One Nation demands casual rights for IR support
One Nation is demanding the Coalition agree to greater rights for casuals as ACTU polling shows crossbenchers risk a backlash if they vote for the IR bill.
One Nation is demanding the Coalition agree to greater rights for casuals as new ACTU polling shows Senate crossbenchers risk a backlash from supporters if they vote for the Coalition’s industrial relations bill.
With the government needing three crossbench votes to pass the bill, One Nation is seeking amendments that include giving casuals the right to seek permanency after six months of employment rather than 12 months as proposed by the Coalition.
One Nation’s Malcolm Roberts said the minor party’s chief concern was to ensure workers could exercise conversion rights before 12 months. “Employees need to feel empowered to explore work arrangements that better suit their changing needs and when it suits their lifestyle, for example, when looking for a loan,” he said.
“Six months is long enough for an employer to get to know their employees, so it is reasonable that an employer will be in a good position to have that discussion.”
Crossbenchers Rex Patrick and Jacqui Lambie want a vote on the bill delayed until May, leaving the government to secure the support of One Nation, which has two votes, and Centre Alliance’s Stirling Griff, to get the changes passed this week.
Senator Griff, who wants changes that include greater rights for workers to have disputes arbitrated, said he was “open to discussion” on the six-month conversion proposal but was yet to put his amendments to the government.
The ACTU released new polling finding 64 per cent of Centre Alliance voters in the South Australian seat of Mayo would be less likely to vote for the minor party at the next election if it supported the bill. Seventy-seven per cent of Centre Alliance supporters surveyed said they opposed the bill.
In a separate poll of 1019 Queensland residents, 47 per cent of One Nation voters said they would be more likely to support the minor party if it backed the bill, but 29.4 per cent said they would be less likely. Overall, 60 per cent of One Nation supporters said they backed the changes
Forty-six per cent of the Queensland voters surveyed said they opposed the bill, compared to 42.6 per cent who supported it. In Mayo, 55 per cent were opposed to the bill compared to 34 per cent who backed it.
ACTU secretary Sally McManus said crossbenchers had a choice between supporting the rights of workers and siding with big business to cut pay and conditions. “This bill will delay the recovery by crushing wage growth and taking away job security for millions of workers,” she said.
Ms McManus said the One Nation amendment was a step forward but without arbitration and a proper definition of casual employment shielding workers from exploitation, “it will mean very little”.
Acting Minister for Industrial Relations, Michaelia Cash said the government was “willing to consider any sensible amendments that will increase the bill’s chances of being passed by the parliament this week”.
“Senators will face a clear choice when it comes time to vote,” her spokesman said. “They can support measures to help grow jobs, boost productivity and put upward pressure on wages, or they can turn their backs on struggling businesses and do nothing to help fix the broken industrial relations system acting as a handbrake on our economy.”
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