Coalition Leader, Peter Dutton’s panicky small backtrack on his work from home ban for public sector workers would still be harmful for women, and based on his record, is unlikely to be true, says the ACTU.
Softening his language on the return-to-work edict is in direct contradiction of Coalition policy, which remains on Shadow Finance Minister, Senator Jane Hume’s website.
Senator Hume unveiled the Coalition’s policy for a return to office mandate in the public sector earlier this month. Peter Dutton has since attempted to reassure women voters that there would be no US-style reversal of women’s rights, if he became PM.
Yesterday, Peter Dutton slightly amended his mandatory return to work directive, while continuing to state a preference that work from home levels in the public service “should return to pre-Covid levels,” when few public sector workers had access to flexible work arrangements.
Australian Unions warn this is effectively a return-to-work mandate that working women in the public sector will see through.
Earlier this week, Peter Dutton told Channel 9 that people should “look at what politicians do, as much, or probably more, than what they say.”
The main thing Peter Dutton has done for working women is to vote against improving their rights at work.
The Coalition Leader also voted against improvements in paid parental leave and equal pay laws, stronger laws to combat sexual harassment at work, and has committed to reversing new rights for casual workers, impacting women who have benefited from increased job security. Tearing up the Right to Disconnect would also lead to women doing more unpaid overtime.
In addition, Peter Dutton is threatening to abolish multi-employer bargaining, despite these reforms supporting wage improvements for working women in aged-care, disability services, early childhood education and care and community services.
Quotes from ACTU President, Michele O’Neil:
“Peter Dutton said this week that politicians should be judged on their actions, not just their words.
“We agree. Peter Dutton has consistently opposed workplace reforms that benefit women.
“In 2022, he voted against stronger rights to request flexible work arrangements which is helping women to secure a better work life balance and to stay connected to work.
“And now he wants women to believe that his policies are not as unfriendly towards them as they seem.
“This is simply not the case. A return to ‘pre-Covid levels’ of working from home is essentially saying there’s no more working from home for almost all public sector workers.
“Peter Dutton has no plan to make working life easier for women, or to close the gender pay gap.
“It is clear that what he wants is 36,000 APS jobs to be cut and a wholesale wind back of flexible work arrangements. He has no plan to support women at work.”
