Under industrial law, a casual worker can change to full-time or part-time employment at any time if you and your employer both agree to it.
Permanent conversion clauses are contained in awards and agreements. These clauses will often state that a worker can request to be converted to permanent work if they have been engaged on a regular and systematic basis for a specified length of time, for instance 6 or 12 months. Employers can refuse this request only by providing reasonable grounds for the rejection.
In some circumstances, if an official conversion has not happened but a casual worker has been employed in ongoing, regular and systematic work over a period of time, then the worker might be entitled to permanent worker leave and termination entitlements.
If you have been working regular shifts in the same job for a certain period of time casually, you might be eligible to request to be converted to permanent work. Check your award or agreement to see if you are eligible for conversion.
Although the right to request conversion to permanent employment is protected by industrial law, it can be too easy for employers to refuse this request. Australian Unions continue to campaign for casual workers to win the right to permanent work.
Join your union today to support the fight against insecure work.