There are about 2.5 million casual workers in Australia, working in a variety of industries and locations. These workers should be aware of whether or not employers must provide notice for shift cancellations.

What is the required shift cancellation notice?

The relevant modern award outlines the minimum hours for casual employees per shift, although it will not always include the required notice for cancelling a casual shift.

Instead, the casual shift cancellation notice is usually outlined in the employment contract. It is therefore important that casual workers read and understand any terms within the contract before signing on. Some employers may stipulate that an employer provide ‘reasonable’ warning for a shift cancellation, while others may outline a specific timeframe. Under The Fair Work Act, someone is a casual employee if:

  • they are offered a job
  • the offer does not include a firm advance commitment that the work will continue indefinitely with an agreed pattern of work
  • they accept the offer knowing that there is no firm advance commitment and become an employee.

Casual shift cancellation notice will therefore come down to prior agreement between the employer and the employee. 

While this means that employers may technically be able to cancel casual shifts with little notice, casual workers may prefer to seek new employment with a set notice period in the contract.