Less than a month ago we reported on the new laws which empower workers to refuse unreasonable out-of-hours work contact: the so-called "Right to Disconnect” laws. The new laws aim to enable greater work-life balance and reducing the burden of unpaid labour and reduce the number of stress-based workers’ compensation claims.
In not unsurprising news however, the federal Opposition has made it clear that it considers this law and other ground-breaking legislation recently introduced by the Labor government giving workers more rights, as “red tape” holding back business.
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On the ABC’s Insiders program Shadow Finance Minister Jane Hume said the Coalition would look at “all of the industrial relations laws” to make sure they are “fairer for employers” if they won office.
Senator Hume confirmed the Coalition would roll-back multi-employer bargaining, scrap new definitions and rights for casual workers, eliminate the Future Made in Australia investment program, as well as the new right to disconnect laws.
In response, ACTU Secretary Sally McManus said, “Unions want Australians to have more money in their pockets, more time with their loved ones and more freedom to live their lives outside of work. You don’t achieve that by abolishing Same Job Same Pay, giving big business more power to turn permanent jobs into casual jobs, eliminating the right to disconnect and scrapping multi-employer bargaining. Taking away our rights at work hurts everyday people while boosting the profits of big companies like Qantas and billionaires like Gina Rinehart.”
Read more: ACTU Media release
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