Michael Evans National Organiser (Media & Engagement)
In search of the vaccine for insecure work In the lead-up to finalising the Union’s submission to the Senate Inquiry into Insecure Work, over 170 NTEU members and supporters attended our online seminar entitled ‘Where’s the Vaccine For Insecure Work?’ on 19 March. The seminar was an opportunity to hear from Labor Senator Tony Sheldon, Chair of the Senate Select Committee on Job Security, and Australian Greens leader Adam Bandt, the Greens’ Workplace Relations spokesperson, about the pressing issues around insecure work and how to confront them. They joined NTEU National President Dr Alison Barnes. ‘Good jobs give you a good economy, not the other way round,’ Senator Sheldon told the seminar. He highlighted how critical the university sector is to the Australian economy, especially during and in the aftermath of COVID-19. Tony described the evolution of the gig economy as a ‘disruption of decency’ and said that casual workers should have some rights and security within that context, and especially the right to speak out about their situation without their employment being threatened. Adam Bandt said it was critically important that the billions of dollars stripped out of higher education over the last ten years be restored, and that this is a
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crucial issue to addressing insecure work in the sector. He said that the trend over the last 30 to 40 years has been that the element of risk in employment and the economy had been shoved downwards onto workers, hence the steady rise of insecure work. Adam called for the law to be changed so that the legal presumption was that every job is ongoing by default, unless the employer can justify why it shouldn’t be. He also said that the Fair Work Commission (FWC) should have the power to move casual workers to ongoing positions if that is the nature of the work performed. He urged participants to get involved to change the government at the next election, as this was the most realistic way to achieve change around insecure work, and agreed that future funding increases could be potentially tied to improving job security.
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Good jobs give you a good economy, not the other way round
Connect ® Volume 14, no. 1 ® Semester 1, March 2021
Seminar guest speakers (from top) Dr Alison Barnes, Labor Senator Tony Sheldon and Greens Leader Adam Bandt.
