Extra extra! Read all about it! Union win!
Today, Bill Shorten and Labor announced they’ll be supporting our industry, and supporting Parallel Import Restrictions.
Parallel Import Restrictions mean that the Australian writing, publishing and printing industries are protected from cheap imports from overseas.
Print members have been working hard to gather signatures on petitions, lobby politicians and keep up the pressure.
The union has joined in the Books Create Alliance - a coalition of authors, publishers, print workers, printing employers and booksellers - to keep the pressure on politicians to support the Australian Book Industry.
The announcement by Labor is a big win for all workers who have been involved in this campaign.
Recently, the union took the fight for Australian book printing jobs all the way to corridors of Parliament house.
Along with the Books Create Coalition, unionists visited politicians in Canberra to tell them that thousands of Aussie book printing jobs are at risk if they go ahead with their plan to cut support for the Australian book printing industry.
Thanks to Labor's announcement today, we're one step closer to keeping our industry safe.
The coming months are going to be crucial in the campaign to defend book printing jobs. It is rumoured that the Turnbull Government will introduce legislation early next year that would decimate the book printing industry.
Their legislation would put Australian publishers out of business and decimate book printing jobs - but the union will keep up the fight every step of the way.
Read the full letter from Bill Shorten to the Books Create Alliance here.