A REPORT into the plight of casual workers, compiled by a Catholic youth network, has sparked wide interest.
The report, ‘Don’t bother coming in today: Casual work, casual nature’, was launched in Brisbane on August 22, supported by the Queensland branch of the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU).
It was compiled by SMARTcasual, a group set up by the Young Christian Workers to educate young people on their rights in casual employment.
SMARTcasual co-ordinator, Katrina Norton, said the report had received a fantastic response with requests for copies of the report from around Australia.
‘Those requests have come from offices such as Industrial Relations, Workplace Health and Safety etc,’ she said.
‘The Queensland ACTU said there was nothing new about the information contained in the report but what was unique was that we had given a human side to the figures.’
Katrina said SMARTcasual was planning to launch a postcard campaign this week which would target key politicians such as Federal Employment and Workplace Relations Minister Tony Abbott, Opposition Employment Spokeswoman Cheryl Kernot, Prime Minister John Howard and Opposition Leader Kim Beazley, regarding the issues and recommendations identified by the report.
‘We will also try to distribute them in cafes and universities.’
Katrina said SMARTcasual wanted to make sure the issue was on the agenda for the next federal election and to raise awareness of the plight of casual workers within the wider community.
She said part of that awareness program would involve visits to schools over the next few months to talk to Year 12 students about their rights regarding casual work.
Katrina said the report had already triggered a response from Cheryl Kernot’s office and from ACTU president Sharon Burrows.
