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Work rights getting better for casuals
CTU MEDIA RELEASE
22 June 2008
Work rights getting better for casuals
"The rights at work for casual workers are about to get better, and no party should stand it the way of this much needed law change," Council of Trade Unions president Helen Kelly said today.
The government
today announced
"There have been significant real improvements
for workers in this country over the last 8 years but many
of the new improvements have been denied to large numbers of
workers because of the misuse by employers of casual
employment relationships. That makes these changes
extremely significant and important," Helen Kelly said.
"There is an army of casual employees, often low paid
workers, many of whom are totally insecure about their terms
of employment, their hours of work, their entitlements to
sick leave and holidays and their employment status in
relation to any workplace problems." "The insecurity
of their employment makes it difficult for them to assert
their rights, and also effects many other aspects of their
lives in areas like housing stability, access to loans and
superannuation savings." "Of course there are instances
of genuine casuals where the arrangements are necessary in
normal business operations. However there are many workers
who are classified as casuals when in fact they are expected
to turn up to work on a regular basis and really are no
different from a permanent workers."
"The changes
announced today will be a real help for casual and temporary
workers to get the rights at work that the rest of the
workforce have won. The CTU has been involved in this
process and are pleased with the outcomes, and we
acknowledge NZ First Deputy Leader Peter Brown's strong
advocacy for casual workers." "We expect all political
parties that believe in fairness at work to support this
move, or tell casual and temporary workers why they should
go without their rights at work," Helen Kelly
said. ENDS Te Kauae Kaimahi The New Zealand Council of Trade Unions Te Kauae Kaimahi brings together over 350,000 New Zealand union members in 40 affiliated unions. We are the united voice for working people and their families in New Zealand.
New Zealand Council of Trade Unions
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