Published: 15/10/2013

A report compiled by New Zealand’s Council of Trade Unions (NZCTU) found that at least 30% of New Zealand’s workers – over 635,000 people – are in insecure work. 95,000 workers have no usual work time, 61,000 workers have no written employment agreement, 573,000 workers earn less than the living wage and almost a quarter of a million Kiwi workers say they have experienced discrimination, harassment or bullying at work. In Australia, research by the Australia Institute of Employment Rights, revealed that insecure work affects 40% of working people in Australia and shockingly, 40% of homeless people in Australia are working. This increase in insecure work at the expense of permanent jobs is threatening workplace safety, mental health, the ability for workers to collectively bargain, or earn enough to participate fully in society.
IUF affiliates in both nations are committed to representing all workers regardless of employment status and to fight insecure work through collective bargaining and by seeking legislative changes. Read the reports here and here