
Issue No 44		03 March 2000

Women

No Time To Be Casual

By Vicki Telfer

International Women's Day is a day to take action. As a shop steward or union delegate why not use IWD as an opportunity to encourage the women in your workplace to join the union?

Did you know that 32% of women in the paid work force are employed on a casual basis? If a recently released report by the Evatt Foundation on casual work, called Choice and Coercion: Women's Experiences of Casual Work, is anything to go by, you might find that many of these workers have been incorrectly classified or are being ripped off.

With only 11.6% of casual employees belonging to a union there is clearly a big challenge for the union movement.

Funded by the NSW Department for Women under the Women's Grants Program, the Evatt Foundation report found that:

ďż˝ casual workers generally earn less than their permanent counterparts, have poorer access to training, fewer entitlements, have less bargaining power and longer periods of unemployment between jobs.

ďż˝ casual loadings in some industries have not kept up with the benefits accrued to permanent employees, including personal/carers leave and family leave - benefits particularly important for women,

At the launch of the report in November, Minister for Women, Faye Lo Po' commented that many employers have not caught up with flexible work practices and are not prepared to be flexible about start and finish times. As a result they often see casual employment as the only alternative to nine-to-five full-time employment.

The lesson from Choice and Coercion is that the risks associated with casual work can mean substantial hardship for an increasing number of workers. The research found that if women had a real choice, their choice of work would most often be permanent - either full-time or part-time. Unfortunately, for many women the choice is casual work or no work at all.

Being in a union can make a huge difference to women who work on a casual basis. On this International Women's Day talk to the women employees in your workplace who are 'casuals'. If they're not in the union get them to join.

International Women's Day is on the 8th of March. For information about International Women's Day activities contact the Women's Information & Referral Service of the NSW Department for Women on 1800 817 227.

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Issue 44 contents

Interview: The Big Fella
Opposition Leader Kim Beazley speaks about Laborďż˝s evolving relationship with the trade union movement in the post-Accord era.

Unions: An Interactive Resource
The priority for unions in the 21st century is organising and growth. Greg Combetďż˝s unions @work report identified the direction unions should be moving.

Media: Public Hearings
As the big media players look increasingly tarnished, the broadcasting minnows like FBi are seeking their share of the airwaves.

History: Labour History Under Siege
In good labour tradition, the history section of Workers Online begins the year with a call to arms.

Olympics: Games Greed Boosts Homeless Numbers
'Homeless in Sydney' is shaping up to be the theme of the Olympics with many property owners evicting tenants and pushing up rents.

Women: No Time To Be Casual
International Womenďż˝s Day is a day to take action. As a shop steward or union delegate why not use IWD as an opportunity to encourage the women in your workplace to join the union?

International: Serbian And Kosovo Unions Meet
The Italian metalworkers has hosted meetings on how to build a different future for the workers in the Balkans.

Labour Review: What's New
Read the latest issue of Labour Review our resource for students, activists and officials.

Review: Rock and a Hard Place
A hippie festival? Alternative? No way...the music festival know as the Big Day Out (BDO) is fast becoming a mainstream youth cultural event, a snapshot of the broader society that unions are struggling to engage.

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» Basic Goods Sought for East Timorese

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» Pay Equity Update

» STOP PRESS: Mac Attack Tuesday