Worker at Australian Taxation Office call centre takes court action demanding ‘same job, same pay’

Fair Work Commission application comes amid scrutiny of ATO’s use of for-profit call centres

• Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast

A worker at one of the Australian Taxation Office’s outsourced call centres is pursuing a “same job, same pay” order that threatens to unravel the agency’s extensive use of third-party contractors.

The Fair Work Commission application comes amid heightened scrutiny of the ATO’s use of for-profit call centres, where workers have complained about low pay, poor conditions, insufficient training and extreme staff turnover rates.