chris955

Australia is now 2nd only to Spain in the number of casual workers. Many of these people work at least 40 hours a week but have no holiday or sick pay and often find it impossible to get a mortgage, also of course they are literally working week to week.

northernbird

Link to the original article would be nice to see.

Amazulu

Why would an employer hire certain workers on a permanent basis when it is so hard to fire them - unlike in the UK, where it is very easy?

Grayling

same old, same old.....

Amazulu

At work. Bored.

Dorothy

What's your point?

Tramps_mate

It's a new grumpy moan thread!!

haha

Australia_bound?

It isn't good for the workforce to be casual for years on end?

Dorothy

No, I think his point is more "Australia's shit and I'll show you just how shit by posting something negative".

Either way, the thread doesn't really interest me enough to stick around.

bcworld

This one?

http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/quee...213-1t1xo.html

northernbird

Thanks bc

Tramps_mate

As an employer previously. I would have loved casual labour as its easier to cut hours in quiet times and not having to pay holiday pay! Woohoo!!

But seriously. It must be hard not knowing what your income, if any, will be week to week.

sonlymewalter

Aus is like the UK was in the 80's where people would be contracted as casuals often for years UK law changed and made employers more accountable, the view being if a company needs to constantly employ ongoing casuals for any particular job then the job is obviously needed and is not casual. Hopefully Aussie law will go the same way

I wonder what the split is between male to female casual workers?

chris955

Exactly, I would hate to be in that position of uncertainty.

Turban Explorer

In Queensland employees have the right to insist on 2 hours work before they are sent home. It's a heart wrenching situation at my job as restaurant manager as on quiet nights I have to choose whose hours are cut at 2 rather than the scheduled 6. You don't get volunteers as everyone is desperate for the cash. As we're working for a visa rather than cash I've actually stuck amounts in the tip jar that gets shared to the casual workers to bulk up their pay by a few hours. I don't know whether it's worse or better in the UK but it is pretty exploitative here and people suffer.