Booksellers at Readings who are members of the Retail and Fast Food Workers Union (RAFFWU) have been negotiating with management for a living wage, for wage transparency, for a workplace free from harassment, and to be paid for all the work tasks they do. It has taken four years of effort from union members at Readings bookstores to bring management to the bargaining table with workers.

In May of 2021, the Fair Work Commission made a determination that the majority of workers employed by Readings favoured an Enterprise Bargain Agreement (EBA) – a majority that Readings’ management had previously refused to recognise. Since that hard-won determination, union members have spent months negotiating with Reading’s management and owner, Mark Rubbo, for an in-principle agreement to an EBA, to no avail.

Now, the management of Readings has rushed out an EBA with a smaller wage increase that does not meet the current rise in inflation, in order to avoid industrial action by its workers.

Readings staff are campaigning to VOTE NO to a non-union EBA that will leave them worse off.

At this critical time, we as authors stand in solidarity with the workers of Readings who are fighting for things that all workers should have: fair wages and fair conditions. Readings is a local literary institution, celebrated for its support of Australian literature over many years. The business has eight branches, including its flagship store on Lygon Street in Carlton, but Readings’ booksellers have done the work of building both Readings’ reputation and its profits without fair wages for their labour.

A store that stakes its community reputation and brand recognition on its support of Australian literature has no business undercutting its workers’ demands for a living wage. Workers should be paid for all their tasks, including writing book reviews, that build and sustain that reputation.

In 2021, Australian authors came together in solidarity with RAFFWU members at Sydney bookstore Better Read Than Dead, who were similarly fighting for improvements in their workplace. In an open letter of support, authors wrote:

As authors, we entrust our work – which is our words – into the hands of booksellers. Without booksellers, all of us are deprived of the community that literature builds. Our whole literary ecosystem relies on them.

Industrial action by BRTD workers, among the first such action in the Australian retail sector in half a century, was successful, in part because authors and readers stood with booksellers in their struggle. The same holds true today: the literary community relies upon the work of booksellers, and we as authors must continue to stand in solidarity with workers across the publishing industry.

As authors, many of us understand only too well the experience of workplace precarity. The publishing industry runs on underpaid and unpaid labour, on the kind of “goodwill” that is really exploitation, and which has resulted in endemic mental illness in the industry. As authors, many of us are or have been booksellers; the conditions of bookstore staff are our conditions, too.

Our books do not sell without the booksellers who sell them, without the warehouse and distribution staff who get our books into stores, and especially not without the expertise and passion for literature that bookstore workers bring to their jobs, putting our books into readers’ hands. But passion for literature is not its own reward; work is work and workers must be fairly paid for it. As authors we support the campaign by RAFFWU members at Readings for the following:

– A living wage $26/hour for Level 1 retail workers, and $28/hour for Level 3 retail workers;

– Annual wage increases that keep track with rising inflation;

– Wage transparency from Readings’ management, who for years have maintained a confusing and inconsistent wage structure system that sees some workers paid award rates, and some above those rates, for the same work;

– An EBA agreed to by workers through their union.

Readings can afford to pay a living wage to its workers. This is a multi-store business that, until 2021, posted profits for 25 consecutive years, and which in the past year has spent considerable amounts of money opening both a new store branch and a warehouse, without consulting workers.

As authors, we stand in solidarity with the booksellers at Readings in their fight for fair pay and conditions.

