The Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) has today released the findings of a new survey, revealing a large number of Australians are dissatisfied with living standards and the direction Government policies are taking the country.
ACTU President Ged Kearney said the results, sourced as a result of 43,188 union and non-union members surveyed between November 2014 and January 2015, are helping determine what issues unions will be focusing on while campaigning until the next election.
“We have been out talking to our members and the wider community about what their concerns are both at work and more broadly ever since Tony Abbott handed down his disastrous budget,” Ms Kearney said.
“They’ve told us living standards, wages and rights at work are the biggest concerns and they want us campaigning on these issues.”
74 per cent said they believed the country was moving in the wrong direction, 76 per cent disagreed that the budget would be balanced regardless of consequences, and 94 per cent said they are worried the Federal Government was willing to lower rights at work.
In other ACTU-related news, ACTU assistant secretary Tim Lyons has announced he will be challenging Dave Oliver for the position of ACTU secretary.
According to a report by The Australian, Mr Lyons said it was time for the union movement “to engage in a healthy and overdue debate” about its future. He also said that he might have to resign if he lost the challenge.
The Australian revealed Mr Lyons had the backing of a number of key unions, including the Australian Workers Union, the Community and Public Sector Union, the Transport Workers Union, and the United Voice and the National Union of Workers, the latter being Mr Lyons’ previous place of employment.
