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To: Premier of South Australia, the Hon Peter Malinauskas MP
Secure Jobs in SA Local Government
The State Government must step in to stop the exploitative use of labour hire and rolling fixed term contracts in local government.
South Australia needs stronger protections to ensure councils provide secure, ongoing jobs, prevent labour hire being used to undercut pay and conditions, and stop workers being kept on fixed term contracts for years on end.
Local government workers should be able to rely on decent, secure employment and communities should be able to rely on stable, well-resourced councils.
Local government workers should be able to rely on decent, secure employment and communities should be able to rely on stable, well-resourced councils.
Why is this important?
Local government workers deliver essential services our communities rely on every day. But councils are increasingly replacing secure, ongoing jobs with labour hire and rolling fixed term contracts.
In some councils, labour hire workers now make up almost one in ten staff, often doing the same work as directly employed council workers but for less pay and fewer conditions. At one Council, ongoing employees are working side-by-side with labour hire workers on $18 less an hour.
At the same time, many workers have been trapped on rolling fixed term contracts for years - in some cases for more than 10 years - creating constant uncertainty and undermining their ability to build careers, support their families, and invest in their workplaces.
At the same time, many workers have been trapped on rolling fixed term contracts for years - in some cases for more than 10 years - creating constant uncertainty and undermining their ability to build careers, support their families, and invest in their workplaces.
Insecure work doesn’t just hurt workers, it hurts communities. High turnover and lost experience weaken local services and make it harder for councils to build strong connections with the people they serve. Communities deserve stable councils staffed by workers who are supported, trained, and able to build long-term knowledge of their local areas.