Gerard Dwyer says making sure casual workers receive a form of paid leave is the “first priority” for the government and the workers’ industry.
The Attorney General Christian Porter will meet with union and employer groups on Tuesday to help businesses prepare for the impact of the coronavirus.
Mr Dwyer - Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees Association National Secretary - told Sky News “almost a third of Australian workers do not have access to sick leave so we need a special paid leave as part of this package to keep the economy running”.
He said causal workers could be forced to make a difficult decision between going to work in order to receive an income or stay at home and not be able to pay bills if they are told to self-isolate.
“Retail workers who are causal need to know that someone has got their back if they are called to self-isolate,” he said.
“We need to make sure they have access to money until this crisis passes.
“The prime minister says we are all in this together, we need to make sure he lives up to that.”
Image: Getty
