Fed: Casuals could miss materninity leave under Federal push

AAP General News (Australia)
04-23-2001
Fed: Casuals could miss materninity leave under Federal push

By Jane Williams Industrial Correspondent

MELBOURNE, April 23 AAP - Hundreds of casual workers would miss out on maternity leave
if the federal government succeeded in a bid to have a test case before the Australian
Industrial Relations Commission (AIRC) dismissed, the ACTU said today.

The federal government has agreed in principle to a "parental leave for casual workers"

test case to go before the AIRC on Thursday.

But the government believed the issue should be looked at on an award-by-award basis,
according to areas of need, a spokeswoman for Federal Employment Services Minister Tony
Abbott said today.

ACTU advocate Richard Watts said the attitude showed the government was paying lip
service to an issue which had already been agreed to by employer and retail groups.

If it was successful, dozens of separate cases would have to go before the commission,
costing millions of dollars and taking years before all casual workers would be entitled
to what should be a basic right, Mr Watts said.

"Hundreds of workers would miss out," he said.

"Women shouldn't have to lose their jobs just because they're pregnant.

"It shouldn't be left to how strong a workforce is as to whether the casual employee
receives maternity leave, it's a basic community standard which should be applied across
the board."

Mr Watts said if the federal government was successful, the case before the AIRC on
Thursday would mean that only casual workers under certain clerical, hospitality, retail
and vehicle repair awards would be entitled to parental leave.

"Hundreds of casual workers would miss out because their union may not have got around
to pushing for it," he said.

AAP jmw/gfr/hu/de 6

KEYWORD: MATERNITY

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