About 2 million Australians employed on a casual basis across the country will have the right to ask to be made permanent under the proposed legislation.
Although entitled to 25 percent loading pay, casual workers do not receive annual or sick leave.
Now, the Federal Government has proposed legislation formally allowing casual workers to eventually ask their employers for part-time or full-time work.
It comes after the Fair Work Commission recently ruled eligible award workers should be allowed to ask for part-time or full-time work after 12 months.
Small Business Minister Michaelia Cash says the Government wants to see consistency in Australian workplaces.
"It’s all about giving certainty to the workplace. And, in particular, when you’re a small- and family-business person, you want to do the right thing. But if you have two sets of rules that apply across the Australian workplace, you could be struggling to understand which one applies to you," says Ms Cash.
In the proposed legislation, the Government also has included a regulation to prevent so-called "double-dipping" by casual workers, where workers might collect casual pay rates as well as such benefits as sick or annual leave.
That comes after a Federal Court decision that a casual mining worker was entitled to an annual-leave payout because of the long-term nature of his roster.
Industry groups say they are concerned about the implications for employers.
The Australian Industry Group's Stephen Smith says businesses of all sizes have welcomed the Government move to protect against such situations.
"[It] has exposed employers to backpay claims of up to $8 billion. So industry very much welcomes this sensible decision that’s been made to implement a regulation that would stop double-dipping claims," says Mr Smith.
Unions say rules need to be changed to ensure more secure jobs for casual workers.
Share
