State of the Union

Last Thursday ACT Unions called a rally in support of the Secure Local Jobs Package being put forward by the ACT Labor Government. What’s it all about? Alex White secretary of ACT Union says Canberra has a big problem with dodgy contractors winning ACT Government jobs, then ripping off workers, committing wage-theft, or disregarding workplace safety laws. We talk to Alex to find out more about why workers needed to go to the streets around the new laws. In our second report we go to The State of the Union Exhibition at the Ian Potter Gallery at Melbourne University. It looks at Union history and the importants of art in bringing the message of solidarity out. Backed by the National Tertiary Education Union the NTEU we hear from the State of the Union curator Jacqueline Dougherty as she goes through the exhibition during Blue Stocking week celebrating working women.