August 22, 2023
The St Vincent de Paul Society has urged employers to treat their workers as “people first, not units of labour to be used for purely economic ends”.
The Catholic lay organisation launched a new policy statement on its views about “secure work” this week.
The Society said it supported workers’ rights “to safe and fair working conditions and a minimum wage based on justice and equity – one that covers the actual needs of a person, and provides them with flexibility, as well as security for the future”.
“The type of casual employment that exists in Australia is shared by no other developed country,” National President Mark Gaetani said.
“Lacking are the guarantee of working hours or continued employment, entitlements to paid leave and specification in industrial awards of higher minimum rates of pay than apply to non-casual employees.
“If the last few years have taught us anything, it’s that casual and insecure employment disproportionately impacts vulnerable groups, including women, young people, people on visas and people living with disability.
“Insecure employment is prevalent in sectors where employees have been chronically underpaid such as in retail, hospitality, health, child and aged care.
“We welcome efforts by the Australian Government to increase wages in the child and aged care sectors, and in the passing of the Fair Work Legislation Amendment Bill 2022.”
The Society called on the Federal Government to implement:
- Commitments made to address wage suppression and undervalued jobs,
- The ALP’s National Platform to review mutual obligation requirements and employment programs to provide the help that people need based on trust and shared accountabilities,
- Pathways to assist the underemployed and the long-term unemployed.
The Society would continue to advocate for minimum standards for new forms of work, such as gig work; “same job, same pay” conditions for labour hire workers; a national labour hire licensing scheme to ensure minimum legal standards were met; improved access to jobs and training pathways; and equity targets for training places.
Mr Gaetani took over leadership of the Society in March this year.
