An anonymous reader shared this report from The New York Times
When the workday is over and the phone call with their boss arrives, Australian workers, already ranked among the best-rested and most personally fulfilled employees in the world, can't resist the lure of the beach. You can immediately press “decline” in response to a call. In further relief to the scourge of overwork, Australia's Senate on Thursday passed legislation that would give workers the right to ignore calls and messages outside of working hours without fear of repercussions. It will now go back to the House of Commons for final approval.
The bill, which is expected to pass easily in the House of Commons, would allow Australian workers to object to “unreasonable” professional communications outside of working hours. Workplaces that punish employees who do not comply with such requests may be subject to fines. “People who are not paid 24 hours a day should not be penalized for not being available 24 hours a day online,” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said at a press conference on Wednesday.
Australia follows in the footsteps of European countries such as France, which introduced the right for workers to leave their employers during off-hours in 2017, a move later followed by Germany, Italy and Belgium. The European Parliament is also calling for legislation across the European Union to reduce the pressure on workers to respond outside of 24-hour business hours…
Australians already enjoy standardized benefits, including 20 days of annual leave, compulsory paid sick leave, six weeks of 'long service' leave if you've worked for your employer for more than seven years, and 18 weeks of paid maternity leave. They enjoy many welfare benefits. The national minimum wage is approximately $15 an hour.
