Invasion Day rallies will take place nationwide this week on 26 January, with hundreds of thousands of workers calling for treaty and sovereignty to take priority over a voice to parliament.
NTEU is advocating for staff to be given the option to work on the day whilst swapping the public holiday for a different day off.
National President Alison Barnes said “Allowing a choice of whether to work or not acknowledges that many in our community don’t want to mark the anniversary of genocide, dispossession and suffering with a public holiday”.
NTEU support the Invasion day rallies and we encourage all members to attend local rallies as a commitment to the process of truth-telling in this country. As unionists dedicated to the process of collective action and bargaining, we believe that the path to justice lies in the negotiation of treaties with traditional owner groups.
In 2002, NTEU committed to the Ten Point Plan for a Post-Treat Union. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander business is union business and 20 years on, we remain committed to walking with Indigenous workers in the fight for recognition of sovereignty and for treaties.
See here to find out more about events in your area on January 26.