How you can DOUBLE your annual leave under proposed new rules
Australian workers could soon be given the right to double their annual leave at half pay, under a new proposal backed by unions and top companies.
The Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) has pitched the plan which would introduce the right to greater leave flexibility into awards to the sector.
While the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI) and the Australian Industry Group support the plan in theory, the finer details still need to be ironed out before submission.
The ACCI said employers should also reserve the right to refuse an employee’s request to double their leave as this could have ‘huge consequences’.
The Australian Industry Group agreed, adding that the new rule should only be allowed if both employer and employee agree.
A new proposal backed by unions and major business organizations could see Australian workers take double the number of annual leave days if they receive half wages
ACTU secretary Sally McManus said the new rule will “give employees more flexibility to take longer leave without any penalty to the employer.”
“We expect this request to be driven by the needs of the employee and to be given appropriate consideration by the employer,” Ms McManus told the Australian Financial Statement.
‘As with any leave, it must be properly recorded and it must be clear to the employee what consequences this will have for future leave and super contributions.’
Australian Industry Group CEO Innes Willox said a half-pay furlough was a “modest step in the right direction” but warned employers needed to be taken into account.
“It is essential that it can only be used if the individual employer and employee agree,” he said.
Mr Willox added that doubled furlough could exacerbate employers’ struggle to balance filling a rota and granting leave.
ACCI workplace relations director Jess Tinsley said the proposal could also put more pressure on employers during peak seasons or when they are short-staffed.
Business groups support the push for more flexible leave arrangements, provided employers reserve the right to refuse double leave
Ms McManus agreed that leave at half pay should be by mutual agreement between employer and employee, but should only be refused on ‘reasonable business grounds’.
“Of course we would say that’s fair,” she said, according to Nine. “But not just because you didn’t care.”
The Fair Work Commission (FWC) has already discussed the proposal at a hearing on April 3 on the upcoming Modern Awards Review.
FWC vice-president Bernadette O’Neill said she “identified that there may be some consensus on … annual leave to be taken at half pay.”
However, the matter was not discussed as it was postponed until its own hearing would take place at a later date.
Stakeholders on leave over a half-pay issue and a host of others under the commission’s supervision have until April 26 to make their views known.
The FWC will submit its final report sometime around June 28.