The ACTU welcomes Labor’s comprehensive approach to addressing casualisation and insecure work, as outlined in Brisbane today.
With almost a third of workers in insecure work the ALP’s commitments are a welcome alternative to Morrison’s plan to create uncertainty and insecurity while stripping workers of pay and conditions.
Insecure work has been exposed as a weakness in our society by the pandemic. Creating more secure work – giving working people the certainty that they need in order to spend – is the right thing for working people and the economy.
We welcome the acknowledgement from the ALP that the federal government can and should be doing more to create secure jobs.
Quotes attributable to ACTU Secretary Sally McManus:
“People in casual and insecure work were the first to lose their jobs when the pandemic hit. The fact that such a large portion of the workforce had no safety net was a huge liability for the economy and plunged millions into uncertainty and financial hardship.
“The Federal Government can and should be working to make Australian jobs more certain and secure.
“When workers have security and certainty, they are more confident to spend. This is what our community needs, not more uncertainty and cuts to pay.
“For far too long Governments have sat on their hands whilst jobs have been casualised and uberised. Its about time someone is standing up and saying our country can be so much better and they will act to fix these problems.”