The Council of Trade Unions has launched an online tool for workers to identify employers who “aren’t doing the right thing” during the COVID-19 period.
CTU President Richard Wagstaff says he is concerned that some employers are not following the law.
“We continue to hear really concerning reports of unacceptable behaviour by some employers. I do want to stress that the majority of employers are doing the right thing, they are looking after their employees and following the clear guidance from the government. But unfortunately, this is not universally the case,” he says.
“We want to ensure that people are able to tell their stories and log what is happening to them. Due to the number and complexity of problems that a significant number of working people are experiencing we need to create a register so that these cases can be triaged and addressed.
“Where we identify there are systematic breaches of employment law we will be raising these with government.
“Employment law still needs to be adhered to – employers who breach the law need to be held to account.”
There are six main areas the CTU says it is seeing poor behaviour from employers:
- Dismissals/redundancies;
- Annual leave/sick leave use;
- Misuse of the wage subsidy;
- Changing terms and conditions of employment;
- Treatment of casual and other precarious working people;
- Health and safety/essential services.
“We strongly encourage anyone who has not been treated fairly to ensure that they log it with us. Together, we will identify whether there are specific employers and industries which need to be urgently communicated with,” Mr Wagstaff says.