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Leaving to work in Australia? Make sure you know your rights

A pamphlet published by two unions and Sinn Féin gives details of pay conditions as well as contact information for groups offering support to Irish migrants in the country.

OVER 89,000 PEOPLE  left Ireland last year with many of them moving to countries like Australia where people finding it hard to get jobs here could find work.

However many young Irish workers are at risk of being exploited because they are not aware of their rights in other countries and yesterday Mandate, the Communications Worker Union (CWU) and Sinn Féin published a pamphlet setting out the entitlements of Irish workers in Australia under the various visas.

The party’s Pearse Doherty said he “witnessed and heard about abuses of Irish workers” in the country when he visited in the summer of 2012.

“Irish workers in Australia on a 457 visa are often exploited due to the fact their visa is tied to their employer and the withdrawal of their contract can often mean having a number of weeks to either find alternative sponsorship or to exit the country,” Mandate Youth Chairperson David Gibney said.

With the current economic environment in Ireland, including an exceptionally high youth unemployment rate, many young workers are afraid to ‘rock the boat’ and vindicate their rights at work for fear of losing their sponsorship and having to return home to such a bleak working environment.

A basic overview of the working holiday and temporary skilled worker visas is laid out in the document as well as details on health and safety, pay conditions and taxes:

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Contact details for various unions, Irish migrant support groups, GAA clubs and other networking opportunities are also provided.

“There is probably not one young person in Ireland today who does not know somebody working in Australia,” commented the party’s youth affairs spokesperson Kathryn Relly.

“This document is a practical way of making sure they are safe from exploitation while there. I urge friends and family still in Ireland to share this document widely so that it can reach the widest number of young Irish workers in Australia.”

Read: If you’re for voting rights for Irish abroad the EU is on your side>

Read: Older generation feeling ‘harsh impact’ of emigration, says helpline>

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28 Comments
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    Mute Aus Tereo
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    Feb 5th 2014, 8:13 AM

    They should also state that the stories you hear in the pubs back home about people walking into jobs are earning $10,000 an hour are absolute bull!

    There are plenty of Australians looking for work and if you’re on a temporary visa you have very little hope of beating them to a job. The rewards are great if you can get work but it’s certainly no walk in the park.

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    Mute Shane Griffin
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    Feb 5th 2014, 7:50 AM

    Come to New Zealand instead, it’s way better over here.

    107
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    Mute Phil Quinlan
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    Feb 5th 2014, 7:55 AM

    Believe New Zealand is the best part of Australia…

    85
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    Mute Gary Dooley
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    Feb 5th 2014, 8:47 AM

    Please don’t encourage them to come to NZ, I don’t want to have to move again.

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    Mute Dee4
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    Feb 5th 2014, 8:04 AM

    anything in there about reponsibilities? “No Irish” is an earned term down that way

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    Mute craig garvin
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    Feb 5th 2014, 8:17 AM

    We only have ourselves to blame for that one. The majority of those who left here for oz in the first few years, are those who were to lazy and useless to keep there jobs here. They didnt learn from that and have contributed to the bad reputation of good honest irish workers. Or those employers tried to keep employed for as long as possible during the recession.

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    Mute Seamus McKenzie
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    Feb 5th 2014, 8:40 AM

    @craig, that is complete nonsense. They’re has always been an attitude towards the Irish in Australia. It’s all linked to the troubles in the North. Went for an interview over there and was verbally abused, and branded a terrorist, just because I was Irish.

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    Mute Alan Seag
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    Feb 5th 2014, 1:42 PM

    @ seamus

    What company and interviewer would risk their career and business existence by racially abusing potential employees? Name and shame them or better yet, report then to the authorities, if indeed your story is true.

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    Mute Seamus McKenzie
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    Feb 6th 2014, 6:54 AM

    An Employment agency in bays water in 2004. It’s something I will never forget. As I only had been in the country a wet day. My wife was gobsmacked sitting in the car when I told her. He was an old English fella, and we put it down to plain old ignorance.

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    Mute Seamus McKenzie
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    Feb 6th 2014, 6:59 AM

    Back in 2004, the Irish community in Melbourne was practically non existent. There was no parade there for a couple of years.

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    Mute Bernard
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    Mar 19th 2014, 7:33 AM

    Craig is correct and you’re speaking complete nonsense Seamus, but given your extremist attitudes posted on other Journal articles the employer would seem to be a good judge of character. Be that as it may, Craig is unfortunately right. Some of the first wave of Irish have behaved in a manner that does not reflect well on everyone else. It’s not “victimisation” – just calling a spade a spade.

    http://globalgaa.forumotion.net/t4400-irish-in-perth-warned-of-behaviour-by-police-via-gaa-clubs

    http://www.broadsheet.ie/2012/05/08/notice-from-western-australia-police-%E2%80%93-irish-antisocial-behaviour-in-perth/

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    Mute Seamus McKenzie
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    Mar 19th 2014, 7:41 AM

    Ah Bernard, Trolling again.

