ACTU launches campaign to restore job stability for all

Food, accommodation and other bills are major concerns for casuals, labour hire and contract workers.

“When we can’t be certain that we’ll have a job at the end of the shift or at the end of a contract, the quality of our life declines,” ACTU Secretary Sally McManus said.

“When you have to limit your plans … you have to limit your dreams. Job insecurity holds us back as people. It holds us back as communities and as a country.”

The peak union body launched a national push to end insecure work across all industries, during an online briefing to union leaders, campaigners, organisers, delegates and activists.

“Insecure work has different names in different industries but let’s face it, comrades, the fight is the same fight: labour hire, contracts, casualisation,” Ms McManus said.

“Now we fight under one banner: Secure jobs. Worth fighting for.”

“Instead of having our battles alone, we’ll join them up under common messaging and campaign.”

Over the past 20 years, governments have enabled more ways to make once reliable jobs insecure and unreliable. Ms McManus said employers had opted for making individual workers carry all the risk and uncertainty for them.

The campaign seeks to turn the heat on employers and governments, she said.

“This campaign will not be over until we win, when it is unlawful to call permanent jobs casual jobs, when labour hire rorts are outlawed, when we can bargain the limits on insecure jobs in workplaces and across industries, when gig economy workers have the same rights as every other worker, employers can no longer keep people on endless fixed-term contracts.”

The recent Gallop Inquiry recommended the NSW Department of Education increase permanent staffing at a level to overcome a widespread shortage of casual teachers.

Federation’s More Than Thanks campaign seeks to highlight the urgent need to address the wages and workload of the teaching profession in order to attract the more than 11,000 teachers required in public schools over the next decade.

Sign the petition calling on the Morrison Government to make jobs more reliable and secure.