Domestic violence clause in AMWU agreement with Heinz

The Australian Manufacturing Workers’ Union [AMWU] has recently concluded a collective agreement with the transnational food company Heinz that includes a domestic violence clause.

It is based on the guidelines of the national center ACTU’s Work – Life Policy adopted in 2012, and provides for additional paid leave for absences related to family or domestic violence, flexible work arrangements, confidentiality, workplace safety strategies to ensure protection of employees, referral to appropriate domestic violence support services, adequate training of contact persons.

In a statement to the UN in New York on March 7 this year, an ACTU spokesperson said: “Unions saw the critical role for them to help women keep their jobs and economic independence by being able to access paid leave to help them escape domestic violence. Unions were the drivers of this bargaining – almost all of the agreements were achieved because unions pushed for the clause in their bargaining.”

To read the full ACTU statement, click here
http://www.actu.org.au/Media/Mediareleases/UnionsaddressUNasAustralialeadstheworldinprotectionsfordomesticviolencevictims.aspx