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- 🗞️ACTU seeks to strengthen right to disconnect, as Dutton promises to abolish it
🗞️ACTU seeks to strengthen right to disconnect, as Dutton promises to abolish it
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The ACTU submitted its proposal to the Fair Work Commission today regarding the inclusion of the right to disconnect in contemporary awards. The submission argues that being disorganised by employers is not a justification for underpaying employees, and it calls for a clause holding employers responsible for adequate staffing and planning to minimise out-of-hours contact. In order to maintain a healthy work-life balance, employees must have the ability to refuse unreasonably frequent work-related communications after hours. This is known as the right to disconnect. Additionally, the right would guarantee that workers who work after hours are fairly compensated by their employers. The right, which was approved by Parliament in February, will go into effect for non-small business employers on August 26, 2024, and for small businesses on August 26, 2025.
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​ ACTU President Michele O’Neil said Unions are arguing that awards clearly set out workers’ rights to have a life outside work. Changes in technology and work arrangements cannot be used to undermine the right to be paid for the work you do and to have the right to disconnect.
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“Peter Dutton wants Australians to work longer hours for lower wages while they face cost-of-living pressures. The right to disconnect is an important part of addressing cost-of-living, because people deserve to be paid wages for every hour they work.” He said
“Peter Dutton’s promise to take away the right to disconnect shows just how out of touch he is with working Australians. Abolishing this right would worsen the work-life balance of families and create more burnout and stress in people’s lives. A healthier workplace is a more productive workplace.
"Establishing a clear separation between work and the rest of our lives is important for improving mental health and enabling all of us to spend quality time with our loved ones.
“Peter Dutton is more interested in appeasing big business than standing up for everyday Australians who are trying to juggle work and life with the wages they earn.”
​In the event that the Coalition wins the next election, opposition leader Peter Dutton has promised to abolish the right to disconnect.
The Coalition lost in the Senate on Friday when it tried to pass two amendments: one that would have completely eliminated the right to disconnect and another that would have done the same for workers in small businesses.
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