
On The Job
The way we work, how work is changing, how it used to be and what it might look like in the future.
It’s about who we work with, and who we work for.
It’s a discussion about the conditions in which we work and the demands of a job.
It’s talking about how it can be the best thing in our lives and also the worst.
Work can give us meaning and satisfaction, it can be the most challenging thing we’ve ever done and the most soul destroying days of our lives.
And that can all be in the same week!
Above all, we want to talk about work in a way that helps make work better for everyonewho listens.Authorised by Sally McManus, Australian Council of Trade Unions, Melbourne.
Latest episodes

May 2, 2021 • 23min
Ross Garnaut on Australia's reset.
What sort of economy, what kind of jobs, what type of communities do Australians want to emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic?These are the questions that revered economist Ross Garnaut addresses in his new book "Reset - Restoring Australia after the Pandemic Recession."Ross Garnaut joins Francis and Sally to discuss how the current crisis offers Australia to build an exciting future that incorporates a net-zero economy, new smart manufacturing, and good, secure jobs. More about On The Job podcast Need help with working conditions? Call Australian Union Support Centre - 1300 486 466 About the hosts Sally Rugg, Executive director at Change.org Australia - @sallyrugg Francis Leach, ACTU - @SaintFranklySupport the show: https://www.onthejobpodcast.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Apr 26, 2021 • 31min
The history of May Day.
The 1st of May has been a special day for workers all over the globe. May Day has been a celebration of the solidarity and achievements of workers movements across generations, continents and cultures. What is its back story? Where did it all begin and why has it continued to matter? And what is Australia’s unique role in the history of May Day?Our favourite historian, Dr. Liam Byrne returns to the podcast to tell us. More about On The Job podcast Need help with working conditions? Call Australian Union Support Centre - 1300 486 466 About the hosts Sally Rugg, Executive director at Change.org Australia - @sallyrugg Francis Leach, ACTU - @SaintFranklySupport the show: https://www.onthejobpodcast.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Apr 18, 2021 • 35min
Why winning elections matters for workers.
Elections matter for workers. That is the lesson that was reinforced by the failure of Labor win the 2019 Federal poll. Since then, the Morrison Government has attempted to pass more draconian anti-worker and union busting laws. So far they’ve been thwarted from getting everything they want, but they’ll be back for another crack if they win another election. Misha Zelinsky is National Assistant Secretary at the Australian Workers Union (AWU) and he is a guest this week. He’s been writing recently about the importance of Labor and the union movement realigning its relationship with working Australians. Professor Sara Charlesworth from RMIT is also on the pod. She is an expert Work, Gender & Regulations and talks to us about why its vital the government move quickly to enact the recommendations of the recent Respect at Work Report. More about On The Job podcast Need help with working conditions? Call Australian Union Support Centre - 1300 486 466 About the hosts Sally Rugg, Executive director at Change.org Australia - @sallyrugg Francis Leach, ACTU - @SaintFrankly Support the show: https://www.onthejobpodcast.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Apr 11, 2021 • 36min
The Billionaires Picnic
This week, Francis & Sally catch up with Mike Seccombe from The Saturday Paper to discuss how Australia’s billionaires actually doubled their wealth throughout the COVID-19 pandemic whilst workers were struggling to make ends meet. Also, do you know if the clothes you own have been ethically made? Angela Bell from Ethical Clothing Australia joins us to talk about the new online map that helps people find ethical threads! More about On The Job podcast Need help with working conditions? Call Australian Union Support Centre - 1300 486 466 About the hosts Sally Rugg, Executive director at Change.org Australia - @sallyrugg Francis Leach, ACTU - @SaintFranklySupport the show: https://www.onthejobpodcast.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Apr 5, 2021 • 44min
Amazon orders in the trolls.
