I’m currently working with Victorian Trades Hall Council and the Migrant Workers Centre on a project to share information about new protections for migrant workers in Australia.
The key messages we need to share are:
- All workers in Australia have rights protected by law. If your employer is trying to get away with treating you badly, paying you less, putting you in danger or ignoring your work rights they are breaking the law.
- Thanks to the campaigning work of unions and the Migrant Workers Centre, the government has introduced new protections for your visa status if you report workplace exploitation. Because your visa status shouldn’t prevent you from standing up for your rights at work.
We’ve seen too many examples of dodgy employers forcing workers to work more hours than their visa allows – and then using that visa breech to hold workers to ransom.
To stop this, workers who report visa exploitation to a government agency or accredited entity like the Migrant Workers Centre will get a guarantee against visa cancellation, as long as they promise to abide by their visa conditions in the future.
Workers who need to stay in Australia to take legal action against their employer may also be eligible for a new Workplace Justice Visa.
You can apply for the Workplace Justice Visa if you have your experience of exploitation “certified” by an accredited organisation like a union or Migrant Workers Centre and meet certain other criteria of health and good character.
There’s also more time to find a new sponsoring employer for workers on a 482 visa – up to 180 consecutive days. You can work during that time.
Exploitation of migrant workers in Australia is a problem – but we now have new ways to stand up together for safety and dignity at work.
Digital strategy
One of our tactics for content creation is to engage with creators with experience of work in Australia.
Supporting creators from targeted language groups to make content in their own style, relevant to their own digital communities, will help spread information about the new protections into networks not usually reached by government communications.
If you’re interested in hearing more – send me a message!
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