Unemployed people and other concerned community members have started a group called Unemployed VOICE; Victims Of Industrial Cuts to Employment (UV). There are about twenty people involved and the group is now looking to build its base amongst unemployed workers from all over Victoria and eventually all of Australia. The long term goal is to spark and help organise a united mass campaign fighting for real solutions and job creation.

The current initiatives of the government to tackle unemployment are insubstantial and irresponsible. Blaming the unemployed by forcing them to work to the value of the dole every week does nothing except place blame on the individual for being unemployed and makes them feel they must earn their right to a tiny income barely enough to feed, house and clothe themselves on creating a sense of worthlessness because of this dependency. Working for the dole also does nothing to create jobs in fact it is highly likely that it will lead to more jobs being lost to people currently employed full time in industries where unemployed labour will be used under the scheme.

A 35 hour week now!

A real solution to create jobs is to decrease the working week of people currently employed full time. In Australia four million people work full time the average working week of these four million workers is 42 two hours. A reduction of seven hours a week to 35 hours would create 800,000 new 35 hour a week jobs. UV also hopes to build links with workers in struggle and to encourage them to also take up the call for a 35 hour week. Unemployed voice believes this is a strategy that the government should take up immediately.

The group has been holding pickets at what were known to us all until recently as the DSS office but have now been dressed up with a new logo and name CENTRELINK. The question that we should ask is just how much this little public relations stunt cost and what opportunities it created for unemployed Australians? The pickets have been lively and well received by the people coming and going to the office. At Footscray over 30 names were collected on a petition against work for the dole and we distributed over 200 hundred leaflets advertising our meetings and our ideas on fixing unemployment. We also held a picket at the channel nine studios in Melbourne on the night of the Jobs For Australians extravaganza which was lots of fun with placards like 'Make Ray work for the dole', we also received some media coverage of our own helping us build a profile in the broader community.

Upcoming actions

An exciting action is being planned for the 27th of October when the next round of statistics are released. We are organising a Funeral For Australian Jobs and will build a coffin with the unemployed figure on it and march in a funeral procession through the city with placards highlighting the responsibility of companies like Telstra and BHP who continue to throw workers on the unemployment heap.

It is easy to see that there is plenty of work to be done and we can use all the help we can get. Our meetings are open to all but we especially encourage unemployed people to come on Mondays at 1pm Ross House 247 Flinders lane ground floor meeting room.