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Prioritising safety and worker wellbeing: A crucial moment in workplace reform
As National Safety Month continues, reflecting on the multifaceted safety hazards is crucial, writes Corey Rabaut.
Lauren Croft
This year’s National Safety Month theme, emphasising the significance of addressing psychosocial hazards in the workplace, serves as a reminder that safety encompasses not only physical wellbeing but also mental health.
The recent Senate select committee on work and care recommendations identify the urgency of addressing these issues.
One recommendation is to ensure workers have “predictable, stable rosters, the Australian government supports a review by the Fair Work Commission of current industrial awards, to require employers to give advance notice of at least two weeks of rosters and roster changes (except in exceptional circumstances) and genuinely consider employee views about the impact of proposed roster changes and to accommodate the needs of the employee”.
This change would benefit working caregivers, enabling them to fulfil their work obligations while responsibly attending to their caring responsibilities.
The Australian Services Union (ASU) has championed the right-to-disconnect campaign in response to the psychosocial hazards faced by aviation workers. This campaign advocates for legislation granting all workers the right to disconnect from work-related responsibilities outside their working hours. The campaign aims to protect employees from the detrimental consequences of constant connectivity, address unpaid overtime issues, and improve safety in and connected to the workplace.
While the ASU continues to campaign on the right to disconnect, a pivotal moment is upon us. The Fair Work Commission now faces the task of conducting an Award Review process to evaluate whether modern awards align with the object of the Fair Work Act and modern awards objective regarding job security and the need to improve access to secure work across the economy, including by considering award provisions concerned with rostering, guaranteed shifts, and the interaction of permanent, part-time, and casual classifications. The Award Review presents a unique opportunity to address critical concerns.
Those who oppose the idea of including health and safety or caregiver considerations within the award system may argue that these aspects are more appropriately situated within the domains of health and safety or equal opportunity. However, this perspective overlooks the reality that adopting an industry-wide approach ensures these protections for all workers, regardless of whether they are employed in unionised work sectors.
The question is whether employers will embrace changes within the award system to improve safety outcomes, or will they resist and justify their position under “managerial prerogative” and “business operations”? The industrial landscape is at a crossroads, offering a critical moment to decide whether to prioritise the wellbeing and safety of workers or uphold the status quo that imposes undue burdens on workers, as it does in aviation.
Corey Rabaut is a national industrial officer and lawyer at the Australian Services Union.
Lauren Croft
Lauren is a journalist at Lawyers Weekly and graduated with a Bachelor of Journalism from Macleay College. Prior to joining Lawyers Weekly, she worked as a trade journalist for media and travel industry publications and Travel Weekly. Originally born in England, Lauren enjoys trying new bars and restaurants, attending music festivals and travelling. She is also a keen snowboarder and pre-pandemic, spent a season living in a French ski resort.
