‘Well paid jobs’: Unions make new demands for Aussie workers

ACTU secretary Sally McManus promised to push the federal government for better living standards and also fired off an extraordinary spray at the Coalition.

Unions will push Anthony Albanese’s re-elected government to improve living standards for workers, while delivering a scathing broadside at the Coalition’s policies.

Australian Council of Trade Unions secretary Sally McManus spelled out the expectations of unions of the Albanese Government, just hours after Labor’s romping victory.

“We congratulate the Albanese Government on their re-election and look forward to working with them to ensure real wages keep growing and that workers living standards grow,” she said.

“Australian workers have lived through some tough years due to global inflation and now we need to continue the job of rebuilding.”

ACTU secretary Sally McManus. Picture: NewsWire / John Gass

Ms McManus fired off at Peter Dutton and the Opposition’s policies, saying plans such as their bid to cut 41,000 public sector jobs “hurt them badly”.

“Australians have rejected the path of Donald Trump’s far right populism,” she said.

“The Liberal Party should learn the lesson that touching workers’ rights will hurt them. They were forced to flip flop on policies such as same job, same pay and working from home during the election campaign and this hurt them badly.

“People knew that Peter Dutton was a big risk. You cannot help people with cost-of-living pressures by cutting their rights.”

She also said unions looked forward to “well-paid jobs” being created under Labor’s agenda.

“We look forward to the creation of good well-paid jobs with the implementation of a Future Made in Australia. We also welcome the expansion of Medicare and the significant investment in education which are all part of building a better future.”

Originally published as ‘Well paid jobs’: Unions make new demands for Aussie workers