Unions, employers face off over casuals

UNIONS are preparing to fight the rise of casual employment, setting up a bitter battle with industry groups in a showdown affecting millions of Australian workers.

The ACTU wants to see a “proper” definition of casual work included in the Fair Work Act and employees given the option of converting to permanent positions after six months of regular work with one company.

ACTU secretary Sally McManus says casual employment was once largely restricted to retail and hospitality industries but the rise of “fake casuals” has contributed to plunging more than half of Australians into insecure work.

“Employers are able to call people casuals — fake casuals — when they’re not casuals,” Ms McManus said in Melbourne yesterday.

“They tell them to go and get an ABN number when they’re actually permanent workers. They convert them to labour hire just to reduce their wages and conditions.

“All of these are loopholes that need to be shut down so that we make sure we once again have good steady jobs.”

Employers have come out swinging against the proposal.

Stephen Smith from the Australian Industry Group said restricting casual employment was a ridiculous proposition which could end up hurting workers most.

“Employers in a very large number of cases need the flexibility to employ people on a casual basis,” he said.

“Experience shows most casuals who are offered the option of converting [to permanent positions], the vast majority of them don’t want to either because they want the flexibility or want to maintain casual loading.”

Opposition employment spokesman Brendan O’Connor said it was important to maintain some casualisation in the labour market but it should not be the norm or primary method of employment.

“Federal Labor has made it clear that we are going to look at the definition of casual in order to ensure it is used for what it was originally intended to be used for,” he said.

The Opposition said it was also examining the ACTU’s push to block employers from reasonably refusing a request by a casual to convert to permanency, which was rejected by the Fair Work Commission in July.