The Government to beef up ER Act to protect temporary and casual workers...

The government has announced plans to beef up Employment Relations Act protection for temporary and casual staff

The government has announced plans to beef up Employment Relations Act protection for temporary and casual staff. It is also planning a campaign to make sure those workers are aware of their rights.

Council of Trade Unions spokeswoman Helen Kelly says the insecurity of such employment makes it difficult for those workers to assert their rights. She says many workers who are classified as casuals are expected to turn up on a regular basis, and are really no different from permanent workers. The Council of Trade Unions is welcoming the moves.

Ms Kelly says there is an army of casual employees, often low-paid workers, many of whom are insecure about their terms of employment, hours of work, and entitlements. She says today's announcement will be a real help for casual staff to get the rights at work the rest of the workforce have won.

While the Government is in this sympathetic frame of mind it should force employers to pay at least time and a half for overtime - I would have expected this to have happened afyer eight and a half years!