ACTU Congress 2003
Working Hours and Work Intensification will be major issues on the agenda at the ACTU Congress 2003 to be held from the 18-21 August in Melbourne. For more information:
- Read the Working Hours and Work Intensification background
paper.
- Read the Working Hours and Work Intensification policy.
- Contribute to a discussion
group about the ACTU's Working Hours and Work Intensification policy for Congress
2003
Union Resources
ACTU Reasonable Hours Test Case Affiliates Information Kit – this kit outlines the scope and impact of the working hours explosion in Australia, why unions need to make this issue a high priority and suggests bargaining solutions for different workplace environments.
Research On Reasonable Hours
Fifty Families Report
- this study, commissioned by the ACTU and conducted by researchers at the
Universities of Sydney and Adelaide, makes an analysis of just over 50 families
who experience long hours or hours that are 'unreasonable' and describes what
these patterns of work are doing to Australians, their families and their
communities.
Cross-National Comparisons:
Work Time Around The World - Australia is fast winning a reputation as the
sweatshop of the developed world according to a new international comparison on
working hours by Dr Iain Campbell.
Extended Working Hours:
Counting The Costs - for many Australian workers, their families and
communities, extended working hours have lead to increased levels of fatigue and
decreasing levels of social support. This in turn has the potential to
compromise safety and the long-term health and wellbeing of workers and the
organisations that employ them according to this report from Dr Drew
Dawson.
Working Time
Arrangements In Australia: A Statistical Overview - a report on statistical
research on hours of work, especially extended hours of work, in Australia from
ACIRRT, University of Sydney.
What About The Bosses? - a
new study has found that management in best practice workplaces actively
encourage reasonable hours. As a result productivity and work quality is higher
and sick leave, health and safety incidents and accidents were lower.
The Effect Of Long Hours On
Family And Community Life - extended hours of work have serious negative
effects on families, relationships and communities according to this report
commissioned by the Queensland Government.
Reining In Work - France's
35 hour week stems from the program of the Left coalition government which went
to the polls in June 1997 with the policy of 'worksharing'. Iain Campbell
outlines how it works.
Work On Life
Work On Life is an e-bulletin with regular updates on industrial gains, members wins and public policy debate about the balance between work and life. You can subscribe to receive Work on Life by email or read the back issues below.
Work On Life; Edition 1, February 2002 - study links long hours to poor health, Village maternity leave a first, Mental stress on rise, Vic Public Servants win family friendlier workplaces, Bosses bypass baby boomers and more
Work on Life; Edition 2, April 2002 - with Clever Minds and Open Hearts, Job Insecurity Delays Life Choices Says CEDA, Teachers’ Action Wins More Staff, Labor Supports Paid Maternity Leave, Unions, Business and Community Groups Address Long-Term Unemployment
Work on Life - Edition 3, November 2002 – managing Work and Family in the 21st Century, Happy Workers Make Good Business, No Rest for the Weary, Unpaid Overtime Rampant, Working Hours Undermining Family Life plus more
The Reasonable Hours Test Case Background Paper
This background paper outlines the ACTU’s approach to the Reasonable Hours case.
Contents
Introduction To The Case - the standard working day is now dead
The Aim - to establish an award benchmark for reasonable hours worked
The Proposed Clause - what the ACTU wants inserted into awards
The Foundations of the Case - six propositions behind our case
The Case Law - an outline of the law in this area
Participants In The Case - the unions involved
The ACTU Submission to the AIRC
Part One - First
Submission
Part Two - How to View the Evidence
Part Three - The Case in Favor
Part Four - A Rebuttal of the Case Against