In June this year, the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) will be holding its 2024 National Congress in Adelaide. Held every three years, it is the highest decision-making authority of the Australian Union Movement.
ACTU Congress is a face-to-face meeting of delegates from every ACTU affiliated union who, while representing their unions, debate, and vote on policies regarding workplace and worker rights, and national campaigns to improve wages, conditions, and quality of life for Australian workers and their families.
ACTU Congress sets the Union Movement’s agenda for the following three years. This is an opportunity for us – from every industry, and every union – to determine policies and strategies for winning better wages and conditions, decide upon National priorities.
This year’s ACTU Congress comes at a critical time for our Union. With a forecast shortfall of 32,000 electricians by 2030 – plus more in plumbing, linework, and other jobs – we need strong policy to ensure we have good, well paid, union jobs and a more diverse, skilled, and expanded workforce.
At the June ACTU Congress, the ETU will be seeking support from the broader trade union movement to secure better outcomes for workers and communities in industrial relations, portable entitlements, work health and safety, superannuation, and trade. The ETU will be presenting our industry agenda, which will be strengthened using your feedback, to ACTU Congress for endorsement by the whole trade union movement.
The key elements of the ETU’s National agenda are –
- Government to mandate industry rates and conditions in the energy transition
- Better funding for industry training centres and TAFE
- Improved apprentice recruitment and mentoring programs
- Increased apprenticeships in renewable projects facilitated by not-for-profit group training
- Improved wages for electrical teachers
- Industry migration plans which prioritise domestic jobs first and eliminate migrant worker exploitation
- More accessible information for workers and graduating students to understand where the renewable jobs are and how to get them
- Creating an ‘clean energy jobs coordinator’ who makes sure this all gets done
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