'Salary Unchanged' Monday to Sunday... Australia Officially Adopts '4-Day Workweek'

Australia Shortens Working Hours Without Conservative Cuts
Chile Nears Approval of Reduction from 45 to 40 Hours per Week

Amid ongoing controversy in South Korea over the proposed revision of working hours, including a 'maximum of 69 hours per week,' Australia has introduced its first official case of a four-day workweek.

The private relief organization 'Oxfam Australia' has decided to officially implement a four-day workweek for six months while maintaining the salary of a five-day workweek for its employees.

Full-time employees working 5 days/35 hours can switch to 4 days/30 hours

[Image source=Pixabay]

According to the Australian daily The Australian on the 23rd, the Australian Services Union (ASU) announced that 140 Oxfam workers have officially gained the legal right to choose a four-day workweek while receiving regular pay through an enterprise bargaining agreement (EBA).

Accordingly, for the next six months, full-time employees at Oxfam who work 35 hours over five days can switch to working 30 hours over four days without any pay reduction.

Imogen Sturtney, representative of the ASU Victoria branch, said, "Employers have recognized that productivity can be secured in various forms and that work-life balance (WLB) is essential for mental and physical health," adding, "As more workers have caregiving responsibilities in modern workplaces, the rigid Monday-to-Friday five-day workweek is a relic of the past."

Recently in Australia, discussions have been active about changing the current five-day workweek to a four-day workweek to improve work-life balance.

On the 3rd, the Australian Federal Senate's 'Labor and Care Committee' recommended to the government through a report that a four-day workweek should be fully introduced, reducing working hours by 20% while maintaining 100% of the pay and productivity levels of the five-day workweek.

Accordingly, plans are being considered to pilot the four-day workweek at 29 Australian companies starting from the end of April.

With Oxfam and ASU's sudden agreement to implement the four-day workweek, the movement to reduce working hours for better work-life balance is expected to gain further momentum.

Chile reduces working hours from 45 to 40 per week... "Possible to work 4 days and rest 3 days"

[Image source=Pixabay]

In South America, Chile is on the verge of implementing a system to reduce the weekly working hours from 45 to 40.

According to Chilean daily newspapers La Tercera and El Mercurio on the 22nd (local time), the Chilean Senate unanimously approved a bill amendment focused on reducing working hours during the plenary session the day before, with all 45 senators present voting in favor.

The core of the amendment is to reduce the currently regulated 45 hours per week to 40 hours.

Local media reported that the proposal was designed to guarantee rest time to improve workers' quality of life and to allow more time to spend with family or community members.

Once the bill is enacted, under regulations allowing up to 10 hours of work per day, a '4-day work, 3-day rest' schedule will become possible. Locally, this is referred to as '4×3.'

Subject to agreement with employers, the bill also opens the possibility for parents or guardians with children under 12 to adjust commuting times and receive compensation for overtime.

Senator Daniel N??ez said, "Above all, the economic effect will be significant," and "I am confident that reducing working hours will greatly help improve our country's productivity," according to La Tercera.

Chilean President Gabriel Boric wrote on his social media, mentioning 'Moving forward toward the 40-hour workweek,' and stated, "We continue to strive to build a better Chile."