20,000 contract call centre workers have won a raft of entitlements and conditions under a new award hammered out over 18 months between the ACTU, employers and the Industrial Relations Commission.
Until now the contract call centre workers have been among the worst paid and worst treated of any employees working in Australia’s fastest growing industry (call centres now employ around 350,000 people.)
Under the award, contract workers will receive penalty rates for work performed between 7pm and 7am Monday to Friday. In one company, workers estimate they will be about $1,000 per annum better off.
The new award also includes:
To date, Australia’s national contract call centre industry has been largely
unregulated with contract workers receiving worse wages and conditions than their counterparts performing exactly the same work in-house.
This award will provide a consistent national safety net of wages and conditions for all contract call centre workers across Australia.
The new award is supported by the Australian Industry Group and will apply to three of seven major employers. The ACTU and unions will continue to negotiate with the remaining four employers over next few weeks.
