With the state election behind us and parliament back in session, one of our top priorities is now calling on the state parliament to legislate for a Portable Long Service Leave Scheme (PLSLS) for workers in disability and community services, aged care, contract cleaning and security.
Why this matters:
We know that workers in industries like yours often have to change employers outside of their choice and have been disadvantaged by losing their Long Service Leave entitlements. It's time you have a PLSLS, just like most of your colleagues in other states and construction workers in Tasmania.
Where we’re at:
Some of you are probably aware that HACSU, ASU and UWU have been campaigning for PLSL for years.
Before the election, we reached out to most political parties and independents, urging them to support a PLSLS. Excitingly, a majority of those elected have already pledged their support for the scheme. They include the Labor Party with 10 members, the Greens with 5 members, the Jacqui Lambie Party with 3 members, and independents David O'Byrne and Kristie Johnston. That’s 20 out of 35 votes! In fact, the only party that didn’t respond was the Liberal Party, but we are ready to challenge them again. Craig Garland is the only other member who hadn’t announced his position when we wrote to them, but we hope he will support you too.
This is a tremendous opportunity where most of the House of Representatives members, who are responsible for drafting legislation, are on board. We’ll also need the Legislative Council to pass it, but we’ve got a plan to get them on our side.
What’s next:
Now, we need to rally the support of workers and the community for the scheme to hold the elected representatives to account.
Please sign our petition here and also encourage your colleagues, family members and friends to sign.
We’ll also be visiting workplaces over the next two weeks to get as many signatures as possible before we start lobbying.
We are also asking employers to pledge their support to the scheme. Some of them have signed up already and we believe many employers can see the benefit this scheme brings for attracting more workers to this sector.
We then need some of you to join us in meeting with politicians from both the House of Representatives and Legislative Council. Hearing directly from local constituents makes a significant impact, and we’ll be there with you on the day and provide training and support.
There is plenty to do, and we are keen to do this as soon as we can. If you’d like to get more involved, please call us on 1300 880 032 or email [email protected].
We’ll keep you updated as things develop. Let’s flex our collective strength and achieve this vital outcome together!