This petition of certain residents of the Australian Capital Territory draws to the attention of the Assembly that:
Cleaners, security officers, catering staff and many other workers who are employed by contract companies work hard to provide services to the ACT Community. This work is often unseen and in the majority of cases performed by workers who have been born overseas.
Wage theft and other unsavoury employment practices have developed throughout many contract industries as has each company either engages in a race to the bottom on wages and safety to win work or to maximise profit.
Vulnerable workers who either do not know their rights or do know their rights but are too afraid to demand them are left to pay the price.
Your petitioners therefore request the Assembly to:
Please support the Government Procurement (Secure Local Jobs) Amendment Bill 2018 to make sure that ACT Government only does business with companies that respect workers’ rights.