“Historic day” for workers in the “Kangaroo country”

Starting today, August 26th, millions of workers in Australia are granted the legal right to ignore unreasonable after-hours calls from their employers.

Now, workers in Australia can "refuse to monitor, read, or respond" to what they consider "unreasonable" communication attempts by their employers outside of working hours. This law is similar to those in several European and Latin American countries.

Trade unions in Australia have welcomed the new law, saying it has given workers a way to regain work-life balance.

"Today is a historic day for workers," said Michele O'Neil, Chair of the Australian Council of Trade Unions. "The trade union movement has won the legal right for Australians to spend quality time with their loved ones without the stress of constantly responding to unreasonable work calls and emails."

"Australian unions have regained the right to time off after work," Ms. O'Neil declared.

Millions of workers in Australia are now enjoying the right to disconnect, allowing them to ignore unreasonable after-hours communications from their employers. (Photo: Geo News)

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese praised reforms pushed by his center-left Labor government. "We want to ensure that people aren't paid 24 hours a day, so they don't have to work 24 hours a day," Albanese told national broadcaster ABC.

"Frankly, it's also a mental health issue, when people can disconnect from work and spend time connecting with their families and personal lives," the Australian Prime Minister said.

On the other hand, Australian industry leaders have been lukewarm about the reform. The Australian Industry Group (Ai Group) – the country's leading industry association that has represented businesses for the past 150 years – argues that the law, known as the "Right to Disconnect," was introduced hastily, without careful consideration, and is "very confusing."

"At the very least, employers and employees will now be uncertain about whether they can receive or make calls outside of regular hours to request additional shifts," Ai Group said in a statement.

The law, enacted in February, has been in effect for medium and large companies in Australia since August 26th this year. For smaller companies with fewer than 15 employees, the law will come into effect on August 26th next year.

"We encourage those involved in the workplace to educate themselves about the right to disconnect and to exercise that right appropriately in their workplace," said Anna Booth, Australia's head of workplace relations and Fair Labour Inspector.

By law, employees can be ordered by a court to stop unreasonably refusing contact outside of working hours. Similarly, employers can be ordered to stop requiring employees to answer unreasonable calls.

The question of what is reasonable will "depend on the circumstances," Fair Labor Inspector Anna Booth said in a statement.

Determining factors may include the reason for contact, the nature of the employee's role, and their compensation for overtime or on-site work, as stipulated by law.

France introduced the right to disconnect in 2017, hoping to address the problem of smartphones and other digital devices being constantly switched on.

Minh Duc (According to Malay Mail)

Source: https://www.nguoiduatin.vn/ngay-lich-su-doi-voi-nguoi-lao-dong-o-xu-so-kangaroo-204240826114439365.htm