The Federal Court found on Wednesday that"casual"workers who worked regular and predictable shifts with a firm advance commitment to work were not casuals despite how they were described in employment contracts and therefore were entitled to paid annual,sick and carer's leave.
Mining union national secretary Tony Maher,whose union had intervened in the case,said the decision was"fantastic",saying it rebuked employers who called their workers casuals but employed them on full-time hours.
"Employers must now stop with the nonsense that calling a worker a casual makes them so,"Mr Maher said."When a job is full-time,regular and ongoing,it is permanent and deserves the security and entitlements that come with permanent work."
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The Australian Industry Group,which represents 60,000 employers,said the decision would discourage employers bringing on casual workers and hurt the economy.
"Today's decision ... highlights the need for urgent legislative reform to provide certainty to businesses and casual employees,and to prevent double-dipping claims by casuals who have been paid additional remuneration in lieu of the entitlements of permanent employees,"the group's chief executive Innes Willox said.
"An employee engaged as a casual and paid a casual loading ... should not be allowed to turn around years later and claim the entitlements of a permanent employee,like annual leave,"he said.