ELECTION PROMISES BULLETIN #3 – Casualisation and Insecure Work – March 2019 (pdf version)

In October last year, the PSA wrote to all political parties to seek their position on issues important to our members.

Two of the questions asked were, “What will your Party do to reduce reliance on contractors/contingent labour to carry out duties that should be performed by public servants?”

and, “Will your Party commit to the conversion of long-term temporary and insecure workers to permanent public sector positions within two years of initial employment?”

After eight years of Coalition Government in NSW, secure employment is under threat while contingent labour is booming.

Contingent labour in this context refers to people employed either full-time or part-time on a temporary, casual or ‘other’ basis. Contingent labour is often referred to as “labour hire/agency temps”, “contractors” or is included under the blanket term “casualisation”.

Recent figures show that the number of public sector employees with permanent employment has decreased by 7.8 per cent since 2012 – that’s more than 23,000 jobs cut. In the same period, contingent labour has risen by 31.6 per cent.

In the last financial year, the Berejiklian Government spent almost $1.3 billion on contingent labour.

 

Party	What will your Party do to reduce reliance on contractors/contingent labour to carry out duties that should be performed by public servants?	Will your Party commit to the conversion of long-term temporary and insecure workers to permanent public sector positions within two years of initial employment?
Labor	A Daley Labor Government will review the use of contracted, labour hire, casual and temporary employment used across the public sector, ensuring such work forms are for their intended purpose only. In government, NSW Labor will gradually convert non-contract/non-Senior Executive Service staff engaged for more than two years to permanent employment, including those engaged through labour hire, casual and temporary employment.	Yes.
Liberals and Nationals	Treasurer Dominic Perrottet gave the PSA no indication of plans to reduce the use of contractors/contingent Labor in the public sector. Mr Perrottet said, “the NSW Liberals and Nationals Government believes that contingent labour forms part of an agency’s workforce where it improves customer outcomes by allowing agencies to flexibly respond to customer needs.”	Unclear.
The Greens	The Greens told the PSA that they will work to “ban outsourcing to contractors and consultancy firms by introducing a litmus test so that work can only be outsourced if there is no demonstrable public alternative.”	Yes.
Shooters, Fishers and Farmers	The SFF told the PSA that while the Party is “not generally in favour” of outsourcing public jobs, there should also not be an “automatic bias against out sourcing if it results in sub optimal outcomes for the government.”	Yes.

*Only parties who responded to the PSA’s letter sent in October 2018 have been included in these tables.

 

Contingent labour now makes up more than one fifth of public sector jobs, and climbing.

Casualisation and insecure work is spreading into all areas of Australian working life but we have the power to do something about it.

To protect secure Public Sector jobs, you will need to change the government.

SAVE THE STATE. CHANGE THE GOVERNMENT.

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