”The Week on Wednesday” with Van Badham & Ben Davison
News:Politics
Ben looks at the big win for farm workers this week as up to 130,000 workers will see their wages rise from as low as $3/hr to a minimum of $25.14 an hour. Despite a second record harvest year in a row and as many as 16,000 jobs needing to be filled the usual corporate agri-business lobbyists are condemning the outcome and suggesting they will appeal. The Australian Workers Union has said "If you work on a farm and aren't being paid at least $25 an hour someone is stealing your wages."
The hospitality sector is claiming it needs 100,000 temporary migrant workers to meet demand even as it claims a $44Million program from the Victorian government designed to boost demand in hospitality. The sector is rife with wage theft, super theft, rostering abuses, sexual harassment and awful working conditions. None of which the Hotels Association is suggesting they will fix before the importation of more easily exploitable temporary migrant workers.
These "labour shortage" claims come as RBA and ABC reports show that 2.2M Australians who want to work do not have the work they need. More than 200,000 people who want to work can't due to caring responsibilities and a lack of access to appropriate alternative care for their child, elders or family member with a disability.
The systemic problems are low wages, poor working conditions, lack of support to enter the workforce through the provision of care facilities and services and a quick fix mentality among many in these sectors that have become hooked on easily exploitable temporary migrant workers.
There's also info on the launch of the new children's book by the Victorian Trades Hall Council "Sticking Together", a new track by mr?e & the 4.I.S crew, an update on FriendlyJordies' effective win over Barilaro and Van's in studio appearance on Marcus Paul to talk Alan Jones, Morrison's disgrace and Qanon and On.
Weekend Wrap 15 January 2023: Workers beat wage thieves at Mantle, Pell is gone and who is Perrottet really?
Episode 117: Sunak’s anti-strike laws have Australian flavour, Republican supreme court could strip right to strike,Brazil’s far right storm their capital
Weekend Wrap 8 January: Republicans finally settle on McCarthy, Dutton’s polyphonic press conference to undermine the Voice
Episode 116: Dutton falls off millennial cliff, ACMA proves the case for change, MAGA madness consumes congressional Republicans and garbage powered cars!
Episode 115: Morrison fumbles at robodebt royal commission, Cookers turn to terrorism, Pampas workers strike for job security and good news for renewables
Weekend Wrap 11 December: Labor announces EPA, Albo gets energy deal and the Pampas workers latest target of multinational greed
Episode 114: Chris Minns, NSW Labor Leader, joins Van and Ben to discuss the state of NSW, bad news about burritos and good news from Georgia
Weekend Wrap 3 December 2022: Socceroos do us proud, Albo delivers with more to come and Dutton remains on the fringes
Episode 113: Morrison censured over multiple ministries, Labor wins promised reforms and the good news is about electric vehicles
Weekend Wrap 27 November 2022: Victorian state election wrap up and Secure Jobs, Better Pay to become law
Episode 112: Workers asking Pocock which side are you on? Victoria heads to the polls, Musk burns billions for Twitter lols and good news on the NSW Super Battery
Weekend Wrap 13 November 2022: Ben updates on mid terms, Victorian election, Secure Jobs, Better Pay laws and Van’s mum
Weekend Wrap 30 October 2022: Van Badham joins Ben to talk Insiders, budget and workplace law reforms
Episode 111: The dragon slaying budget, Secure Work Better Pay laws, Sunak is Britain’s billionaire PM and good news about batteries
Weekend Wrap 23 October 2022: Chalmers invests in social security, Angus Taylor putting profit before people, Truss gone and Thorpe’s resignation
Episode 110: Labor to grow wages as big business whines, Ukraine update and propaganda in your timeline and the good news is rewiring Australia
Weekend Wrap 16 October 2022: Six months parental leave, Coorey clanger on Insiders, King fixing Morrison mess and Hunt in for Kwarteng
Episode 109: The Week on Wednesday LIVE at Melbourne Fringe! Van and Ben talk tax cuts, Putin, Musk and neo-Liberal nightmares with a LIVE audience
Weekend Wrap 9 October 2022: Dutton’s fantasies of improbable future wealth rationale for tax cuts on Insiders, gig economy reforms and Putin’s bridge is on fire
Episode 108: Anti-government protests sweep Iran, Thorburn saga is about more than money and the good news is no new extinctions in Australia
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