Community leaders will tackle the exploitation of migrant and refugee workers with the help of Footscray Community Legal Centre.
Six community leaders from newly arrived and refugee communities across the westerns suburbs have been taking part in the Footscray CLC employment law train-the-trainer program.
Over nine weeks, the group received in-depth training in employment and anti-discrimination law, visiting key agencies including the Fair Work Commission, Victoria Legal Aid and the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission.
They also helped create a series of free resources targeted at newly arrived and refugee clients.
Footscray CLC employment project solicitor Catherine Dow said the program responded to the high level of exploitation newly arrived workers often face.
She said employment issues were rife in certain industries, such as cleaning and hospitality, with problems including underpayment, discrimination, sham contracts, workplace injury and unfair dismissal.
“We are trying to address this by having community leaders learn about the rights and responsibilities of workers,” Ms Dow said.
“We have been working on building trust, which is very important. These leaders can act as a bridge between people who are being exploited and the services able to assist.”
Free resources have also been produced – answer sheets, a PowerPoint presentation and short videos outlining common employment experiences that newly arrived workers face. Details: www.footscrayclc.org.au
