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Young Workers Centre's
August Newsletter 2025
🌞 Welcome back to another newsletter! 🌞We have now hit 5000 signatures on our end Junior Wages petition!!! Let's not stop now, sign and share to help keep up the pressure!!
unions for peace padre coffee workers union winter skills week un youth visit grill'd on strike junior wages planning treaty training YWC in the news
Unions for Peace Rally
We are marching together this Sunday to reaffirm our solidarity with the people of Palestine, and call for an end to the escalating violence and destruction in Gaza.
So get your friends and workmates together and join us at Trades Hall for a BBQ, before we set off to State Library to join the Nationwide March for Palestine!
Padre Coffee Update!
Workers at Padre have joined their union and are fighting for dignified and fair conditions, yet the company has refused to offer anything to the workers who actually do the most important work!
"A big part of why joined the union is to fight for better wages. I love my job, I love my team, I love coming to work but every fortnight on payday I have a panic attack because I can't afford to live."
Lili, roaster at Padre Coffee.
We chatted to the workers on why they unionised and what advice they have for other workers!
Over 1000 of us have signed the petition in support of the workers and still with no movement from the business, the workers will be gearing up to take protected action. Stay tuned to hear more!
Union Winter
 Congratulations to our graduating Union Winter cohort!!❄️We had 9 passionate young people placed at HACSU, AEU, ANMF, AWU and UWU.
These young people shadowed organisers, learnt all about the day-to-day work that goes on in unions and presented their projects on how to engage more young people in the union movement.
We love seeing the fresh ideas and passion that young people are ready to bring to the union movement. Special thanks to the unions involved, we always hear back how incredible their experiences are thanks to the effort and time that is put in to show interns what is done in the fight for workers!! ✊✊✊
Want a chance to do the paid internship too?? Union Summer runs for 3 weeks in February 2026. Fill out an EOI for Union Summer 2026!
National Skills Week!
National Skills Week is the 25th-31st of August and we are asking once again to end Junior Apprentice Wages!!
Apprentice wages are already so low, and because of a loophole, apprentices can be kept on junior wages even after they're of an adult apprentice age if they start even just one day before they turn 21. See Angus explain here.
We are also hosting an exciting event for National Skills Week all about Apprentice Rights and Readiness!
When: Wednesday August 27, 2025 • 1pm - 2:30pm
Where: Trades Hall, Solidarity Hall and Online via Teams
In this workshop, we’ll dive into:
✔️ Key issues apprentices face
✔️ How to spot red flags 🚩
✔️ Where to get help if things go wrong 🤝
Come along!!
Un Youth Ambassador
At the end of July, we met with Satara Uthayakumaran, Australia’s Youth Representative to the United Nations for 2025.
As the UN youth rep, Satara spends the year touring the country and talking with young people and organisations for young people. Then she will be consolidating her findings in a report, that will be shared with government and leaders from business and civil society. She will also present her findings at the United Nations General Assembly in New York!
Satara visited us at Trades Hall on her listening tour, where we talked about the issues concerning young workers in Victoria and nationwide. We covered wage theft, junior wages, discrimination and the importance of unionism and being in a union for young workers! Thanks for visiting! 🌞
See more about Satara and UN Youth here.
Grill'd on Strike ❌🍔
Last year, Grill’d workers made history by leading Australia’s first ever fast food strike. At the end of June this year, Grill’d workers went on strike again across the country over poor wages, insecure work and dodgy traineeships.
By making workers “trainees,” Grill’d steals millions in government funding while using the loophole to pay workers way under the minimum wage. Those under 18 are paid EVEN less because of discriminatory junior wages. 🤮
Watch our video with Alannah, one of the junior workers striking over the traineeship loophole that means she’s paid just $11 an hour. She has to work 2 hours just to afford a burger and chips at Grill'd!! 😠
They’re fighting for an end to junior rates, real pay, not fake “traineeships”, respect at work and a fair agreement. Although the company-backed enterprise agreement has been voted up, the workers are still fighting to make Grill'd a dignified workplace. Check out grilldworkersunited.org or follow their instagram to get involved!!
Junior Wages Campaign Planning
We've been running monthly activist planning sessions to ramp up the fight to end Junior Wages! Junior wages are unfair, discriminatory, and keep young people behind.
During this month’s planning session, young workers and activists organised, shared ideas, and planned future actions.
We also heard from an organiser at United Workers Union and drew inspiration from the recent struggles of Grill'd workers, and what it's like leading the first fast food worker strikes in Australia’s history!
If you're passionate about ending Junior Wages, we want you involved! Come along to our next activist planning meeting and be part of the change!
When: Thursday 4th September 6pm – 7:30pm
Where: Victorian Trades Hall Council
Whether you've been part of this from the start or just jumping in, we need your voice in the room. This is our campaign and ours to win!
Together for Treaty Training
For our Solidarity night in August, we brought a team of Young Worker activists down to Common Threads Together for Treaty Training. This was a chance for us to step up and stand alongside First Nations peoples in the fight for Treaty, Truth, and Justice!
Together, we learned how to build support for Treaty in our communities with sessions including:
🔥 The time for Treaty is now. And we need you to keep the fire burning! 🔥
Join us this weekend for the Together for Treaty Campaign Kick Off with Common Threads.
📍Trades Hall - 54 Victoria St -Carlton, VIC 3053
⏰ Sunday, 24 August, 3pm - 5pm
You'll hear from an incredible panel of Common Threads speakers about what Treaty means, get inspired for action in your local area, and take home some merch to show your loud, proud support! RSVP here!
Young Workers in the News!
 A Melbourne Uni Law School survey of 2,814 workers aged under 30 found that wage theft is rampant for young people, with one-third paid $15 an hour or less, far less than the minimum wage of $24.95, and one-in-four workers reported not being paid superannuation!!
Other issues young people reported:
- 60% had had to pay for work-related items or activities, such as uniforms, protective equipment, training or car fuel
- 36% had been forbidden to take entitled breaks
- 34% were not paid for work during a trial period
We spoke to the ABC, The Guardian and SBS on the dire situation for young workers and how the report is shocking but not surprising. We hear these stories first hand whether it's when we talk to young workers or apprentices at schools and Tafes around Victoria or through our clients coming to our legal centre.
We also see more and more young people standing up and fighting back against exploitation and joining their union or getting help from us or their ASOs! 💪 Change IS possible!!
Book a visit
School visits bookings are open from term 4 onwards via our typeform here! We have availability for TAFE apprentice readiness sessions though, so email us at [email protected] to book!
We work to ensure that young workers have the knowledge and tools they need to navigate the complexities of work and unite in advocating for their rights. This newsletter keeps you up to date with what young workers are fighting for!
In solidarity,
The Young Workers Centre
P.S We've hit 5k signatures on our petition to end Junior Wages!!! Let's get to 6k and make Junior Wages history!! Sign now.
Young Workers Centre acknowledges the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin nation; the First Peoples of the Country on which VTHC stands. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present, and to all young emerging leaders in First Peoples communities. This land was stolen and First Peoples sovereignty has never been ceded. This always was and always will be Aboriginal land.
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