One of Australia’s largest and most influential unions is calling for both a jobs guarantee to keep people in work and a universal income of $740 a week to be paid to most other people.

The push by the 156,000-member United Workers Union highlighted the escalating demands by the labour movement in response to the pandemic crisis and the significant rise in unemployment in recent weeks.

Tim Kennedy is pushing for a jobs guarantee and universal income Credit:Arsineh Houspian

UWU national secretary Tim Kennedy, in a position paper, said there was an urgent need for the federal government to intervene “and play an active role in guaranteeing and providing social and economic security during this time”.

Mr Kennedy is pushing for a “jobs guarantee” that would mean no workers could be dismissed or retrenched during the pandemic crisis, with the government guaranteeing the wages of affected workers.