A debate about penalty rates ought to involve the cash economy. Image sourced from www.shutterstock.com

Penalty rates and their role in Australia’s cash economy

Amid the ongoing debate over the future of penalty rates, a subtle but important issue also deserves to be examined: their impact on Australia’s “cash economy”. The Fair Work Commission is currently reviewing…
Twelve months after the devastating factory collapse in Bangladesh, safety regulations are still not up to scratch. EPA/Abir Abdullah

One year on from Rana Plaza collapse, work still to be done

One year ago on the 24th of April 2013, the horrific Rana Plaza disaster in Bangladesh claimed at least 1,129 lives and galvanised industry and government into action. Worldwide condemnation for lax safety…
The Bangladesh government has responded to international calls to improve their labour laws, but a fraught political environment could threaten gains. AAP

Will gains for Bangladesh workers founder on political reality?

In the two months since the collapse of the Rana Plaza in Bangladesh left 1129 people dead and hundreds more still unaccounted for, world attention has turned from the actual cause of the incident to scrutinising…
Could the collapse of Rana Plaza in Bangladesh’s Savar district be a catalyst for reform of the global sweat shop trade? AAP/ Abir Abdullah

Bangladesh disaster shows why we must urgently clean up global sweat shops

The disastrous building collapse in Bangladesh’s capital of Dhaka which has killed hundreds of ill-fated garment workers and wounded thousands, has finally shone some well-needed light into the murky business…

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