Casuals get a boost

CASUAL workers will be given the chance to make their positions permanent after a year, thanks to a landmark decision by the Fair Work Commission.

Workers across dozens of industries, including retail, hospitality and childcare, have won the right to ask their bosses to give them a full-time or part-time position if they have been working a pattern of casual shifts that qualifies them to become permanent.

The switch, which applies to 85 separate awards, will not be guaranteed but the Australian Council of Trade Unions has hailed the workplace umpire’s decision as a victory in the “first battle in the fight against the epidemic of casualisation”.

Business groups cautiously backed the Fair Work judgment, which also rejected a range of other union proposals including a standard minimum four-hour shift.

ACTU secretary Sally McManus said 40% of Australian workers relied on insecure work with lower wages and superannuation.

“Too many employers have been abusing the term casual and use it as a business model to drive down wages. Permanent positions allow people to plan for the future, to get loans, to budget, and to have a decent quality of living,” she said.

Australian Industry Group chief Innes Willox said the union’s “loopy” claims would have “wreaked havoc” on the Australian labour market.

“Today’s decision will reduce flexibility for some employers in some industries and this is a concern given the tough operating environment that many businesses are experiencing. However, importantly, the unions’ main claims have been rejected,” he said.