2016 will be an exciting year for the Australian Institute of Employment Rights. The reports from the Productivity Commission Inquiry and the Trade Union Royal Commission have set the scene for the workplace to be a key political battleground in the upcoming election.
As a workplace relations focused organisation based on human rights principles, AIER brings a unique perspective to the public debate on industrial relations and we will continue to promote fair and decent workplaces.
We are looking to building on our work last year into 2016, particularly in relation to the consequences of the changing nature of work and the erosion of rights such as freedom of association. On these issues and others, some of the work we did in 2015 includes:
- Organised a panel discussion on the “uberisation” of work at the Progress conference, the first public discussion on the topic of how some of the new digital enterprises like Uber are impacting workplace rights;
- Discussed the global rise of insecure work with academics and workplace relation practitioners from around the world with at the 4th Regulating for Decent Work conference in Geneva;
- Hosted a fascinating discussion on freedom of association at the 5th annual Ron McCallum Debate;
- Made submissions to the Productivity Commission Inquiry, the ALRC’s Traditional Rights and Freedoms Inquiry and the Victorian Inquiry into Labour Hire and Insecure Work;
- Published Employment Rights Now, the third book in our series on the Australian Charter of Employment Rights that takes a critical look at the current state of workplace relations offering important insights and a different perspective from the likes of the Productivity Commission; and
- Celebrated 10 years of the AIER with a wonderful night reflecting on the achievements of the Institute and the challenges that remain in achieving fair and decent work in Australia.
The AIER continues to grow, attracting new members and supporters, and building a media profile. We are looking forward to continuing our work in 2016.
If you value an independent voice in the industrial relations debate grounded in human rights principles, become a member of the AIER and help us to promote fair and decent workplaces for all.
- Executive Member, AIER
- Sean Scalmer is Professor of Australian History in the School of Historical and Philosophical Studies at Melbourne University. Sean studied political economy and political science at the University of Sydney, before undertaking a PhD on intellectuals and class in the Australian labour movement. He worked as a research fellow in the Department of Politics, Macquarie University (1998-2004), then as a Lecturer in Sociology (2004-2006) at the same University. He joined the School of Historical Studies at the University of Melbourne in 2007. Sean’s major interests are in the histories of social movements, class, and democracy. orders for food delivery platform workers. [Bio from Sean Scalmer’s Melbourne University webpage]