Cheap Labour: The Australian Way

This paper examines new qualitative findings from a national study of low paid services employment in Australia, within the context of the new WorkChoices legislation. For many, low paid jobs entail financial hardship, unsocial hours, job insecurity, hidden subsidies to highly profitable industries through unpaid labour and out-of-pocket expenses, and less bargaining power. These workplace disadvantages have knock-on effects for personal health and well-being, household and family cohesion, community participation and active citizenship. For many low paid workers, the traditional notion of employment as an antidote to poverty and hardship has been the shattered. This paper questions the sustainability and justice of economic growth based on the growing exploitation of its most vulnerable employees.