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Summer 2004

Women pay the biggest price of workforce casualisation

For too many Australian women, casual employment is the price they are made to pay for working part time.

There is a lack of availability of part time permanent jobs that allow women transition through the periods of their life where their care commitments are heaviest.

More permanent part time jobs are needed to accommodate people with caring responsibilities, usually women.

Working mothers should be able to maintain their connection with the workforce and contribute to the extent of their skills, experience and capacity.

That would be real flexibility.

We also need to establish a right for workers to make reasonable requests for changes in their working hours to meet care responsibilities - including the right to request part time work.

These claims can be fashioned so that the interests of businesses are fairly balanced with those of employees, without arrangements threatening productivity.

To address these issues we need a concerted effort - government, employers and unions to improve the opportunities in Australia for quality part time work.