Strike Rate

14/02/2022

Our long awaited interview with is finally up!

Boots is an activist + director of and front man of The Coup.

Our chat with Boots (1/6) is on Youtube and will be uploaded to Instagram over the next few days.

Title screen artwork done by our fave of ❤️

Thanks to Boots for chatting with us about all things union. ✊

08/10/2021

Over 200 members from market research and call centres held a huge online meeting yesterday to endorse their claims. Call centre workers are now organising to win the wage increase and job security they desperately need. Union members claims will improve the lives of thousands of workers across Australia, all under the one collective agreement with the Australian Data and Insights Association.

Please sign their petition in the comments below!

22/09/2021

In Australia, call center work is notoriously precarious, atomized, and poorly paid. Through a rank-and-file union drive, hundreds of workers across over 90 workplaces are organizing to change that.

18/09/2021

08/09/2021

drawing for Overland Literary Journal overland.org.au/revealed-how-much-rich-people-care-about-your-mental-health/

02/09/2021

ADIA covered Union members are currently in their first bargaining meeting renegotiating the market & social research enterprise bargaining agreement! This is a massive!

We just presented our wage claim to ADIA, we are asking for a pay increase of 15% across three years. ADIA describes itself as a “growth industry”. We are the backbone of this industry, and if we didn’t do the work we do, the industry would cease to exist. We deserve our fair share of this industry growth so that we can live comfortably and have a reliable income to keep up with the ever rising cost of living.

Solidarity & watch this space! Management are completely shaken by our log of claims and our clear show of strength and organisation.

Sam Wallman art here !

12/08/2021

Public health before profit! Sign the petition here https://www.change.org/p/gladys-berejiklian-why-is-bunnings-open-during-sydney-lockdown

Dozens of Bunnings stores have been listed as hotspots during the recent and ongoing coronavirus outbreak in Sydney. Yet stores like this and others remain open for browsing to the public - putting both workers' and customers' lives at risk.

Workers are fighting back against this blatant disregard for their health and safety for the sake of the profits of Wesfarmers, the high-profit company that owns Bunnings.

A petition has been circulating demanding the following:

1. All high-risk team members should be stood down on full pay.

2. Despite being listed as a "critical" retail store, Bunnings has the capacity to serve its customers in a safe way which limits face to face interactions to those in the trade. Departments should move into supporting trade and Click & Collect services, dividing work in these areas in a fair and safe way.

3. Casual team members should be supported, with regular working hours being maintained in Click & Collect services and where this is impossible, any required assistance in accessing government payments be provided.

Sign the petition at a link in our link tree ------ change.org/p/gladys-berejiklian-why-is-bunnings-open-during-sydney-lockdown

Poster by WAC member

09/08/2021

It was inspiring and enraging to hear from Tamil Refugee Council and Victorian Socialists member Aran Mylvaganam at our union meeting today. The conditions refugees are subject too is a disgrace. Refugees deserve all the solidarity in the world in their fight for freedom, especially from the union movement.

Call Centre workers are proud to have created a tradition where we stand in solidarity with refugees and oppose racist scapegoating. As we’re heading into EBA negotiations where we are fighting for a pay rise it’s more important than ever to point out that it’s bosses, not refugees, that lowers wages - contrary to anti-refugee myths pushed by both the Liberal and Labor party.

As refugees locked up in Park Hotel put it themselves on the 6th of August: ‘The enemy doesn’t arrive by boat, he arrives by limousine.’ - Free the refugees!

09/08/2021

Call Centre workers stand in solidarity with Bunnings workers! Members of UWU stand in solidarity with Bunnings workers in their fight to shut down Bunnings and work in a more covid-safe environment. We know click and collect isn’t that hard to implement, it’s happening right now in Victoria, yet the NSW Liberal government refuses to take basic health precautions to protect workers. It’s a disgrace.

It is so heartening to see fellow rank and file unionists organising on the ground to win safer workplaces. Workplace safety is more important than the boss’s profits! The NSW Government needs to implement basic public health measures immediately!

Sign the petition here! https://www.change.org/p/gladys-berejiklian-why-is-bunnings-open-during-sydney-lockdown

Read this by a Bunnings worker on why Bunnings needs to be shut down now! https://redflag.org.au/article/im-essential-worker-bunnings-shut-us-down-now

26/07/2021

'Call centre union victories'
Produced in support of United Workers Union call centre organising efforts, and published in the latest edition of Strike Rate. 'Strike Rate' is a semi regular rank and file publication made by call-centre workers across melbourne. its a good thing! back in the day just about every industry in the country had its own newspaper, maybe several!? resurrect em
a printable PDF version of this poster can be downloaded here if u like : https://drive.google.com/file/d/1NsyD5CDvM-Z8mcNt7-CCUhnr_m-Fomy_/view?usp=sharing

08/07/2021

A few days ago Hospo Voice launched a new, tiered membership system, in which members pay different fees to access different services. We -- as members of Hospo Voice, hospitality workers and proud unionists -- condemn this new model of membership as anti-union and an all-round s**t idea. We stand b...

