The Wire

Casual employees do not get paid sick or annual leave, meaning that extended self-quarantine or a public shutdown due to the coronavirus could be financially stressful. The SDA’s National Secretary Gerard Dwyer says that the union for retail, warehouse and fast-food workers is worried that casual workers won’t be able to afford to miss shifts if feeling unwell or advised to quarantine. Dr. Alison Barne, President of the National Tertiary Education Union, has similar concerns for the large proportion of academic staff that are casually employed as universities in Australia look at partial or potentially complete shutdowns.