Australians are working too long, according to a study published yesterday by the Australian Council of Trade Unions. It may well be that the study will be used for self-serving ends when the ACTU puts it in a submission to the Australian Industrial Relations Commission in a test case on work hours due to be heard in November. Nevertheless, the study points to some alarming trends. Moreover, it was conducted by Sydney University and Adelaide University’s Centre for Labour Research, so it has an element of independence about it which gives it credibility demanding attention.
The study found that more than a third of full-time employees in Australia work more than 48 hours a week, which it would be illegal in Europe. Australians have the second-longest average working week of any developed nation, and is one of the few countries where hours are increasing. The study showed that employees’ lives were becoming narrow as they gave up hobbies and sport, spent less time with friends and family, and were too tired or simply did not have enough time for sex. The long working week was causing rocky marriages or marital breakdowns, health problems and fatigue-related accidents at work. It seems that the long working week is not due to the pursuit of money because 60 per cent of overtime goes unpaid. Much of the overtime appears to be done because of employees’ commitment to the job, under-staffing and fears of reprisals or loss of employment.
It seems that the pendulum has swung it too far. In the 1960s and 1970s Australia had a reputation of having a lazy workforce plagued by industrial strife, powerful unions and an attitude of us and them. It may well be that the great power of the unions caused a reaction that has resulted in a diminution of the quality of employees’ lives. The reaction against union power came in the form of legislation, structural changes in the economy and employees turning away from what they saw as unresponsive self-serving organisations. It now appears that many employers have taken advantage of the weaker position that employees find themselves in.
The ACTU study warrants a reappraisal of the Australian work ethic. Economics and the pursuit of money should not be means in themselves but means to an end which should be fulfilling and happy lives. There is no point being impoverished with a lot of money.
Besides, having so many people engaging in such a long working weeks and may be counter-productive even on an economic scale. Fatigued people are not the most productive. Indeed, if they can cause costly accidents at work.
The lesson is for Australians is to work smarter rather than to work longer. This means a greater investment in education and science and technology.
The message must not be a reversion to the work ethic of the 1960s when the “”sickie” was commonplace and the antagonism between employer and employee undermined the achievement of goals and that would improve the position of both.
This study should it be used as a vehicle to revert to inflexible awards with prescriptive hours and breaks with prohibitive penalty rates that result in inefficient use of capital.
It remains a competitive world, and if Australia wishes to maintain its relatively high standard of living it must work smartly and productively. That need not mean long working weeks, but it must mean efficient working weeks in working environments where employers and employees co-operate.