Outspoken business owner Rami Ykmour loses it at Anthony Albanese’s ‘right to disconnect’ laws: ‘Wake up, Mr Prime Minister’
A self-made entrepreneur has spoken out against Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s new ‘right to be offline’ laws, which restrict contact between employers and staff outside of work hours.
From Monday, it will be illegal to punish employees for failing to respond to communications from bosses outside of working hours, under reasonable circumstances. Companies that break the new rules could face hefty fines.
In a video on social media, Rami Ykmour, co-founder of restaurant chain Rashays, called on Mr Albanese to “tell us the truth and tell us what the real problem is”.
Mr Ykmour built Rashays from a single location in Sydney, which he opened with his wife, whom he met while working at Pizza Hut, to a restaurant with more than 30 restaurants across the east coast of Australia.
“Mr. Prime Minister, are you so happy with this law because no one can call you after five o’clock? Is that the reason you are bringing it to our attention?” he said.
‘God bless our beautiful country and our Prime Minister (but) This is how he tries to score points, he made a whole TikTok for it.
“Yes, we want people to spend time at home with their families and we want people’s mental health to be good, but Mr Prime Minister, I will tell you one thing: there are bigger problems, my friend.”
“We have a cost of living crisis, people who are homeless, people who can’t pay their bills, people who can’t afford the basic necessities of life. How about you tell us the truth and what the real problem is? Wake up, Mr. Prime Minister.”
Rashays co-founder Rami Ykmour took on Anthony Albanese’s new ‘right to disconnect’ laws that prevent bosses from contacting staff outside of work hours
The business owner built his restaurant chain into a successful franchise with more than 30 locations
Mr Albanese supported the new rules, saying they were good for both businesses and workers.
“A lot of Australians are getting frustrated with being on their phones, emails and things like that 24 hours a day,” he told ABC Radio.
‘If people are truly loyal to their employer and focus on what they need to do and not be distracted 24 hours a day, but focus eight hours a day, or if they work more hours, longer, you get a more productive workforce.
“The idea that you have to be available at 10 p.m. when you have a 9-to-5 job is not reasonable.”
By law, employees may refuse to check, read or respond to their employer’s phone calls, text messages or emails outside of working hours unless the refusal is deemed “unreasonable.”
Some Latin American and European countries, such as France, Spain and Belgium, already have similar rules in place.
Unions welcomed the legislation, saying it offered workers a way to restore their work-life balance.
“Today is a historic day for working people,” said Michele O’Neil, president of the Australian Council of Trade Unions.
“Australian unions have won back the right to take time off after work,” she said.
One employee said that clear boundaries would help them focus.
“I find it very difficult to disconnect and even though I’m not necessarily online, my brain is constantly working overtime,” Karolina Joseski, a non-profit worker, told AFP.
“So it doesn’t necessarily help if my boss calls me after work.”
Mr Albanese said the new rules would increase companies’ productivity during working hours
The Australian Industry Group strongly opposed the reform, calling the laws “hasty, ill-conceived and very confusing”.
“Employers and employees will now be uncertain whether they can make or take a call outside of working hours to offer an additional service,” the report said.
The Business Council of Australia also criticised the rules.
“These laws pose a risk to Australia’s competitive position because they make the challenges of doing business more expensive and complex, meaning less investment and fewer jobs,” said Bran Black, BCA’s chief executive.
Employment Minister Murray Watt said he wanted to reintroduce the ‘clocking out’ of a job.
Many employees feel the pressure to keep answering emails and phone calls long after their workday is over.
‘It should not be a point of contention that employees should not be required to work unpaid overtime.
“The law does not prohibit employers and employees from contacting each other. It simply means that in most cases an employee does not have to respond until he is back at work.”
The law will come into effect for medium-sized and large companies from Monday. Smaller companies with fewer than 15 employees will fall under it from August 26, 2025.
Any disputes will be resolved by the Fair Work Commission.
Fair Employment Ombudsman Anna Booth said people should use “common sense” to apply the new law.
The question of what is reasonable depends “on the circumstances,” the Fair Work Ombudsman said in a statement.
Decisive factors may include the reason for the contact, the nature of the employee’s role and compensation for working extra hours or the employee’s availability.