Chris Slee, Melbourne
Forty people attended a public forum on August 10 on casualisation organised by Unite, an organisation campaigning for the rights of casual workers.
Unite has organised campaigns exposing illegal and oppressive practices by employers of casual labour, informing casual workers of their rights and encouraging union membership. The group is currently collecting signatures on a petition calling for a law giving casual workers the right to become permanent after six months' employment.
Unite activist Greg Bradshaw told the meeting that the rate of casualisation has increased from 18.9% to 27.6% under the Howard government.
Joo-Cheong Tham, an expert on casualisation and industrial law, said that a quarter of casual workers are not paid a casual loading to compensate for the lack of benefits such as annual leave. Some are not covered by an award that includes a casual loading, while others are not aware that they are entitled to a loading. He said that government enforcement agencies need more resources, and union right of entry provisions need to be strengthened.
Greens Senate candidate David Risstrom outlined the Greens' industrial relations policy, which includes restoring the powers and independence of the Industrial Relations Commission, legislatively protecting the right to strike, and improving the ability of workers (including casual workers) to challenge unfair dismissal.
John Cummins, Victorian president of the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union, described how his union had sought to regulate casualisation and labour hire in the construction industry. The union attempts to enforce common conditions throughout the industry by signing pattern agreements with labour-hire companies. The shop steward structure is key to enforcing these agreements, which include a provision that any worker employed for more than four days as a casual must be made permanent.
Unite can be contacted by phoning (03) 9639 9111 or by emailing <info@unite.org.au>.
From Green Left Weekly, August 18, 2004.
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