Insecure work on the rise
A REPORT from a group of unions around the globe has warned insecure work and work done through employment agencies was on the rise.
The IndustriALL report, led in Australia by the Australian Council of Trade Unions, showed the number of workers in labour hire and contract work doubled between 1996 and 2009.
ACTU president Ged Kearney said the report showed how job agencies around the world were lobbying government to make it easier to cut workers rights.
"As the report finds, the growth of insecure work has been strategically orchestrated by employers who have sought to reduce the permanent workforce in the name of 'flexibility'," she said.
"In Australia, we have the second highest rate of insecure work in the developed world, at 40% of the workforce, which is appalling considering there is no economic justification for it."
Based on data from several European and Asian countries as well as Australia, the report was released to coincide with the union-led World Day for Decent Work on Sunday.
