Work, Care and Predictable, Fair Working Conditions: Amazon, Coles, the ASU and SDA
30 January 2023
The Senate Select Committee into Work and Care, Chaired by Senator Barbara Pocock, will be holding its final public hearing in Sydney today. It will hear evidence from two of Australia's largest retailers and two of the country's biggest trade unions. Amazon and Coles are scheduled to give evidence this afternoon, as well as the ASU and SDA.
Over recent months the issues of job security, predictability of hours and rosters and the question of 'roster justice' and its impact on workers with caring responsibilities has become of increasing interest to the Committee, which will table its final report in the Senate on March 9.
Senator Pocock and other committee members will tour the Amazon Fulfillment Centre in Western Sydney this morning before hearing evidence in the afternoon. Senator Barbara Pocock said, "Many people in our workforce, particularly female workers, are taking care of elderly family members, children, or people with disabilities and they need predictable hours, pay and shifts to remain in the workforce.
"Working conditions that cannot give these basic rights take us back to the 1800s, before basic working conditions were established. We want to find out what input workers have about their shift arrangements, whether there is real say for workers with care responsibilities, and whether they can rely on a regular amount of hours each fortnight" Senator Pocock said.
"Lack of input into rosters can leave workers with an inability to predict work hours and difficulty in planning for formal care of their loved ones" she said.
"Lack of predictability can create significant barriers to carers participating in the labour market and we need to find out who is affected by these issues and how employers are responding to their needs," Senator Pocock said.
"Visiting workplaces and hearing from workers and about the conditions of work is a vital part of the Committee's work and today promises to be an important one for our work".
The committee's members include Senator Deborah O'Neill (ALP, Deputy Chair), Senator Wendy Askew (Lib), Senator Andrew Bragg (Lib), Senator the Hon Anne Ruston (Lib), Senator Jana Stewart (ALP), and Senator Linda White (ALP).
MEDIA CONFERENCE WITH SENATOR BARBARA POCOCK AND SENATOR DEBORAH O'NEILL WILL BEGIN AT 11.45 AM TODAY AT CENTENNIAL ROOM, STAMFORD PLAZA SYDNEY AIRPORT HOTEL & CONFERENCE CENTRE, 241 O'Riordan St, Mascot NSW 2020
