OPENING LINES FOUR-DAY AUSSIE WORK WEEK SEEMINGLY A LONG WAY OFF Source: https://www.news.com.au/, Blair Jackson, First Published on March 19th, 2024 At the National Press Club on Wednesday,Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI) and Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) executives faced off in a classic workers versus business debate. The respectful affair showed, despite some international companies trialling and implementing four-day work weeks, the prospect of such a widespread change in Australia was a long way from reality. “There has been a positive impact, but you are right in saying one size does not fit all,” ACTU president Michele O’Neil said. “It is not something that you can pick up and say ‘This works in this industry in exactly the same way as this sector or industry’.” The chamber of commerce boss was adamant that legislating a four-day work week would not be beneficial. “We are not in a position where we can agree to National Employment Standards for five (extra) days annual leave per year or a four-day working week. When you think about that, the impact that would have across the effectiveness for small and mediumsized businesses across Australia, it is completely unrealistic,” ACCI chief executive Andrew McKellar said. This week, the Greens announced a push for permanent four-day work weeks as a major string in their election campaign bow. Citing burnout and demands for better work/life balance, the party unveiled a policy costing, which would create a national test case through the Fair Work Commission and establish a National Institute for the Four Day Work Week. At the press club on Wednesday, the union executive said there were promising examples. “The four-day week is something that is being trialled in different sectors and industries and businesses here in Australia and around the world, and there has been some really positive signs … where it is being done properly in consultation with workers and their unions,” Ms O’Neil said. “It is important that we keep changing, that we realise that the modern world is different … it is not our view that it should be a blanket approach. We need to do the tests and carefully adjust by industry.” Mr McKellar said some industries had already shortened their working weeks by stealth. “You take me back for a moment to my time as a student … I noticed, after a little while, that strangely there were no lectures on Monday, and there were no tutorials on Friday,” he said. “So, pretty clearly, those canny academics had worked things out pretty well.” 7 BUSINESS VIEW OCEANIA VOLUME 07, ISSUE 03
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