Every week we see reports of employers disregarding the safety and rights of apprentices and other young and vulnerable workers. The following prosecutions are just two of this week’s cases.
Read on to see what union members and the Young Workers Centre are doing in standing together to demand safe apprenticeships and good jobs.
$12.5K FINE FOR INJURED COMPANY DIRECTOR WHO PLACED SELF AND TWO APPRENTICES AT RISK
Brighton & Bayside Developments Pty Ltd, a small construction company, was adding a second story to a residential property when the company director fell from height and sustained two broken vertebrae.
On the day of the incident in March 2024 the company director was working with two apprentices on the second storey of the building. The framing of the second storey was not complete, and between the first and ground floors there was an open stair void. The workers were using a ladder placed in the stair void for access between the ground and first floors, with the ladder not braced or secured at either top or bottom, and without the minimum step-off height of 900mm.
The company director was climbing down the ladder when it slipped out from beneath him and he fell two to three metres to the floor. An ambulance transported the director to hospital and WorkSafe attended the site.
WorkSafe inspected the site and issued five Improvement Notices addressing risks identified at the workplace, all of which were complied with promptly by the company. The inspector found that although a Safe Work Method Statement (SWMS) had been prepared for the work prior to the incident, it did not identify specific hazards or control measures.
Brighton & Bayside Developments has been fined $12,500 for failing to reduce the risk associated with a fall by using a compliant ladder and for the failure of the SWMS to comply with the Regulations, and for their failure to provide information, instruction and training to employees as was necessary for them to perform work in a safe and healthy way.
Read more: Prosecution Result Summaries and Enforceable Undertakings | WorkSafe Victoria
SOLE-TRADER ELECTRICIAN FINED FOR PUTTING SELF AND APPRENTICE AT RISK
Luman Electrics, a sole-trader business specialising in installation of rooftop solar systems, has been fined $2,500 for failing to reduce the risk of a fall and for performing high risk construction work without ensuring the work was performed in accordance with a SWMS.
In April 2024 the electrician and his apprentice were observed, by a WorkSafe inspector, standing and working on the pitched roof of a single-storey house in Doveton with no fall protection.
The inspector determined that the gutter adjacent to where the access ladder was located was in excess of 2 metres, no Safe Work Method Statement (SWMS) had been prepared, and despite guard railing being available onsite it had not been installed.
The inspector provided the employer with a copy of WorkSafe’s handbook Work Safely in the Housing Construction Industry and ensured that the employer installed the guard railing. The employer was charged with two breaches of s.21(1) of the OHS Act for failing to reduce the risk of a fall from height and for performing high risk construction work creating and complying with a SWMS.
Read more: Prosecution Result Summaries and Enforceable Undertakings | WorkSafe Victoria
YOUNG WORKERS CENTRE ADDRESSES SYSTEMIC FAILURES IN APPRENTICESHIP SYSTEM
Every Victorian is better off when we know our apprentices are safe, highly trained and ready to become the tradies we all rely on. But right now, it’s easier to hire an apprentice than to hire a car – and these are young lives and futures at stake.
The Young Workers Centre (YWC) has a vision in which young people are safe at work, do not suffer harassment or bullying, and are provided their legal entitlements. They are a one-stop-shop for young workers who want to learn more about their rights at work or who need assistance in resolving workplace issues. Their team of lawyers, organisers, educators and researchers seek to empower young people working in Victoria with the knowledge and skills needed to end workplace exploitation and insecurity.
For several years, YWC has called attention to the need for urgent systemic change, having documented an increase in apprentice exploitation across all sectors and noting that a shocking 77% of their legal clients are apprentices.
The YWC and union members have campaigned for the Victorian Government to address apprenticeship issues – including low apprenticeship completion rates (52.3% in Victoria) and high rates of workplace injuries. In response, the Victorian Government established the Apprenticeships Taskforce to consult across the apprenticeship system with a focus on the lived experience of apprentices and trainees. The Taskforce’s Report made 16 recommendations to the government to improve outcomes for apprentices and trainees.
In October 2024 the Victorian Government accepted all of the report’s recommendations and committed to their implementation. Then YWC Director Felicity Sowerbutts said “This is an important win for young workers. The Government’s commitments today will mean safer and fairer apprenticeships for young workers in Victoria.”
We want Victoria to be a state where young people feel safe and respected at work - it's only by standing together that we can make that happen. Volunteers are a crucial part of the Young Workers community. Sign up and get involved today!
The Young Workers Centre is also campaigning right now to end junior apprentice wages. you can find out more about the Junior Wages campaign here - Young Workers Centre | End Junior Wages.
Young workers in Australia lose out on about $3 billion every year because of junior wage laws - and it's mostly pocketed up by multinational giants. These big corporations shouldn't be able to take advantage of these young workers by paying them a lower rate for the same job. Junior wages are based on unfair and outdated assumptions about young people's living costs - but times have changed.
We are petitioning the government to strike out junior wages from all awards, remove junior apprenticeship wages and give young workers super for every dollar they earn under the age of 18.
To end discriminatory Junior Wages and win fair wages for all ages, we need the Federal Government to change legislation. That will only happen if we show the politicians that this issue has massive community support - i.e. that there are votes to be won if they act!
Sign the petition here to become a part of the campaign. We will send you news about important actions we are taking together to win change. We want to get to 5,000 signatures ASAP!
