On August 26, a law called the “right to disconnect” came into force in Australia. According to the new rules, workers can now safely ignore attempts by employers to contact them outside of working hours. This measure is aimed at protecting the work-life balance of Australians, pravilamag.ru reports with reference to the BBC.
The need for such a law became clear after research showed that the average Australian works around 281 hours of overtime each year without additional pay. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese stressed the importance of the law, saying workers should not be penalized for not being available after hours.
The new law is part of a sweeping overhaul of the country's labor laws and has received support from senators and Labor Secretary Tony Burke.
It is important to note that the law does not prohibit employers from contacting employees outside of working hours, but it does give employees the right not to respond. In the event of a dispute, the parties must try to resolve the matter themselves. If this fails, the Fair Work Commission (FWC) will step in.
The FWC has the power to either prohibit an employer from contacting an employee outside of working hours or to find that the employee's refusal to respond is unreasonable. There are significant fines for breaching FWC decisions: up to 19 000 AUD for employees and up to 94 000 AUD for companies.
Similar laws are already in force in some European Union countries, including France and Spain.
