Now - this is going to take some guts - but, we have a huge problem Oz and there's going to have to be a legislative fix for it.
It is now crystal clear that the casualisation of the workforce by business in the pursuit of profit is a very very dangerous thing
It's also a very very very big false economy.
Business in Australia - and governments - including health services have casualised our workforce --
during Covid ----------- it's a disaster
1. people are going to work when they have symptoms -- we have reports of health workers attending work - on mainland and in Tassie - we have reports of meatworkers attending work with symptoms and many other businesses
2. this gives us 2 huge problems --
a. it's spreading the disease
b. due to the spread of the disease - we have shut down the economy - businesses have lost huge amounts of money --
so, on that one alone - one might ask ----------- how's that cost saving measure of casualisation working out for you now?
You've gone from a profitable business by cutting your wages bill to ZIP
ZERO business because all is shut down -
does that sound like a sound business model to us????
So - IMO ------- government has to turn this clock back by legislation -
we, as a nation - a nation of people and a nation as an economy NEED - to have business employ people full time and part time - with sick pay and annual leave - etc etc
CASUAL WORK SHOULD BECOME ILLEGAL
it's really that simple
here's yet more evidence - as if we didn't have enough already -
"Much has changed in the past four decades, including an increasingly casualised workforce.
Many workers in the industry had no choice but to show up for shifts even if they had symptoms, Mr Conway said."
"The nature of the work also meant that hundreds of people had to leave and arrive at exactly the same time each day to start their shifts, making it near impossible to socially distance.
Mr Conway said that in some families, a spouse worked a day shift while their partner started in the afternoon, meaning infections could quickly spread within the same business."
"Mr Conway believes that within a month of this, with restrictions easing and society appearing to edge back to normal as case numbers dropped to double digits, workers relaxed at home and caused an explosion in cases."
Australian businesses and employers have created this problem -------including the government ------------------ it's up to government to fix it
there's only one way ------------ workers MUST be guaranteed of an income when places have to shut down or they are called upon to not attend workplaces if they are a risk --
people HAVE to have incomes ------- not only for their own survival (which is the issue here) - but, also - to keep the economy going ----- if people have no money to spend - then, there is no business and there is no economy
Covid is giving us a remarkable insight here -------------- we need to pick up the ball and run with it
