Aussies could soon have a four-day working week, in new push announced to boost productivity

Australians could soon enjoy a four-day working week, as unions make a fresh push for shorter working weeks and more holidays over tax cuts to help improve Australia’s productivity.

The Australian Manufacturing Workers Union and the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation launched the push in response to the Productivity Commission, which will set the agenda for next month’s economic reform roundtable.

AMWU national secretary Steve Murphy told The Australian last week there needed to be a discussion about cutting hours in response to increased productivity, which will benefit Aussie workers.

Murphy has argued there is a variety of ways to reduce working hours without cuts to pay, which included four-day week, nine-day working fortnights, or a 35-hour week.

Murphy argued that work-life balance was more important to employees than a cut in income tax or company tax, arguing most working Aussies were fine paying taxes to fund government services or infrastructure.

“We’re not one of the advocates that says we should pay less tax,” Murphy told the publication.

“One of the ways that we can share in productivity, if we’re more productive over the course of the week, is to work less hours. That would be a great outcome from a productivity discussion.

“Or (if) we were able to have more annual leave to spend our time with the people that we love and care about.”

On Monday, Minister for Social Services Tanya Plibersek joined a Sunrise panel the government was open to ideas.

“We’ll listen to all views respectfully (at the roundtable),” Plibersek said.

“The Treasurer’s roundtable on productivity, I think, is a great way of bringing unions and business and other groups together to discuss how we make our economy stronger and more productive.

“What we won’t be doing to improve productivity is ask people to work longer for less.

“That was the policy of the previous government.

“We want to invest in our people, boost training, invest in technologies and new ways of working, make sure that we’re playing to our competitive advantages as a nation.

“That’s how we boost productivity.”

Previously, Skills Minister Andrew Giles said key trades to boost productivity in the country will be electricians to help build homes, as well as more people to work in aged care, childcare, health and disability sectors.

Parliament will resume on Tuesday.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is set to introduce legislation to cut student debt by 20 per cent, end subsidies for childcare centres that fail to meet safety requirements, and prevent penalty rates from being lowered by the Fair Work Commission.