<
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/mar/10/four-day-work-week-australia-union-employment-standards-review>
"Labor is facing growing calls to legislate a four-day work week and for
workers’ annual leave entitlements to be expanded, as part of a review of
Australia’s national employment standards.
The Australian Services Union has told the Albanese government that five weeks’
annual leave is necessary to help employees inundated with instant
communication and information updates from the workplace, and to allow workers
to take proper breaks to boost their productivity.
As part of a submission to the review by a parliamentary committee, the union
has argued extra paid leave would boost long-term productivity, see illness and
injury reduced and give workers more energy and enthusiasm.
The union has also called for “roster justice” rules to be created, giving
shift workers predictable patterns and at least two weeks’ notice for shift
changes by their employer.
The union represents more than 135,000 workers in industries including
transport, local government, call centres, social and community services,
energy, water, airlines and the private legal sector.
Included in the proposals are paid notice of at least six months before jobs
can be cut due to advancing AI technology.
The ASU secretary, Emeline Gaske, said members have reported facing difficulty
when trying to take annual leave in “blocks” of a few weeks, either because
employers will not approve their plans or because the break would leave their
colleagues with unreasonable work demands.
“With increasing work and care responsibilities, soaring cost of living and
ever-expanding demands on workers’ time, we need to make sure that we have
modern standards that give workers the flexibility to manage their increasingly
busy lives,” she said.
“Life doesn’t happen in 24-hour increments. You cannot arrange childcare,
healthcare, or a life outside of work if you only find out your shifts the
night before.”
Last week, the union movement’s peak body urged Labor to cut full-time
employees’ work hours and lift hourly rates by 8.5% as a first step towards a
four-day week.
In its submission, the ACTU recommended reducing maximum hours from 38 hours a
week to 35 and the introduction of the right to request a four-day week, a plan
which prompted a backlash from business groups."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
