ACTU proposes four-day workweek with no loss of pay |
The Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) proposed a shorter working week — including the possibility of a four-day model — to the federal Labor government’s Economic Reform Roundtable in Canberra, over August 19–21.
The ACTU has urged a national move towards a four-day workweek where it can be applied, while introducing sector-specific alternatives in industries where different arrangements are more appropriate.
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Happier and healthier: Why we need a four-day work weekACTU, ACOSS say Labor must wind back negative gearing, capital gains tax exemptionsACTU survey concludes management slows productivityThe ACTU stressed that pay and conditions — including penalty rates, overtime and minimum staffing levels — must be protected so that workers are not forced to sacrifice wages for shorter hours.
The ACTU suggested sector-specific options for reducing working hours, including more rostered days off, longer annual leave entitlements and redesigned rosters.
“Unions want all Australians to benefit from higher productivity — not just those with money and power,” ACTU president Michele O’Neil said. “Productivity growth does not automatically translate to higher living standards.
“A fair go in the age of AI should be about lifting everyone’s living standards instead of just boosting corporate profits and executive bonuses.”
Peter Boyle, a regular Green Left writer and member of the Socialist Alliance, told GL that it was positive the ACTU had raised the idea of a shorter working week at Labor’s roundtable, because it poses the question:........