07/07/2021

Support rank and file members, sign the petition.

Unfortunately events have necessitated us taking a stance against the trade union to which we owe much, Hospo Voice.

The bureaucracy of Hospo Voice and its parent union, the United Workers Union, have implemented a ridiculous new tiered wage system called "Hospo Voice 2.0." This system would see members at the highest tier paying $80 a month for functionally the same union protections they receive now, and see the members of the lowest tier still paying the $10 a month they pay now, but having all of their protections and communication channels basically taken away.

This is an egregious move and hurts workers like yourselves and your colleagues at Grill'd who receive next to nothing in wages, building new barriers to unionising in the industry. A group of Hospo Voice activists have created a petition that is calling for the removal of this new system and more democracy in the union that covers you while at Grill'd. You'll find that in the link below and we encourage you all to sign if you feel strongly about this.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdmEjZLDwVGY4tIiww1ake9x6ZMkWgv9JCZ8ps58JyVjXKM_w/viewform?fbclid=IwAR2fN71akg_A01es-BLtnAMPTEFICizKBx0dt_GymqaBki70KAtENT18DU0

03/02/2021

Call centre workers stand in solidarity with refugees and demand an end to all mandatory detention. Union members were given the opportunity to speak with Aran Mylvaganam, member of the Tamil Refugee Council about the importance of union solidarity in winning the fight for freedom for all refugees.

Call centre workers have a proud history of standing in solidarity with refugees as workers have no interest in racist scapegoating. We won’t stop until refugees are free and welcomed into the community!

Come on down to Campaign Against Racism and Fascism’s rally on Friday 5:30pm 701 swanston street carlton. Rally event below.

https://fb.me/e/2qGkpz36q

25/01/2021

21/01/2021

About 200 staff at Peters' factory in Melbourne will stop doing overtime from Friday in protest at the company's pay offer.

15/12/2020

Border Force is planning to take about 60 refugees from the Mantra Bell City to another jail, instead of to freedom in our community where they belong. We encourage all unionists to attend this protest tonight at 5pm if you can: https://www.facebook.com/events/388093372446760/

14/11/2020

This afternoon, Bendigo dairy workers voted to accept a vastly improved offer from Lactalis after 10 days on strike. A huge win for this essential workers!

Workers have won:

✅ An average annual increase of 6.47%. This means from October 1, 2022 workers will be a minimum of $232 better off a week.
✅ An increase of almost 30% to permanent jobs on site with many causal workers to be immediately converted.
✅ A conversion clause that guarantees permanent jobs for future generations to come.
✅ A commitment to Bendigo’s future with secure permanent jobs, a public commitment that Lactalis will not shut the site and a $20 million investment for the Bendigo factory.

And much more!

Congratulations to our staunch Bendigo Dairy members on a hard fought win!

26/10/2020

From 2019: call centre workers stand with Djab Wurrung! Shame on the Daniel Andrews government.

25/10/2020

22/10/2020

InDaily recently reported on the mental health impacts for some of the more than one million Australians trying to navigate and live within the welfare system. Today, we report on the toll taken on outsourced Centrelink call centre workers. Four contractors speak up about life at the other end of th...

02/10/2020

“We often hear stories of outside organisers getting involved with a group of workers and prompting them to unionise or strike,” said Dean Baker, senior economist at the left-leaning Centre for Economic and Policy Research.

“With this strike wave, the momentum is coming from the grassroots. Workers have decided that they have had enough and are prepared to press for change.”

Racial inequality is linked to concerns about coronavirus worker safety, as COVID-19 has hit black and brown communities harder than white communities.

The industrial action has ranged from non-union workers at a meat processing plant and fast-food restaurant workers to academics walking out of universities.

18/09/2020

In anticipation of our video with Boots Riley, here is a video of his inspiring speech from the Juneteenth rally in Oakland earlier this year.
"Our power comes from the fact we create the wealth.
Wealth is power. We have the ability to withhold that power.
We have the ability to withhold our labour and shut s**t down!

Shut The World Down! Boots Riley At 2020 Juneteenth At Oakland Oscar Grant Plaza https://youtu.be/s0D6oGzChlg On Juneteenth June 19, 2020 at Oakland Oscar Gr...

14/09/2020

We had our interview with Boots Riley! It was so cool to hear his thoughts on being radical, politics, art and music.
We recorded it, so look out for a video coming soon. This will also be in the next issue of Strike Rate which will be out soooon. 🥰🥰🥰

Don’t forget to follow us on ig:

11/09/2020

Continuing our series on solidarity photos...

Let us know what union-related topics you'd like to see more about. :)

ig:

11/09/2020

10/09/2020

Here at Strike Rate we love a good solidarity photo. ✊ We've made a lil series on what they are and why they're important.
What union-related topics would you like to learn more about? Let us know!

