ACTU working hours case begins

Date: 19 November 2001

The Australian Industrial Relations Commission will today begin hearings on the first case to define general working hours since the Eight Hour Day in 1947.

The ACTU's Reasonable Hours Test Case seeks to establish guidelines on excessive overtime as an Award condition for millions of Australian workers.

ACTU President Sharan Burrow said evidence to be presented in the case would show Australian full time employees are working some of the longest hours in the world, including record levels of unpaid overtime.

Ms Burrow said there was strong evidence demonstrating that excessive working hours were on the increase and were associated with life-threatening workplace accidents, poor health, family breakdown and lower productivity.

"An average Australian full time employee now works 2.7 hours of unpaid overtime every week - that's the equivalent of more than 400,000 full time jobs," Ms Burrow said.

"One-quarter of full-time employees are doing unpaid overtime. Our families and communities are suffering, but many people are too scared of losing their jobs to say no to unreasonable overtime. This case provides the solution."

Ms Burrow said more than 1.6 million Australians worked more than 50 hours a week - hours that would be unlawful in Europe under the EU's recent 48-hour week directive.

Hearings before a five-member full bench of the Commission headed by AIRC President Justice Geoffrey Giudice are expected to last two weeks. A decision is not expected until next year.

For further information

Contact:	Jeremy Vermeesch
Union:	ACTU
Phone:	03 9664 7322
Contact Mobile:	0408 513 849
Fax:	03 9663 8220
Email:	media@actu.asn.au
WWW:	http://www.actu.asn.au/

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