Originally Posted by
megan
I'm told my previous employer wanted to go to all being on an individual contract, CASA apparently told them engineers signing out work had to be on their books as employees and not contractors, likewise pilots in position as division manager, CP or C&T. When that became a feature in the last 20 years I don't know, contractors were unknown in my time. Contractor labour is far easier to get rid of if some one gets a bee in their bonnet, also more likely to do what they're told, particularly operating at variance with regs.
PIlots and instructors can't be contractors because they have to follow the direction of a HOO/Chief Pilot/Ops manual etc. Even if this means someone with special skills writes that bit of the manual. However many schools tell newbies to "get an ABN and send me an invoice once a month" because they are then able to fiddle the tax, super, public liability etc, leaving those people wide open to a world of hurt, but taking advantage of their desperation for a job, as well as paying them a fraction of what is a pretty small award. Plus of course undercutting the employers who are doing the right thing.
This has been commonplace in GA and until reading this I didn't realise CASA cared if people were employed legally or not. Not just the senior staff, everyone should be as important in a workplace as safety doesn't just come from the top. Someone who is being exploited is probably more likely to be a safety risk. The tax office have been turning a blind eye to this for years.