Today the Maritime Union of Australia launched its campaign to introduce Family and Domestic Violence Solidarity Leave into every Maritime workplace.
MUA Sydney Branch Secretary Paul Keating said "Family and Domestic Violence continues to occur in Australia at catastrophic levels. In Australia a woman is killed by a man known to her approximately every four days. We cannot continue to sit by idly and allow this to continue".
In early 2023 the Federal Government made 10 days paid Domestic Violence Leave a workplace right for everyone working in Australia. This was a huge leap forward. The MUA is pushing that initiative further, by introducing Family and Domestic Violence Solidarity Leave.
Sydney Branch Organiser Shane Reside said "this leave is for maritime workers to render assistance to their loved ones in times of crisis. For example, if my sister in Brisbane was to call me today in tears because her partner has torn the house to pieces, I could get in the car, drive up to Brisbane, pick her and the kids up and bring them back to safety. That would all be covered by this category of leave."
MUA Sydney Womens Representative Taamara Husband said "we're calling it solidarity leave because that is exactly what it is: solidarity. Women should never be alone in the face of Family and Domestic Violence. But who is available to help really? We know people in Australia are working longer hours than ever before. This leave is about making our time available to our loved ones so we can be there to care for them when the worst happens".
"As a community we have to take responsibility for ending gendered violence – we cannot continue to let women suffer in silence. This leave provision socializes the responsibility of caring for people experiencing violence. Large institutional employers wear the cost of the leave, and maritime workers can carry their loved ones through crisis" Taamara said.
Domestic Violence NSW CEO Delia Donovan said: "Leaving an abusive relationship is not simple or always safe. Initiatives such as the MUA's solidarity leave are important step – they recognise that the decision and action of leaving requires support from trusted friends and families. Particularly when we have a response system that is overwhelmed and underfunded. Granting this leave can be the difference in someone's pathway to safety."
The MUA has already successfully secured 10 days of paid Family and Domestic Violence Solidarity leave in six maritime workplaces across Sydney, and are actively seeking its roll out across the industry.
This week, forty Union delegates from across every MUA workplace in Sydney participated in a day-long training about Family and Domestic Violence Solidarity Leave. The training focused on how to recognize when our loved ones are experiencing violence, what we can meaningfully do to help them, and how to support the roll out of this leave across the industry.
