‘Absolute rubbish’: WA baby boomers blast Federal Government’s right to disconnect rules

WA baby boomers have joined the chorus of voices lashing the Federal Government’s right to disconnect rules as “absolute rubbish” and an “overkill”, lambasting the new generation of workers as being “too soft”. Their damning comments came as building sector titan Dale Alcock also blasted the new laws — which crack down on workplace communications after business hours — as being “a load of sh...”. Members of the baby boomer generation — notorious for their work ethic and loyalty to their employers — were quick to scoff at the legislation when asked about it at the Yokine Districts Bowling Club this week. They have sparked controversy in WA because they will cause headaches for WA businesses communicating interstate. Retiree Terry Needs labelled the legislation an “overkill”. “The company I worked for did business with Sydney so they would always ring me at 7 o’clock in the morning. I just accepted it,” he said. “It was expected of us, we didn’t worry about it. “This law is just overkill. No one can look after themselves now they have to make a law for it.” The 75-year-old said staff not willing to answer the phone out of hours were disloyal to their employer. “You used to be loyal to the company you work for and the company used to be loyal to you but that does not exist anymore,” he said. “People are getting too soft. I think good luck if you keep your job because if you don’t perform you would be the first one to go. “I think it is rubbish. Absolute rubbish.” John Henderson, who works as an administrator for the Yokine Districts Bowling Club, held a similar sentiment. “My working hours are 8 until 12 and 4 until close but in the middle of that I will get phone calls and I don’t mind that is just part of my job,” he said. “I don’t really think it is an invasion of privacy. Most of the time I imagine that when you get a phone call from work that is outside hours it is not something that is just run of the mill. “I think workers should be approachable.” Former business owner Nev Delane called the move “bulls...”. “I think it is wrong,” he said. “It just puts too much pressure on the boss and too much pressure on the owner of the company, in other words, the workers are running the company now not the boss.” The “right to disconnect” provision — part of the Closing Loopholes Bill — was stapled on at the 11th hour under a deal between Labor and the Greens, catching business leaders by surprise and leaving senators with less than 24 hours to scrutinise the finer details. Under the new “right to disconnect” law, workers can refuse to monitor, read or respond to contact from their bosses outside of work hours — unless that refusal is considered “unreasonable”. A range of factors including the reason for the contact, how it was made, the extent to which an employee is compensated for after-hours work and the nature of their job must be considered when determining what is reasonable. Workers could apply to the Fair Work Commission to issue their employer with a “stop order” which, if breached, could result in hefty fines. Earlier this week, businessman Mr Alcock, the boss of ABN Group, joked he would not be able to make an urgent call to a staff member in the company’s Victorian division because it would be two minutes past 5pm. “What a load of sh..,” he said at an Urban Development Institute of Australia lunch. “The same mastermind, (Federal Employment Minister) Tony Burke who came up with that ... banned engineered stone.”