A taskforce is to be established to examine casual, temporary and contract positions in the ACT Public Service that could be converted to permanent.
Chief Minister, Andrew Barr and Minister for Workplace Safety and Industrial Relations, Rachel Stephen-Smith revealed the move in a letter to the Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU) which has been campaigning against insecure employment arrangements in the ACT Public Sector for some time.
ACT Regional Secretary for the CPSU, Brooke Muscat-Bentley said the initiative was a hugely important win for ACT PS workers who provided essential public services in the ACT.
“These people deserve quality, permanent employment directly with the ACT Public Service, and this commitment means the CPSU can make sure they get it,” Ms Muscat-Bentley said.
“We believe thousands of ACT workers stand to benefit,” she said.
“We know that far too many ACT Public Service workers are employed casually or through other forms of insecure work, particularly in key areas like ACT Health.”
She said it was a credit to Mr Barr and Ms Stephen-Smith that this important milestone had been reached.
“The CPSU will be using its position on this new taskforce to push to quickly put the principles of this commitment into action,” Ms Muscat-Bentley said.
“Workers in insecure employment should be given decent, permanent jobs without delay to secure their livelihoods.
“We want workers out of limbo and in secure jobs within weeks not sometime in 2019,” she said.
