Over the past three years federal Labor government reforms have delivered important workplace rights that make a real difference for IEU members.
These include higher wages, job security, the right to disconnect, greater industrial rights, more balanced bargaining laws and fairer workplaces, especially for women.
These gains are at risk under the LNP Coalition, who have publicly pledged to reverse them. In addition, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has recently made claims of indoctrination in education and attacked the teaching profession. The IEU believes all politicians should have the highest respect for the teaching profession and for the professional autonomy of teachers, from early childhood, schools, TAFE and university.
The IEU is not affiliated with any political party and does not make donations to political parties. However, we do have a responsibility to carefully monitor the industrial landscape and advocate for the best outcomes for members.
Here are just some of the gains delivered by the federal Labor government since 2022.
Higher wages
- Wage growth has reached a 12-year high under the current federal government, ending a decade of wage stagnation.
- Average pay rises are now 4% per year for union members (and 3% per year for non-union members).
- Cost-of-living pressures would be worse under a Coalition government that promises low wages are a “deliberate design feature” of its policies.
- The gender pay gap is narrowing three times faster under the current government.
The right to disconnect
- The right to disconnect allows employees to switch off from workplace contact outside of work hours.
- Teachers, professional, administrative and support staff in our sector now have their weekends, evenings and holidays back.
- School staff no longer need to feel permanently on call.
- The Coalition has publicly pledged to abolish the right to disconnect if it forms government.
Fairer workplaces for women
- The gender pay gap is narrowing three times faster under the current Labor federal government. It now sits at a historic low of 11.5 per cent.
- The federal government’s commitment to fund a 15 per cent pay increase for staff in long day care from December 2024 is expected to further shrink the gender pay imbalance.
- Under new laws that passed Parliament in March 2024, paid parental leave is increasing to 24 weeks on 1 July 2025 and 26 weeks on 1 July 2026.
- Superannuation will be paid on paid parental leave from 1 July 2025. This will help reduce the retirement pay gap that relegates many women to poverty after they leave the workforce.
- 10 days of “life-saving” paid family and domestic violence (FDV) leave is now available to all workers.
- As a result of pressure from unions including the IEU, positive duty reforms to the Sex Discrimination Act were introduced in December 2022. Employers now have a positive duty to prevent sex-based harassment and discrimination requiring them to take proactive, preventative action.
Read more about union wins for women
Industrial rights
- Rights for union delegates mean union reps/delegates can now represent staff industrially and access training in paid time.
- Workers have fairer access to flexible working arrangements.
- Payday super will see employers required to pay their employees’ super at the same time as their salary and wages from 1 July 2026.
- Civil penalties are in place for wage theft and superannuation theft.
- In contrast, the Coalition is promising a more Americanised superannuation system and slashing the minimum super rate from 12% to 9%. This cut would cost the average 30-year-old worker around $165,000 in retirement income.
- The Coalition will also cut 36,000 public service jobs.
- Employer lobby groups are urging the Coalition to abolish penalty rates for retail, hospitality, fast food, administration, health care, social assistance and finance workers.
Bargaining laws
- Due to new bargaining laws, collective agreement coverage is at a five-year high. In December 2024, The Australian reported the number of workers covered by EAs had risen to 2.21 million, an increase of 400,000 over 12 months.
- Collective agreements, where union members negotiate with employers, deliver higher wages and better working conditions than safety-net Award conditions. And there are now greater rights for unions in bargaining.
- Working people also have additional pathways to secure agreements including multi-employer bargaining.
- In 2023, the IEU – alongside UWU and the AEU – secured the nation’s first Supported Bargaining Agreement (a form of multi-employer bargaining) for early childhood education and care employees across 500 centres. This action delivered the landmark 15% pay rise for staff in long day care centres throughout Australia.
- Fun fact: union members earn 26% more than non-members per week.
Secure jobs
- Nine out of every 10 jobs created in Australia over the last 3 years have been secure jobs. Since 2022, 230,000 workers are now in permanent jobs instead of casual ones due to the Albanese Government’s IR reforms.
- Workers now have the option to convert to a secure job and there are strict limits around the use of fixed-term contracts.
- IEU members have experienced the benefits of these laws as the era of unfair, rolling fixed-term contracts has come to an end. This has benefitted hundreds of teachers and school support staff in NSW and the ACT
- These rights are at risk under a prospective Coalition government, which has vowed to abolish secure job reforms. Peter Dutton’s recent reversal of his long-held opposition to workplace rights cannot be believed.
More to do
Working people have made real gains during this term of the Labor federal government; however, there is more work to do.
Laws around protected industrial action must be rebalanced so it is not so difficult for members to exercise their right to participate in protected action.
We also need a federal government that will monitor collective bargaining laws, including the newly implemented multi-employer bargaining options, to ensure they deliver the results they promised.
While there is more to do, the IEU believes the current Labor federal government has implemented a positive agenda for working people – IEU members’ working rights are at risk if there is a change of government.
