The ACTU has called out former Victorian premier Jeff Kennett’s suggestion that staff working from home should have their pay docked as “they save money as it saves them all the stress”.
Mr Kennett is quoted as saying “There will be people making a decision (to work from home) because they don’t have to go through the trauma of driving to and from work, or (taking) the train or something – they save money and it saves them all that stress.”
The ACTU believes that whether workers are at their office desk or home desk they should have rights and entitlements to share productivity gains, a safe and health work environment and the ability to draw a line between work and life.
Workers shouldn’t be out of pocket for the expense of working from home, with the cost of heating and electricity skyrocketing over the past 12 months.
The ACTU ‘Working from home Charter’ states home workers must be treated equally with all other workers. The terms and conditions of all home workers should be fair and at least equivalent to workers who are not working from home. They must get the same opportunities for promotion, development and training and be equally eligible for other forms of flexible working. Home working should have no adverse differential effects by gender, age, disability, or other worker characteristics.
Quotes attributable to ACTU Secretary Sally McManus:
“Whenever there’s an issue affecting workers, it seems the Liberals have one answer, cut people’s pay. It wouldn’t matter the problem, it’s always the same solution, cut workers pay.
“There is one exception to this rule and that’s when it comes to their own pay and the pay of CEOs. This pay should always go up. Jeff Kennett should abandon his knee-jerk Liberal party views, working people are living through a cost-of-living crisis after 10 years of wage stagnation. The last thing people need is pay cuts”
