The Global Financial Crisis that spread across the globe caused the biggest threat to jobs and living standards of Australian workers for numerous generations.

Australia managed to weather the storm a lot better than most countries did, however, because the Labor Government acted quickly and decisively to stimulate the economy.

Under Labor, the Government spent $16.2 billion on stimulating the economy when the global financial crisis hit. Thousands of Australian construction workers would have lost their jobs if the government hadn’t acted so swiftly.

Tony Abbott  and the Liberals would cut this program, just like he cut health funding when he was Minister for Health and Ageing.

The Economic Downturn and the Unions' Role to Help Save Jobs

The economic downturn again highlighted that unions have a fundamental role to play in protecting the jobs and rights of workers because we have a strong safety net of rights, standards and protections for all workers.

Unions stood up to protect workers’ jobs, their conditions and their living standards. Under an Abbott Liberal Government, jobs would go and job conditions would worsen.

The CFMEU, along with other Australian unions and Labor were at the forefront of the push to protect jobs from the earliest signs that Australia would not be immune from the Global Financial Crisis.

Unions argued for stimulus measures, proposed innovative ways of preserving jobs while retraining and reskilling the workforce. This is something Labor answered the call to.

Under the Liberals and Abbott, we can only imagine what might have happened as a result had they been in government. But even more scarely, what will happen if they get elected this Federal election.

If you value your job, your workers' rights put Abbott and his Liberal cronies last this election.