2015-10-12
Labor joins government to vote down work/life balance
Labor Senators joined with the government and members of the crossbench to vote down the Greens’ moves to give people greater control of their work/life balance and greater security for casual workers, particularly those in tertiary education. The amendments were moved in the Senate by Victorian Greens Senator Janet Rice to the Fair Work Amendment Bill 2014.
Greens industrial relations spokesperson Adam Bandt MP said he was disappointed Labor joined the government to vote against the amendments.
“Right now, people are feeling the pressure of increasing demands at work and in their home lives,” Mr Bandt said.
“The Greens want to give people more control over their work/life balance so that they can find a balance that works for them.
“I’m disappointed that Labor joined the government to vote against the Greens’ attempts to give more power to people in the workplace.
Victorian Greens Senator Janet Rice said: “Labor and the government have teamed up to prevent a move to make life healthier, more secure and ultimately more balanced for many Australians.
“People employed on a casual basis generally don’t have the job security to commit to a mortgage, are more reluctant to take holidays and find it harder to make time to spend with family and friends.
“Our amendments would have provided a process for these people to be moved to ongoing secure employment, ensuring they have more time for family commitments and activities that are good for health like exercise and sleep.”
Media contacts:
Adam Bandt MP – Adam Pulford, 0429 109 054
Senator Janet Rice – Sam Drummond, 0400 352 935