Sick pay for Victorian casual workers
Earlier this week, Premier Daniel Andrews announced the introduction of the “Secure Work Pilot Scheme” under which casual or insecure workers in certain industries will be entitled to five days’ sick and carer’s pay at the national minimum wage.
The scheme is set to come into effect in late 2021 or early 2022 and will initially be funded by the State government before relying on an industry levy.
The driving force behind the scheme was the COVID-19 pandemic, which exposed problems around casual workers continuing to work when unwell to avoid loss of income.
The scheme will be aimed at sectors where insecure work is common, such as hospitality, private aged care and security work, with the final list of sectors yet to be determined.
Whilst this may be positive news for casual workers in Victoria, it has raised concerns for employers around the increasing costs associated with casual workers, with businesses set to fund the scheme in the long run.
The scheme is yet to be finalised so watch this space.
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