Signed,

Jenny Ackland, Little Gods (2018)
Unity Akashvani, contributor, The World That Belongs To Us: An Anthology of Queer Poetry from South Asia (2020)
Jessica Alice, CEO, Writers SA
Ali Alizadeh, Towards the End (2020)
David Allan-Petale, Locust Summer (2021)
Patrick Allington, Rise & Shine (2020)
Rachel Ang, Swimsuit (2018)
Evelyn Araluen, Dropbear (2021)
Michelle Arrow, The Seventies: The Personal, The Political and the Making of Modern Australia (2019)
Romy Ash, Floundering (2012)
Meera Atkinson, Traumata (2018)
Timmah Ball, contributor, This All Come Back Now (2022)
Inez Baranay, Turn Left at Venus (2019)
A. J. Bartlett, Badiou and Plato (2011)
Ella Baxter, New Animal (2021)
Mandy Beaumont, The Furies (2022)
Vanessa Berry, Gentle and Fierce (2021) 
Miro Bilbrough, In the Time of the Manaroans (2020)
Danielle Binks, The Monster of Her Age (2021)
Bronwyn Birdsall, Time and Tide in Sarajevo (2022)
Anna Kate Blair, Program & Partnerships Manager, Writers Victoria
Katherine Brabon, The Shut Ins (2021)
Leonie Brialey, Psychic Hotline (2018)
Andrew Brooks, Inferno (2021) and Homework (2021)
Elizabeth Bryer, From Here On, Monsters (2019)
Michael Burge, Tank Water (2021)
Shelley Burr, WAKE (2022, 
Edie Bush, Don’t Care if You’re Shepherding a Ghost (2021)
Mary Anne Butler, Cusp (2020)
Calev, Liminal Magazine Lucky Anthology (2022)
Mel Campbell, Nailed It! (2019)
Stephanie Campisi, Quacks Like a Duck (2022)
David Carlin, The After-Normal: Brief, Alphabetical Essays on a Changing Planet (2019)
Mitch Cave, how to eat fire and why (2022)
Eileen Chong, A Thousand Crimson Blooms (2021)
Shane Jesse Christmass, The Sex Shops Of Sherman Oaks (2021)
Shu-Ling Chua, Echoes (2020)
Mikaella Clements, The View Was Exhausting (2021)
Jessie Cole, Desire, A Reckoning (2022)
Emilie Collyer, Do you have anything less domestic? (2022)
Stephanie Convery, After the Count: The Death of Davey Browne (2020)
Rico Craig, Nekhau (2022)
Anwen Crawford, No Document (2021)
Louise Crisp, Glide (2021)
Emily Crocker, In The Drink (2021)   
Chris Currie, Clancy of the Undertow (2015)
Gabriel Curtin, Forced Rhubarb (2018)
Hop Dac, Former Associate Editor at Kill Your Darlings
Josie / Jocelyn Deane, contributor, Nothing to Hide: Voices of Trans and Gender Diverse Australia (2022)
Tricia Dearborn, contributor, The Anthology of Australian Prose Poetry (2020)
Matilda Dixon-Smith, Changemakers (2018)
Jennifer Down, Bodies of Light (2021)
Briohny Doyle, Echolalia (2022)
Dave Drayton, contributor, Best of Australian Poems 2021 (2021)
Adele Dumont, No Man is an Island (2016)
James Dunk, Bedlam at Botany Bay (2019)
Monica Dux, Lapsed (2021)
Max Easton, The Magpie Wing (2021)
Astrid Edwards, contributor, Growing Up Disabled in Australia (2021)
Sam Elkin, contributor, Nothing to Hide: Voices of Trans and Gender Diverse Australia (2022)
Anne Elvey, Leaf (2022)
Amy Espeseth, Sufficient Grace (2012)
Alison Evans, Euphoria Kids (2020)
Michael Fiddian, The End Of The Game (2022)
Giles Fielke, contributor, Ernst Jünger: Philosophy Under Occupation (2021)
mp fikaris, Opposights (2022)
Katherine Firth, Level Up your Essays (2021)
Sarah Firth, Think On The Page (2021)
Toby Fitch, Sydney Spleen (2021)
Joan Fleming, Song of Less, 2022
