State opposition leader Daniel Andrews has promised that, if elected in November, he will legislate for the licensing and regulation of labour-hire companies in the face of rising complaints about dodgy operators.
His pledge has drawn support from a union movement predicting more and more casualisation of employment as manufacturing and auto industry workers start joining the ranks of the under-employed.
Mr Andrews said last week a state Labor government would create a licensing system for labour-hire companies to ensure that only properly accredited operators can provide third-party labour for Victorian workplaces.
“Any labour-hire company seeking a licence will need to demonstrate capacity to comply with their payroll and superannuation obligations,” he said.
Mr Andrews said that under Labor’s policy, compliance with workplace laws would be monitored by the Victorian government. The policy has received a thumbs up from the Victorian branch of the National Union of Workers, which has been involved in recent workplace disputes involving labour-hire contractors at Tullamarine and Somerton.
Branch secretary Tim Kennedy said people in casual or insecure employment were vulnerable to employer exploitation and there had been increasing complaints from workers in Melbourne’s north.