The world’s largest online retailer, Amazon, is not phased by much, but when workers at one of its biggest warehouses in the United States started to organise to join a union, the tech shopping monster lost the plot. Jessa Crispin is an independent journalist in the US. She has has been writing about workers at Amazon for a number of years. She joins from Francis and Sally to discuss the campaign by workers at Amazon, and the company’s attempts online to go full Trump with a strategy of trolling its critics. Also - can you really teach empathy in the workplace?Derek Linsell is the founder and CEO of Apricot Consulting, a company dedicated to improving cultures and behaviour within organisations and institutions. He joins us to discuss the sudden demand for the “empathy coach”, and what it takes to turn around organisations that have poor workplace cultures. More about On The Job podcast Need help with working conditions? Call Australian Union Support Centre - 1300 486 466 About the hosts Sally Rugg, Executive director at Change.org Australia - @sallyrugg Francis Leach, ACTU - @SaintFranklySupport the show: https://www.onthejobpodcast.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mar 28, 2021 • 30min
The end of JobKeeper - what now for workers?
The JobKeeper wage supplement comes to an end this week. Millions of Australian workers have relied on the payments to stay afloat during the pandemic and the economic crisis that came with it.So, what happens now? We catch up with veteran economics journalist with The New Daily, Michael Pascoe, to discuss what's to come for Australian workers now the Morrison government has withdrawn JobKeeper. Also, it's Melbourne International Comedy Festival time! Comedian Danny McGinlay joins us to talk about how he survived a year without laughs - and work - and how important JobKeeper was to him getting through 2020. More about On The Job podcast Need help with working conditions? Call Australian Union Support Centre - 1300 486 466 About the hosts Sally Rugg, Executive director at Change.org Australia - @sallyrugg Francis Leach, ACTU - @SaintFranklySupport the show: https://www.onthejobpodcast.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mar 21, 2021 • 42min
The vaccine rollout and the fight against Spotify.
On this week’s episode, Francis and Sally speak with ACTU Assistant Secretary Liam O’Brien about how the COVID vaccine rollout will impact your working life. Also, musicians are calling out Spotify for its paltry payment to musicians for streaming their music. Joey DeFranceso from the United Musicians and Allied Workers Union joins the podcast on the line from New York to talk about their campaign. More about On The Job podcast Need help with working conditions? Call Australian Union Support Centre - 1300 486 466 About the hosts Sally Rugg, @sallyrugg Francis Leach, @SaintFrankly Support the show: https://www.onthejobpodcast.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mar 14, 2021 • 38min
Trolls, threats and female journalists
In this week’s episode, Francis and Sally sit down with journalist Karen Percy to discuss the avalanche of online threats and abuse female journalists face and a new project that has been launched to tackle the scourge of trolling and online misogyny that women working in the media are subjected to. And we also get to meet Scott Goodings, Australia’s most celebrated TV historian, who kicks off a new segment on the pod called “Jobs on TV”.First up, it’s taxi drivers! More about On The Job podcast Need help with working conditions? Call Australian Union Support Centre - 1300 486 466 About the hosts Sally Rugg, Executive director at Change.org Australia - @sallyrugg Francis Leach, ACTU - @SaintFranklySupport the show: https://www.onthejobpodcast.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mar 7, 2021 • 22min
Still waiting for the show to go on.
For tens of thousands of Australian artists and performers, their livelihoods came to a screeching halt when COVID19 struck in early 2020. Many of them have yet to return to the work they love, as the perils of performing in front of live audiences - the thing they love most - still prevents them from doing what they do best. On this week's episode, Francis and Sally chat with writer, director, producer, and performer Maeve Marsden to discuss how she, and others in the artistic community, are navigating the ongoing pandemic that has stalled their careers - at least for now. Maeve has produced, directed, and performed in a host of theatrical productions that have toured Australia, New Zealand and the UK. Maeve directs Queerstories, a national storytelling project with an award-winning podcast that has brought more than 250 writers to the stage at sold out events around the country, with a collection of stories Maeve edited, published by Hachette and launched at the Sydney Opera House in 2018. More about On The Job podcast Need help with working conditions? Call Australian Union Support Centre - 1300 486 466 About the hosts Sally Rugg, Executive director at Change.org Australia - @sallyrugg Francis Leach, ACTU - @SaintFranklySupport the show: https://www.onthejobpodcast.com.au/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Feb 28, 2021 • 31min
Need a pay rise? There’s an app for that!
Meggie Palmer, creator of PepTalkHer, joins the podcast to discuss how her app is empowering women to improve their wages and conditions by reframing their thinking about their value in the workplace. The podcast also addresses the growing crisis of silicosis lung disease among workers and the need for better protection and protocols.