Don't forget to follow us on ig . More content coming soon! 🥰

06/09/2020

We’ll be interviewing activist, artist and director of ‘Sorry To Bother You’ Boots Riley this week! Send us your questions 🙂
Keep your eyes peeled for a video coming soon and don’t forget to follow us on ig ❣️❣️

30/08/2020

Strike rate 2! Not far off now ✊🏻

new pull-out poster for the next edition of Strike Rate, celebrating some of the high watermarks young unionists in call centres have achieved over the last few years. based on a graphic originally commissioned by United Workers Union for their 'Unionised Call Centre Jobs' group.

24/08/2020

Call centre workers stand in solidarity today with Offcieworks distribution centre workers. One struggle one fight! ✊🏻

“Officeworks Warehouse members across NSW and Victoria have stopped work today for 24 hours in their fight to win job security and a fair wage increase that recognises the important role they've played in helping Officeworks achieve record profits from the pandemic.

Members have chosen to strike for only 24 hours in recognition of the current environment. NSW members are observing social distancing and Victorian members are striking from home.”

Email the CEO of Officeworks using this page: https://www.unitedworkers.org.au/officeworks-action

23/08/2020

Tomorrow, across NSW and Victoria, Officeworks members will stop work for 24 hours in their fight to win secure work and a fair payrise.

Officeworks has seen record sales during the pandemic, up to 28% increase, of which members have done the majority of the work fulfilling online orders. But Officeworks refuses to shift their less than inflation wage offer of 2% or look at any of the clauses to improve job security for workers.

Workers are also calling for community members to support the action by not shopping at Officeworks, either online or in person, on Monday 24 August. Spread the word to friends and family.

Tomorrow workers at the strike will host a live stream. You can follow on here: Online Picket Line - Officeworks Distribution Centres

23/08/2020

Essential history for all union members everywhere.

13/08/2020

Strike Rate has an instagram! Follow us to keep up to date with what we are doing. ✊🏻

https://www.instagram.com/p/CD0u9cjg765/?igshid=iwl3nl0gef5b

11/08/2020

We Are Not Machines. 1984
Bob Clutterbuck, screenprint

This poster features Yvonne Gruszin's su***de note from April, 1983. She was an office worker who suffered the social and physical strains of severe RSI. You can view it in high quality here: https://artsearch.nga.gov.au/detail.cfm?irn=77398

10/08/2020

Boots Riley’s movie “Sorry to Bother you” is on Netflix! The film is a must watch for anyone who works in a call centre or has an interest in unionism. It follows the life of African-American, Cassius Green and his experience climbing the ranks of sale call centre. Eventually, his colleagues, tired of making low wages unionise and go on strike. Perfect to watch during isolation :-)

09/08/2020

Union members of Melbourne call centre stand in solidarity with the people of Beirut. Protesters are currently protesting against the leaders of Lebanon following the huge blast that devastated the city earlier on this week. The explosion, killing over 150 people and injuring thousands more, has exasperated an already dire economic and political situation.

“At first we were asking them. We had demands. But today we’re not asking anymore; we are acting, we are taking back what is ours.”

More info on what is happening in Beirut below.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/beirut-braces-for-protests-as-grief-over-blast-turns-to-fury-resign-or-hang/2020/08/08/5c050e3e-d8e2-11ea-a788-2ce86ce81129_story.html?utm_campaign=wp_post_most&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&wpisrc=nl_most

06/08/2020

A brilliant article about call centres workers speaking out about their experiences during the pandemic!

Terrific article on the dire situation facing call centre workers in Melbourne - and how a well organised workplace rebellion at one call centre won important concessions.

"Before the pandemic, hand sanitiser was available on every group workstation at Serco’s Mill Park call centre. When hand sanitiser started selling out of shops, Serco stopped providing it – according to Chris, because management thought staff would steal it. When management eventually started making it available again, the Mill Park workers noticed the same brand now had a thinner consistency. Workers believe management had watered it down."

https://redflag.org.au/node/7304

photo: SRC workers take a stand early in the pandemic -- from Strike Rate: https://www.facebook.com/strikerate.UWU/

30/07/2020

Deadline for submissions is the 12th of August!
Get writing and drawing ASAP :-)

29/07/2020

Calling for submissions to Strike Rate!

Thanks to everyone who has submitted their art and articles so far.
We are still accepting submissions, we are looking for work about what it’s like to work at a call centre. This can include articles about union organising, social justice, working though the pandemic, issues of causal and insecure work and stories about the reality of call centre work.

Msg us here or email your submission to [email protected]

26/07/2020

“Due to cases of Covid-19, a large number of workers at various Melbourne inbound call centres have been stood down, some without pay.

While there is a big push to unionise these call centres, many do not have the union strength enjoyed at call centres such as IPSOS and SRC.

These call centres took the gamble, stayed open and decided to play chicken with the virus. They felt it would be cheaper.”

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/jul/24/serco-stands-down-melbourne-call-centre-staff-without-pay-on-one-days-notice

Covid-19 outbreak sees multinational indefinitely shut down centre that had been processing Centrelink calls