Chris Flynn, Here Be Leviathans (2022)
Clementine Ford, How We Love (2021)        
Zana Fraillon, The Way Of Dog (2022)
Peggy Frew, Wildflowers (2022)
Declan Fry, contributor, Another Australia (2022)
Alex Gallagher, co-editor, Nothing to Hide: Voices of Trans and Gender-Diverse Australia (2022)
James Gardiner, contributor, Infinite Threads (2019)
Kelly Gardiner, Vigil (2021)
Bill Garner, Born in a Tent (2013)
Alex Gerrans, Meanjin contributor (2022)
Katerina Gibson, Women I Know (2022)
Jane Gilmore, Teaching Consent (2022)      
Ashley Goldberg, Abomination (2022)          
Ben Gook, Divided Subjects, Invisible Borders (2015)
Alaina Gougoulis, editor
Elena Gomez, Admit the Joyous Passion of Revolt (2020)
Chris Gooch, Under-Earth (2021)
Jason Goroncy, Imagination in an Age of Crisis: Soundings from the Arts and Theology (2022)
Pat Grant, The Grot (2020)
Jason Gray, Haunt (The Koolie) (2019)
Madeleine Gray, contributor, Everything, All At Once (2021)
Daniel Gray-Barnett, Katerina Cruickshanks (2022)
Elias Greig, I Can’t Remember The Title But The Cover Is Blue (2018)
Michael Griffiths, The Distribution of Settlement (2018)
Eloise Grills, big beautiful female theory (2022)
Lana Guineay, Dark Wave (2020)
Eda Gunaydin, Root & Branch (2022)
Victoria Hannan, Marshmallow (2022)
Marieke Hardy, You’ll Be Sorry When I’m Dead (2011)        
Narrelle M Harris, The Only One in the World (2021)
Scarlett Harris, A Diva Was a Female Version of a Wrestler (2021)
Jack Heath, Kill Your Brother (2021)
Jessica Hearnes
Jess Hill, contributor, Not Now, Not Ever (2022)
Lisa Hill (ANZ LitLovers), Voiceworks
Dan Hogan, Contributor, Groundswell (2021)
Judy Horacek, Random Life (2017)
Kathryn Hore, The Stranger (2022)
Luke Horton, The Fogging (2020)
Hasib Hourani, contributor, Best of Australian Poetry (2021)
Alana Hunt, Cups of Nun Chai (2020)
Adalya Nash Hussein, former editor of Voiceworks
Shakira Hussein, From Victims to Suspects (2016)
Susan Johnson, From Where I Fell (2021)
Chris Johnston, The Family (2017)
Mireille Juchau, The World Without Us (2015)
Ben Juers, Doorknocker (2021)
Dion Kagan, Positive Images (2018)
Dominic Kelly, Political Troglodytes and Economic Lunatics: The Hard Right in Australia (2019)
Kath Kenny, Staging a Revolution (2022)
Dr. Shari Kocher, Foxstruck & Other Collisions (2021)
Abbra Kotlarczyk, contributor, Best Australian Poems (2021)
Michelle de Kretser, Scary Monsters (2021)
Mat Larkin, The Chameleon Thief (2022)
Jes Layton, contributor, Growing Up in Country Australia (2022)
Harold Legaspi, Letters in Language (2021)
Patrick Lenton, Sexy Tales of Palaeontology (2021)
James Ley, Open Secrets (2022)
Bella Li, Theory of Colours (2021)
SL Lim, Revenge (2020)
Astrid Lorange, Homework (Discipline, 2021)
Miranda Luby, Sadie Starr’s Guide to Starting Over (2022)
Kent MacCarter, Sputnik’s Cousin (2015)
Bren Macdibble, The Raven’s Song (2022)
Anna MacDonald, A Jealous Tide (2020)
Jennifer Mackenzie, Navigable Ink (2020)
Emily Maguire, Love Objects (2021)
Jerico Mandybur, Rainbow Power (2022)
Sophie Mannix
Tony Martin, Deadly Kerfuffle (2017)
Kylie Maslen, Show Me Where It Hurts (2020)
Jodi McAlister, Here For The Right Reasons (2022
