducing Abbott: the man who could sway post-Brexit trade deals Anthony Forsyth, RMIT University and Labour Law Down Under Blog I wrote this

Jelle Visser’s ‘revitalisation’ option is a viable way forward for unions – here’s how
Jelle Visser’s ‘revitalisation’ option is a viable way forward for unions – here’s how This week, I spoke at a Victorian Fabians event on ‘Organised Labour and the Future of

Victoria’s On-Demand Inquiry Report calls out the gig economy’s ‘entrepreneur’ myth and recommends much-needed reform
Victoria’s On-Demand Inquiry Report calls out the gig economy’s ‘entrepreneur’ myth and recommends much-needed reform An edited version of this post was published in the Sydney Morning Herald on 16