After-hours work emails should mean Australians get a four-day work week, union tells government

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.

_{Sign up: AU Breaking News email}

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.

The chief executive of the Business Council of Australia, Bran Black, called on the government to rule out an across the board change to leave entitlements, calling for a focus on weak productivity growth, inflation and living standards instead.

The ASU plan for rostering changes would give workers other than casual employees “predictable hours of work” and for roster coordinators to consider the employee’s personal circumstances, including family responsibilities and caring arrangements.

Under the plan, an employee should be allowed to refuse a roster change if it is unreasonable to their personal circumstances.

The proposal would also see changes to rules for medical certificates for staff absences, including for certificates to only be required after two consecutive days off work.

“We are fighting to ensure that work fits into our lives, not the other way around. By protecting workers’ time and ensuring roster predictability, we can build a fairer, more productive Australia,” Gaske said.