Fionn McCabe, editor, Immediately Before The End of Everything (and other encounters with nature) (2022)
Tim McGuire, contributor, Growing Up Queer in Australia (2019)
Leah Jing McIntosh, co-editor, Against Disappearance (2022)
Catherine McIntyre, contributor, No No No Mag (2022)
Lachy McKenzie, contributor, The Anthology of Australian Prose Poetry (2020)
Greg McLaren, camping underground (2022)
Laura McPhee-Browne, Cherry Beach (2020)
Helen Meany, Every Day is Gertie Day (2021)
Catriona Menzies-Pike, The Long Run (2016)
Angela Meyer, A Superior Spectre (2018)
Rose Michael, contributor, Reading like an Australian Writer (2021)
Susan Midalia, Miniatures (2022)
Janine Mikosza, Homesickness (2022)
Kate Mildenhall, The Mother Fault (2020)
Jennifer Mills, The Airways (2021)
Naomi Milthorpe, Evelyn Waugh’s Satire: Texts and Contexts (2016)
Selina Moir-Wilson, Voiceworks editorial committee
Anna Morgan, Before The Beginning (2020)
Rick Morton, My Year of Living Vulnerably (2021)
Rose Mulready, The Bonobo’s Dream (2016)
Melanie Myers, Meet Me at Lennon’s (2019)
Sarah Myles, The Wolf Hour (2018)
Gayatri Nair, contributor, Sweatshop Women Volume 2 (2020)
Mairi Neil, contributor, Silver Linings (2021) 
Dani Netherclift, contributor, What we carry (2021)
Giselle Au-Nhien Nguyen, contributor, Growing Up Queer in Australia (2019)
Jennifer Nguyen, When I die slingshot my ashes onto the surface of the moon (2019)
Anthony O’Donnell, Moss Cass and The Greening of the Australian Labor Party (2017)
Nathanael O’Reilly, Boulevard (2021)
Paddy O’Reilly, Other Houses (2022)
Meg O’Shea, contributor, Immediately Before The End of Everything (and other encounters with nature) (2021)
Firstdog Onthemoon, The Carbon Neutral Adventures of the Indefatigable Enviroteens (2019)
Mandy Ord, When one Person Dies The Whole World Is Over (2019)
Michael Pascoe, The Summertime of Our Dreams (2022)
Jasper Peach, contributor, We’ve Got This (2022)
Marc Pearson, Mist From The Geyser (2019)
Andrew F Peirce, The Australian Film Yearbook – 2021 Edition (2022)
Karen Pickering, About Bloody Time (2019)
Pi O,  Heide (2019)
Shivaun Plozza, A Reluctant Witch’s Guide to Magic (2022)
Katherine Pollock, Her Fidelity (2022)
Shaun Prescott, Bon and Lesley (2022)
Chris Raja, Into the Suburbs: A Migrant’s Story (2020)
Jane Rawson, A History of Dreams (2022)
Moira Rayner, The Women’s Power Handbook with Joan Kirner (1999) 
Yves Rees, co-editor, Nothing to Hide: Voices of Trans and Gender Diverse Australia (2022)
Oliver Reeson, contributor, Growing Up Queer in Australia (2021)
Harry Reid, Leave Me Alone (2022)
Jonno Revanche, Editor of Doingbird Magazine
Ariel Slamet Ries, Witchy Volume 2 (2022)
Aden Rolfe, False Nostalgia (2016)
Briar Rolfe, Get Your Story Straight (2024)
Drew Rooke, A Witness of Fact (2022)
Liz Ross, Stuff the Accord! Pay Up! Workers resistance to the ALP-ACTU Accord (2020)
Josephine Rowe, Here Until August (2018)  
Jack Rowland, Co-editor in chief Visible Ink #31 (2019)
Autumn Royal, Liquidation (2019)
Dr Penni Russon, The Endsister (2018)
Harry Saddler, Questions Raised By Quolls (2021)
Omar Sakr, Son of Sin (2022)
Sara Saleh, contributor, Another Australia (2022)
Joshua Santospirito, Swallows Part One (2015)
Sarah Sasson, Signs of Life—an anthology, Editor and Contributor (2021)
