Workers' struggles in Australia intensify - make the rich pay
Written by: Ned K. on 20 March 2026
(Two days after this was taken and diesel is up to $3 per litre. Photo supplied)
The US imperialist war of aggression in the Middle East is impacting on workers' lives in Australia. The most obvious impact is the rising price of fuel which in turn is leading to rising prices of everyday goods.
The Reserve Bank chipped in by lifting interest rates to 4.1% which the big four Banks seized as an opportunity for squeezing workers even more by raising their interest rates to about 6.5%.
The Albanese Government’s automatic reaction to support Trump's war on Iran is coming back to bite them, with Treasurer Chalmers telegraphing a tough budget (for working people) in May and language similar to Keating's "the recession we had to have".
Alarm bells are ringing in the ACTU as they realize that to maintain credibility with union members, they will have to put up a show at the Fair Work Commission for an "above inflation" wage rise at the National Wage Case held in April- May. The ACTU have put out an online request for union members to express their view about the need for an "above inflation" wage rise to apply in minimum rates Awards from 1 July 2026.
Workers who are employed under Enterprise Agreements continue to use the very limited "protected industrial action" provisions of the Fair Work Act to win real wage increases. In recent weeks this has included strike action by hundreds of Casino workers at Crown Casino and action by Queensland public sector workers against attempts by the Queensland Government to cut wages.
In the pipeline, workers in dairy food manufacturing are getting organized to protect and extend incomes by aligning Enterprise Agreement expiring dates so they can unite as an industry through a multi-employer agreement. BHP workers most of whom are FIFO workers will be "greeting" the new BHP CEO with united action to ensure real wage increases.
The working class will always find a way to resist attempts by imperialism and its parliamentary governments to make workers take a hit for imperialism's economic crises exacerbated by imperialist wars.
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