Download the Submission to the Employment Standards Legislation Bill (PDF, 138KB).
The Salvation Army supports this Bill in principle and its attempt to improve the rights and protections for workers and working parents, including the extension of paid parental leave and the greater protections for workers on “zero hours contracts.”
However, The Salvation Army submits that this Bill needs to be part of broader reform that seeks to better support all parents, including vulnerable families on the margins of our society.
The Salvation Army believes that zero hours contracts are inherently unjust and ultimately should be discontinued. This Bill goes some way towards improving protections for workers subject to such arrangements but does not make them impossible for employers to utilise.
the Salvation Army further submits that these changes cannot take place without an assessment of significant practical implications on current restrictive government contracts and funding structures for service providers