End of JobKeeper – new Q&A resource for workers

New Q&A resource for workers worried about job security after the end of JobKeeper published today by not-for-profit employment law community legal centre JobWatch.

March 25, 2021

With up to 110,000 job losses predicted with the end of JobKeeper on March 28, many workers across Australia are expressing concerns about what it might mean for their ongoing economic security.

Zana Bytheway, Executive Director of JobWatch, says that the number of callers to their Telephone Information Service (TIS) expressing concerns about their job security is ever-increasing.

“One of the many people we spoke to this past week who had concerns about their jobs after JobKeeper was Sandra,” she says.

Sandra was working in retail associated with the travel industry. During JobKeeper, she was able to be redeployed to another position. However, her employer has recently told all employees that when JobKeeper ends, they will need to reapply for available positions at other stores and that not everyone will be successful.

JobWatch explained to Sandra the different legal implications around reapplying for jobs, redeployments and redundancies, including the time limits for potential legal claims.

“When the pandemic started, we saw an immediate demand for clear information about workers’ rights, which is why we responded with a series of Q&A resources about JobKeeper, Stage 4 restrictions, returning to work, and more,” says Ms. Bytheway.

“Now that the pandemic stimulus packages are ending, people are understandably concerned about what it means for them, their jobs, and their financial stability. That’s why we’ve now released this new Q&A resource about workers’ rights after the end of JobKeeper.”

JobWatch’s new Q&A resource about the end of JobKeeper includes answers to questions about underpayments, contract changes, redundancies, and more.