ACTU Secretary, Sally McManus, has told the National Press Club too many Australians are trapped in casual jobs and should be given the right to transfer to full-time work.
She says there's an urgent need to strengthen workplace laws.
Throughout her address to the National Press Club, Sally McManus drew upon specific examples of workplace arrangements she says are the by-product of weak workplace laws.
"Journalists, even those working for famous mastheads, are often employed as freelancers with few rights. Delivery drivers using apps have less rights than workers 100 years ago. Cleaners are told to get ABNs. (Australian Business Numbers) Tradies jobs have been farmed out to labour hire, over half the academics in many of our universities have no job security. Multinationals use contracting out to force down wages and sidestep bargaining. Productivity goes up but wages do not. Company profits and CEO salaries are soaring. Wages are flat-lining. This is inequality."
Under the ACTU's Change the Rules campaign, workers in casual jobs would have to be given permanent positions after six months.
She says too many Australians are trapped in insecure work because they are given no other option by their employer.
