Mandatory office return real worry to workers – stronger flexible work laws needed
- RedC poll shows that majority of women workers (52%) do not support mandatory return to the office.
- Forced return to office risks reversing pandemic gains of workplace productivity and reducing gender workplace inequality.
- WRC Code of Practice of little value without recourse to appeal the grounds of employer refusal.
Responding to the latest REDC poll findings on mandatory return to the office, Labour’s workers’ rights spokesperson Senator Marie Sherlock has said it is clear that we need much stronger laws on flexible and remote work in the face of a major push by a number of big employers to force workers back to the office on a full time basis over the coming months.
Senator Sherlock said:
“What is really striking is that women workers are most concerned about the forced return. Flexible and remote work arrangements has been a gamechanger for workers with other care responsibilities in their lives, workers who commute long distance, the thousands who have had to relocate out of the main urban centres because of the exorbitant cost of living.
“While the Government will predictably point to the WRC Code of Oractice on remote and flexible work as the “protector” of workers, the reality is they bottled the opportunity to give workers real rights.
“Workers who contest an employer’s decision will find that the Code makes no provision to appeal the grounds of the employer decision.
“Once an employer says it is in their business interests, workers won’t have a leg to stand on.
“Furthermore, there is a bizarre exclusion of commuters from a right to flexible work which flies in the face of any objective to reduce congestion at peak hours in our main urban centres.
“Ultimately, workers in unionised workplaces will have the benefit of their trade union to fight their corner, but there are workers in big companies here who are hostile to trade unions and we believe a basic right to flexible work should be there for all workers.
“While the WRC Code of Practice is in place since March this year, already there has been a significant number of complaints to the WRC about refusals for flexible and remote working arrangements.
“Labour Party published legislation in 2022 to give workers a real right to flexible and remote work. It’s clearly what working people want and what they need.”