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Publication Topic: Current publications

Working for free – The new normal

This report finds that unpaid overtime remains widespread and deeply normalised across industries, with little evidence of meaningful improvement since the last report. In many workplaces, workers report increasing pressure to work beyond paid hours, contributing to serious impacts on their health, safety, and wellbeing.

Exploitation Magnet

Exploitation Magnet report: Why the Absence of Labour Hire Licensing in NSW is Attracting Unscrupulous Employment Practices.

Ready, Willing, Unable

This report draws on a survey conducted by Unions NSW between October-November 2025 to examine how workers understand, interpret, and act on incidents of sexual and gender-based harassment. The findings highlight both barriers to and opportunities for ethical bystander action, offering evidence-informed recommendations to support cultural change in workplaces across Australia.

Cast Adrift: Cuts to Workers Compensation for Psychological Injury

In April-May 2025, Unions NSW surveyed over 10,000 essential workers on proposed changes to the workers compensation system. The results show strong opposition to the NSW government’s plan, which would limit access to mental health and financial support for seriously injured workers. Respondents warned the changes would cause severe harm and hardship. This report outlines those findings and presents Unions NSW’s five-point alternative, focused on prevention, return-to-work improvements, cutting waste, and sustainable funding – without slashing benefits. An injury at work, whether physical or mental, deserves equal recognition and support.

‘Reproductive leave- it’s for every body!’ Survey report

Whether it’s managing menstruation or the impacts of menopause, accessing fertility treatments, managing chronic health issues or accessing preventative health care like cancer screenings – whatever your gender, your reproductive health can impact your working life. This report surveyed over a thousand workers about their experiences managing their reproductive health at work and how reproductive leave and flexibility would affect them.

Moving from agreement to participation: Investigating union-affiliated men’s commitments to gender equality

Male union members, and other men in workplaces, have campaigned for decades alongside women for equal entitlements and fair representation. It is less common, but not unheard of,
for men to campaign in support of women’s safety from sexual harassment and sexual assault.
It is this last area, though, in which men need to be more engaged – working to end men’s violence against women. This is the issue at the heart of this project and central to this report.