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Home >News >Australian Unions write to PM demanding action

Australian Unions write to PM demanding action

2022-01-11

Australian Council of Trade Unions Secretary Sally McManus wrote to the Prime Minister overnight, calling on him to convene an emergency meeting with union leaders representing essential workers to address the escalating national Omicron crisis.

The ACTU Secretary used her correspondence to the Prime Minister to lay out a list of demands on behalf of workers, who continue to battle on the front lines of the fight against the virus.

Ms McManus’ demanded that:

  1. Rapid Antigen Tests be made free and accessible for all Australians, as quickly as possible, with tests prioritised for frontline workers until current supply failures are resolved.
  2. Paid Pandemic Leave be restored for workers who are close contacts with a work colleague, which was stripped from workers last week.
  3. Workers be kept safe at work, including mask requirements to N95 or P2 standard, warning Scott Morrison that unions will fight any attempt to water down OHS laws.
  4. The Morrison Government to restore income support for people who have been forced out of work and left without pay because of the onslaught Omicron, as well as financial assistance for businesses who have been devastated by the current outbreak.

Read the ACTU's full press release here.