Greens to Amend IR bill to outlaw insecure work

The Australian Greens MPs

Greens Leader, Adam Bandt, said the Greens will move a series of amendments to the government’s industrial relations reforms to outlaw insecure work, by introducing a legal presumption that all employment is permanent and ongoing unless there are compelling, exceptional business reasons to the contrary.

The amendments will also give effect to the Greens’ Fair Work Amendment (Making Australia More Equal) Bill 2018, which extends to gig economy workers the protections available to employees. Given Labor has also recently adopted a similar policy stance, the Greens’ amendments have a good chance of succeeding in the Senate.

“The Greens will move to outlaw insecure work,” Bandt said.

“Insecure work in Australia has got out of control.

“Casual, contract and gig economy workers are all getting a raw deal.

“The Greens will move to change the government’s bill so that every job is permanent and ongoing unless there are exceptional business reasons to the contrary.

“If our amendments pass, then insecure work will become a thing of the past, and casual, contract and gig economy workers could go to the Fair Work Commission to get their jobs converted to ongoing employment.”

“The government’s IR reforms will entrench the insecure work crisis, rather than address it, so the Greens will bring on amendments to ensure that every worker gets the rights they deserve.

“The recent deaths of five delivery riders has highlighted the lack of protections and entitlements for gig economy workers. The Greens’ will move amendments that will also give the Fair Work Commission the power to extend minimum wages, terms and conditions from the Fair Work Act 2009, modern awards or enterprise agreements to gig economy workers.”

“We’re also deeply concerned that the Attorney General, the highest law officer in the country, is undermining the Federal Court’s decision on casual workers and is working with big business to not only reverse the hard-fought win for casual workers rights, but is introducing legislation to prevent any future court ruling from providing full compensation to casual workers,” Bandt said.

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