Sydney Alliance - On Lost Jobs

“I’ve lost my job and I can’t fly home” - Maroubra

“I skip my lunch and breakfast to make sure I don’t run out of my grocery” – Castle Hill

“My savings run out next Friday” - Eastwood

“I’ve paid taxes for three years and now I’ve been stood down and have nothing” - Redfern

“Citizens are priority and I have no chance of getting a help to get by through jobseeker as I am not a resident. I am basically a ghost for society and left to my own fate.’ – Parramatta

“Since this COVID-19 crisis has happened, everything has gone wrong. I lost my job 2 weeks ago. I work as a carpenter and because I’m not an Australian citizen, I was the easy choice to stand down.” - Liverpool

These are some of what we’ve heard this week from some of the 2.6 million casual workers, most visa holders and those working in the cash economy excluded under the Job Keeper policy announced this week.

Economic disaster, Coronavirus, hunger, homelessness or exploitation don't stop to ask a person’s visa status. It is just not possible to keep 25 million people healthy if half a million people are vulnerable to this virus because they are falling through the cracks. We are all in this together after all.

The vision:

Sydney Alliance is calling on state and Federal government to ensure everyone living in Australia is able to access Job Keeper, the social safety net, a safe home and Medicare.

Today’s ask:

Parliament has been called on Wednesday 8^th of April to pass the Job Keeper legislation. The Alliance wants to see an expansion of Job Keeper to cover all workers in Australia.

Can you call your local MP today?
(Friday 3rd of April) or Monday? (Who’s my MP?)
Particularly members of the Coalition.

Call out to religious organisations with worship this weekend:
Can your parish, congregation, mosque, temple or synagogue include this issue in the teaching/sermon or prayers? If so let us know, we are compiling a list of the very many religious groups across the country who will be speaking out on this issue over the weekend.
Please email me by 12pm Sunday, direct dbarrow@sydneyalliance.org.au if your congregation, parish, synagogue, mosque or temple can make this commitment.

Share your story

We are compiling stories of those affected.

We are particularly interested in hearing stories from managers and small business owners who have to face difficult decisions on choosing between keeping on citizens covered by job keepers or migrant workers facing destitution. Please email me direct dbarrow@sydneyalliance.org.au

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Resources:

We are all in this together, Australia cannot leave migrants behind as we face COVID-19.

The historic JobKeeper scheme is designed to keep people connected to their workplaces and to keep communities going at a time of crisis.

Everyone in our community should be able to access real support during a public health emergency.

We need to expand the JobKeeper scheme to ensure the eligibility of all employees in Australia, regardless of their visa status or how long they’ve been working in their current job.

Australian politicians say they are proud of our multicultural nation. These words must mean something.

We cannot say we are proud of our cultural diversity if we leave people behind in times of peril. Without a safety net, the many migrants who contribute to our society will be trapped in Australia and living in poverty. This is wrong. It will also make it harder for Australia to recover from the COVID-19 crisis.

That’s why we are calling on Prime Minister Morrison and the National Cabinet to show leadership and include migrant workers as part of the JobKeeper Scheme.

The facts: Unions NSW and Victorian Migrant Workers Centre have had over 6000 people surveyed in the last four days:

• 50% of temporary migrants are now unemployed as a direct impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Another 18% have seen their hours significantly reduced.
• 1 in 2 is currently living off savings and expects these to run out within a matter of weeks.
• 7% of temporary migrants are receiving no form of government income support during this time of hardship, and only 1.5% has accessed support from a charitable organisation.
• The strain is mounting, 20% of temporary migrants are currently sharing a bedroom to reduce expenses, while 26% are unable to pay rent and feel they soon will be evicted and 3.5% currently have no place to stay.
• The basic human right of access to food is now in question, with a staggering 43% of temporary migrants already skipping meals on a regular basis as a financial consequence of COVID-19.
• Temporary migrants are particularly vulnerable to current work restrictions, as 35% and 25% are normally employed as casual and part-time respectively, with 46% having been employed as a waiter, kitchenhand, cleaner or retail assistant.
• 19% of respondents planned to leave Australia if unemployed although, this option has been cut off. 33% are expecting to rely on partners or friends in order to endure the crisis.

• 93% don’t have money to pay the rent
• 26%don’t have money to pay tuition fees
• 89%are living off savings and expect them to run out in few weeks.
• 02%current wages are not enough to cover their weekly expenses
• 80% already doesn’t have money to 1 week of expenses

Hope to hear from you,

David Barrow
http://www.sydneyalliance.org.au/

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