Mykaela Saunders, editor, THIS ALL COME BACK NOW: an anthology of First Nations speculative fiction (2022)
Ellena Savage, Blueberries (2020)
Sarah Schmidt, Blue Hour (2022)
Kylie Scott, Famous In A Small Town (2022)
Ronnie Scott, The Adversary (2020)
Hayley Scrivenor, Dirt Town (2022)
Bailey Sharp, My Big Life (2018) 
Jasmine Shirrefs, contributor, Growing Up Disabled in Australia (2021)
Natasha Sholl, Found, Wanting (2022)
Rochelle Siemienowicz, Fallen (2015)
Jordana Silverstein, co- editor, Refugee Journeys: Histories of Resettlement, Representation and Resistance (2021)
Tim Sinclair, contributor, The Verse Novel Australia & New Zealand (2022)
Ruth Skilbeck, Sayonara Baby (2021)
Ali Jane Smith, contributor, The Anthology of Australian Prose Poetry (2020)
Lou Smith, Riversalt (2015) 
Mark Smith, If Not Us (2021)
Beth Sometimes, Translator
Anna Spargo-Ryan, A Kind of Magic (2022)
Jeff Sparrow, Provocations (2022)
Beth Spencer, The Age of Fibs (2022)
Emily Spurr, A Million Things (2021)
Andrew Stafford, Something to Believe In (2019)
David Stavanger, Case Notes (2020)
Laurie Steed, You Belong Here (2018)
Emily Stewart, Running time (2022)
Emmett Stinson, Satirizing Modernism (2017)
Laura Stortenbeker, contributor, New Australian Fiction (2020)
Miriam Sved, A Universe of Sufficient Size (2019)
Cher Tan, co-editor, Collisions: Fictions of the Future (2020), contributor, Admissions (2022)
Elizabeth Tan, Smart Ovens for Lonely People, 2020
Penny Tangey, Creswell Eastman (2022)
Annie Te Whiu, contributor, Another Australia (2022)
Claire Thomas, The Performance (2021)
Jon Tjhia, Against Disappearance (contributor, 2022)
Giovanni Tiso, Overland online editor
Lucy Treloar, Wolfe Island (2019)
Isabella Trimboli, contributor, Melbourne on Film (2022) 
Tiffany Tsao, Under Your Wings (2018)
Lucy Van, The Open (2021)
Prithvi Varatharajan, Entries (2020)
Lorelei Vashti, Dress, Memory (2014)
Jack Vening, contributor, New Australian Fiction (2022)
Erin Vincent, Grief Girl (2007/2013)
Eve Vincent, Against Native Title. Conflict and Creativity in Outback Australia (2017)
Emma Viskic, Those Who Perish (2022)
Paul Voermans, The White Library (2021)
Sam Wallman, Our Members Be Unlimited (2022)
Grant Wamack, Black Gypsies (2022)
Marlee Jane Ward, Orphancorp, 2022
Katy Warner, Triple Threat (2022)
Sasha Wasley, A Caravan Like a Canary (2022)
Corey J. White, Repo Virtual (2020)
Alison Whittaker, editor, Fire Front: First Nations poetry and power today (2020)
Jessica Wilkinson, Memory Book: Portraits of Older Australians in Poetry and Watercolours (2021)
Chloe Wilson, Hold Your Fire (2021)
Dominique Wilson, Orphan Rock (2022)
Michael Winkler, Grimmish (2021)
Laura Elizabeth Woollett, The Newcomer (2021)
Clare Wright, You Daughters of Freedom (2018)
Michelle Wright, Small Acts of Defiance (2021)
Karen Wyld, Where the Fruit Falls (2020) 
Caroline Wylds, The Party Within (2021)
Beth Yahp, contributor, Reading Like an Australian Writer (2021)
Ianto Ware, Mother and I (2021)
Michelle Wright, Small Acts of Defiance (2021)
Nevo Zisin, The Pronoun Lowdown (2021)
Anna Zobel, Little Gem and the Mysterious Letters (2021)

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