Article in Jacobin by Dave Kerin and Dan Musil

Australia’s “superannuation wars” are still raging. The current debate is about whether increasing employer superannuation payments will or won’t affect wage growth. But this misses the most important point.

Although they are misleadingly referred to as “employer contributions,” superannuation payments are neither a gift nor a tax on wages. For workers in formal employment, superannuation payments are part of our wage, paid into collective funds, to be managed in our collective interest.

Scott Morrison’s Liberal government accepts this principle when it finds it convenient. As soon as the pandemic hit, it allowed workers to withdraw up to $20,000 from their superannuation accounts. Given that the alternative would have been to fund a social safety net, you can see why the Liberals chose the first option, which shifted the financial burden onto workers.

But there’s a more worrying side to this. Morrison’s move was also part of a long-term push to wrest away what little control workers and unions exercise over super funds that are worth almost $3 trillion AUD.

Read the rest in Jacobin.

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The Australian protesters called for the Federal Government to commit to:

• No new coal, oil or gas projects
• 100 per cent renewable energy generation and exports by 2030
• Funding for “a just transition and job creation for all fossil fuel industry workers and communities

On top of the tens of thousands of students who led the march and walked out of school, more than 2,500 Australian businesses took part, either closing their doors or allowing their employees to walk off the job. We at Earthworker Cooperative believe that any successful climate movement must put worker’s rights at it’s centre. For a sustainable future we must be looking at creating more dignified, healthy jobs for all. Get in touch if you’d like to get more involved with Earthworker or join us on the next climate strike.

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