Sick leave for casual workers essential for stopping COVID-19 spread, says union boss

The Secretary of the Australian Council of Trade Unions told A Current Affair it was "devastating" necessary measures to protect employees hadn't been undertaken in the five months since the pandemic broke out in Australia.

"We could see way back in March that we had a big hole in our defence, and that's the fact that one in three workers don't have sick leave, in the middle of a pandemic," Ms McManus said.

"And so many of them are essential workers."

She said the early warning signs hadn't been heeded, slamming "complacency" from the federal government and the country as a whole.

"We thought we were through the worst of it," she said.

She claimed some aged care facilities also suffered through poor staffing levels and workforce planning.

"In some homes in Victoria, the whole workforce has been told to isolate," she said.

Ms McManus noted infection rates were much lower in private nursing homes due to better staffing levels, and called on all employers to provide better equipment and training.

She admitted employees who still went to work hadn't done the right thing.

But, she said, it was not an "equal choice" for all.

"Part of your anxiety is if you get tested, you're going to maybe be without a job, or certainly without income," she said.

"We've got to stop them making bad decisions, by making things more equal."