Late last night, Federal Parliament passed the $130 billion JobKeeper wage subsidy.
Working people stood together and campaigned for a wage subsidy, knowing that it was the best way to support millions of workers to stay connected to their jobs.
The union movement was the first to advocate for this solution and it was only weeks ago that Prime Minister Morrison said, to dream up other schemes can be very dangerous. JobKeeper will be welcomed by many workers.
But Unions Tasmania is appalled that too many workers have been left without adequate support.
Unions Tasmania has been strongly advocating for a wage subsidy that supports all workers. We have fielded contact from many workers, especially casuals and visa workers, for weeks now who are not sure how theyre going to survive. We spoke up on behalf of the 35,000+ Tasmanians who are ineligible for JobKeeper, said Unions Tasmania Secretary, Jessica Munday.
While we welcome the JobKeeper payment, we cant sugar coat it when it fails so many workers. We note that the Treasurer has the power to extend the scheme and make it fairer and will be urging him to do just that.
Tasmanian unions will continue the campaign to ensure that no working people are left behind through this pandemic, said Ms Munday.
While committing to continuing to stand up for all workers, Unions Tasmania is also calling on every employer who has stood workers down or laid off staff to apply for JobKeeper.
For further comment: Jessica Munday 0417 454 809
