Unions are preparing to fight the rise of casual employment in an effort to address what they say has become chronic work insecurity. It sets up a fight with industry groups, a showdown which could affect millions of Australian workers.
The Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) says the battle against workforce casualisation is all in the name of a better standard of living.
More than 2 million Australians are deemed casual workers, despite the fact there is no standard definition of what a casual is. Around 40 per cent of those workers are between 15 and 24 years old, and just over half are women.
The ACTU is calling for a sharper definition of casual work and the option for those workers to convert to permanent positions after six months of regular work with one company.
But the Australian Industry Group's Stephen Smith argues restricting casual employment is a ridiculous proposition. He has told 3AW Radio the proposed changes would harm both businesses and the broader community.
Labor says, if it wins the next election, it would hold meet with employers and unions before committing to defining casual work in legislation or setting any test for when workers are casual.
The Opposition is also examining the ACTU's push to block employers from refusing requests by casuals to convert to permanency after 12 months.
Under a Fair Work Commission ruling in July, employers can still refuse such requests on what are deemed reasonable grounds. They include situations which would require significant changes to casual employees' hours of work or where a position would foreseeably no longer exist within a year.
