Al-anwar Newspaper English news in Australia
Hundreds of thousands of workers across the public and private sectors will be given the option to work on Australia Day instead of celebrating the public holiday as the national debate intensifies about the appropriateness of celebrating the 1788 arrival of the first fleet.
Woolworths, which employs 160,000 people across the country, has told its staff they can choose to work on January 26 and take another off at the discretion of their manager as it was “up to each team member to mark the day as it suits them”, while universities are negotiating the arrangement with their 130,000-strong workforce.But the National Tertiary Education Union is one of few unions advocating for staff to be given the option to work in a push being mostly led by corporate Australia. Scott Connolly, the deputy head of the ACTU, said the movement was “looking forward to the national conversation on the Voice later this year”.
Campaigns to change the date have gained momentum in recent years and protest rallies and ceremonies marking the date as Invasion Day or Survival Day are now annual fixtures.
While Morrison-era requirements that citizenship ceremonies could only be held on January 26, were overturned late last year, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese denied the government was preparing to scrap Australia Day.After the government overturned a ban on the Commonwealth public service substituting Australia Day for another, Albanese said January 26 working arrangements across the country was “a matter for employers and employees to work through”. The government’s decision to lift the ban was criticised by Victorian Liberal senator Jane Hume, who accused Labor of “deliberately undermining Australia Day” and called on the government to reverse the decision.
“Rather than attempt to provide unity by acknowledging our common values on a common day, they have told public servants that their national holiday isn’t something they need to recognise,” Hume said.
While Telstra, Network Ten, law firms and consultancies Deloitte and PwC have policies in place allowing people to swap their Australia Day holiday for another date, Woolworths is the largest single private sector employer to have voiced support for giving staff the option to work as the company was “proud to be a snapshot of Australian society”.
“And to that end, we recognise the 26th of January means different things to different people. We think it’s up to each team member to mark the day as it suits them and our priority is creating a safe and supportive environment in our stores and sites,” the spokesperson said.
“We remain focused on our reconciliation commitments including supporting the aims of the Uluru Statement from the Heart. Team members who would prefer to work on January 26 and take another day of leave can do so at the discretion of their manager.”
Craig Laughton, executive director of the Australian Higher Education Industrial Association, the employer association for universities, said there was a “real desire” among his members to give staff the option, with several institutions considering the arrangement and some offers imminent.
He said many universities were investigating whether their enterprise agreements allowed it. “Some are just going to do it regardless, because that’s what they want to do,” he said. “The sector as a whole is really starting to vote with its feet more.”