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    Mute Bernard
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    Mar 19th 2014, 8:37 AM

    Disagreeing with you Seamus is hardly “trolling”

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    Mute Jimbo Murphy
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    Feb 5th 2014, 9:33 AM

    Over 89,000 people left last year and over 50,000 returned, 1 of which was me from a 2 year working holiday in oz. Like the name of the visa suggests, this is a holiday. The vast majority of those who leave will return when their visa expires. The Australian government is quite good at hunting those who overstay their visa and returning them home.

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    Mute Martin Gallagher
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    Feb 5th 2014, 10:19 AM

    It really annoys me when they go on about how many people leave. They come back too ya know. These visas are temporary. They mention these figures in news outlets as if the country is emptying. Am I correct in saying Ireland is experiencing population growth over the last few years???

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    Mute Noel Keary
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    Feb 5th 2014, 7:59 AM

    Fact. NZ all the way.

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    Mute Ogochukwu
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    Feb 5th 2014, 9:08 AM

    Farty

    Unlivable ..lol

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    Mute Declan Byrne
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    Feb 5th 2014, 8:25 AM

    Is there resentment towards the irish now in Aus due to there been so many irish and jobs are getting tougher to get out there does anyone know?

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    Mute Aus Tereo
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    Feb 5th 2014, 8:35 AM

    I don’t think there is really but I can only speak of Sydney and Melbourne. They’re both such multicultural cities that it’s nearly harder to find an Australian than a foreigner! As much as we like to think we’re important we’re only a drop in the ocean when it comes to immigrants in Oz so we don’t get much of a thought. Overall the majority of aussies I’ve encountered have a positive opinion of the Irish.

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    Mute Emmet
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    Feb 5th 2014, 11:39 AM

    Have been in Western Australia for 5 years now, most Aussie employers I have met like the Irish as we have a good reputation as hard workers and pride in our work. Some Irish give rest a bad name, but if u work hard u make a good name for yourself. I got a job my first week and on working travel visa could only work 6 months with one company, but boss kept paying me through a different company name every 6 months for 2 years then nominated me for residency. If you missed days, were lazy etc you had to leave when first 6 months were up, if you were very bad u got boot after 2 week trial, so you have to make your own luck. Most Australians want to work 9-5 indoors, clean job in city. If you are willing to work outdoors, dirty job, or out country, there are good opportunities there. they value different skills in Australia, love guys who are willing to go out farming, seeding wheat, combine harvesting etc – how many people have C.V.s with their degrees/trade certs but leave out the farming bit?

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    Mute Angela Byrne
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    Feb 5th 2014, 8:27 AM

    Its a pity they have to leave at all, hello to all the Irish in the Cock & Bull bar in Oz!! This ones for you…
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=edfNeMIm2Jk

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    Mute Jimbo Murphy
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    Feb 5th 2014, 10:31 AM

    I agree with you there fart. I stayed away from bondi junction, st. kilda and the other irish suburbs. Never visited the cock and bull or any of those other irish dives. I didn’t travel to the other side of the world to stay at home.

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    Mute Angela Byrne
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    Feb 5th 2014, 10:47 AM

    I agree Jimbo

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    Mute Janet De Hora
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    Feb 5th 2014, 12:07 PM

    Totally agree with you; We are here to work, to give our child the best chance possible, and for me, to experience the life my fiancé had here growing up. I’ve never set foot in an Irish bar- and won’t. It’s like people going to Spain on holidays and drinking in Irish bars all the time. No experience of real life in a different place at all!

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    Mute Ahmed Touseef
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    Feb 5th 2014, 10:32 AM

    New Zealand is the Best option to move for a better career .

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    Mute Cornelius Talmadge
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    Feb 5th 2014, 8:13 PM

    It obviously depends what your line of work is, but that is certainly not true for most people. There is a reason why half a million NZ born people have moved to Oz, and it’s not because they love being surrounded by Aussies! I hear NZ is a great place to live if you can get a good job though.

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    Mute Ogochukwu
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    Feb 5th 2014, 8:40 AM

    Boomerang come back ..lol Enny Kenny stay away ..lol mix them together and you’d never get rid of that nasty smell .lol

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    Mute Stasia Morley
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    Mar 19th 2014, 7:38 AM

    People are leaving every day of the week its no wonder the unemployment has gone down so much you only have to go to the airport and you will see what is happening our best educated youth have left shame on this government and shame on the Labour party Ireland will regret this big time.

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