Cairns jobs: Far North’s casual workforce overused, union boss says

A national union boss has called for the Far North to stop relying on casual employment as a new report sheds light on working conditions in the region. HAVE YOUR SAY

A NATIONAL report comparing working conditions across the country has brought to light workers in the Far North are lower paid and more insecure than most Australians.

The Spotlight on Job Insecurity and wages report by the Australian and Council of Trade Unions and the Queensland Council of Unions showed employees in Cairns earned 8 per cent less than the national average.

For the Cairns region the median total income was $45,813 compared with $49,804 for Australia.

And in Townsville it was $52,933, which the report said was reflective of less workers being in lower paid industries such as accommodation and food services.

It also showed that one in three workers in Cairns was deemed a casual – higher than the national rate which was 21.9 per cent.

The Spotlight on Job Insecurity and wages report by the Australian and Council of Trade Unions and the Queensland Council of Unions showed employees in Cairns earned 8 per cent less than the national average with a high per cent of workers employed casually in tourism and hospitality. Picture: Brendan Radke

“In exchange for having no leave entitlements and job security, casual workers are supposed to receive a “loading” of extra pay, usually 25 per cent more. Yet less than half receive any loading and they still earn less than their permanent colleagues performing the same work,” the report said.

While tourism and hospitality work in the Far North remained at a standstill, it was identified as one of the largest employers of casual staff, which ACTU president Michele O’Neil said was time to clean up.

“The recovery from the pandemic is an opportunity to create more secure jobs in Cairns and end this crisis,” Ms O’Neil said.

“The Morrison Government must step up to the task of regulating the overuse of contract, temporary and casual employment.

The ACTU says the government needs to clean up laws around classing workers as casuals and limiting the number of back-to-back fixed-term contracts. Picture: Brendan Radke

“Casual employment gives all the power to employers, making it difficult for workers to bargain for better pay or rights and the Morrison Government has condemned more workers into insecurity by passing laws that ensure employers can label any worker as casual irrespective of the true nature of their work.

“Our frontline healthcare workers are not immune to over-casualisation, with many nurses working anywhere between 8 and 40 hours.

“Their lives are on hold, and their mental health and financial stability compromised. This is not how we should be repaying our pandemic heroes.”

The report showed over-casualisation was more prominent in Townsville with 30.6 per cent of its workforce deemed casual.

Originally published as Cairns jobs: Far North’s casual workforce overused, union boss says