The Secure Jobs, Better Pay Bill: Multi-Employer Bargaining
The current system for translators and interpreters to negotiate improvements to their pay and working conditions is broken.
Low pay, insecure and often precarious working conditions are driving translators and interpreters out of the profession. LSPs are meeting demand often with unqualified and non-credentialled bilingual individuals – putting both the profession and the community at risk.
The language services industry is dominated by small business, most without enterprise agreements in place. Instead, professionals work for multiple providers as either contractors or employees on individual contracts - both reliant on the bottom of the barrel pay and conditions with the latter underpinned, at best, by the National Employment Standards.
Translators and interpreters are subject to varying and ever-changing unilateral decisions around pay and conditions designed to accommodate the LSPs latest tender submission. A single LSP can have multiple tiers setting out different fees for different client groups.
It’s time for change.
The federal government has recently introduced the Secure Jobs, Better Pay Bill into parliament - the Bill proposes a number of positive changes to the Fair Work Act, including access to multi-employer bargaining.
If passed, the proposed legislation offers translators and interpreters with a real opportunity to collectively bargain for pay and conditions on a multi-employer level resulting in workplace agreements that would enhance pay and conditions across the sector.
Take action through TIA’s campaign.
Your local federal Member of Parliament (MP) is currently deciding whether to support the legislation to improve access to a bargaining system which is simple, fair, and accessible for all.
To assist this decision making process, TIA is currently running a letter writing campaign, encouraging members and supporters across Australia to email your local MP and ask them to meet with you to discuss how a fairer bargaining system will give translators and interpreters a fair go.
We will help you prepare so you are confident and can get results.
Send your letter today