August 19, 2026

liam o'brien

ACTU call for shorter working week, reproductive leave and an additional week of leave in NES

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Working women in states of Australia other than NSW are seeing the gender pay gap narrow thanks to new work rights, pay rises in undervalued sectors, and strong increases in award and collective agreement wages, the ACTU says. 

The federal parliament’s House of Representatives Standing Committee on Employment, Workplace Relations, Skills and Training has launched an inquiry into whether the National Employment Standards (NES) continues to meet the needs of working Australians. 

The NES sets out guaranteed minimum conditions for all workers under the federal industrial relations system. These conditions – which form part of the Fair Work Act – provide an important safety net for workers, and play a key role in bargaining between employees and employers. 

The Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) has made a submission to the inquiry alongside Australia’s union movement.  

Key to the ACTU’s asks is a reduction in maximum weekly hours from 38 to 35, a new universal right to reproductive leave, and an additional week of annual leave. 

Unions claim these additional leave entitlements will counter rising work pressures and the increase in unpaid hours that Australians regularly perform, as well as improving workers’ health. 

“No Australian should have to choose between their health and their pay,” stated ACTU Assistant Secretary, Liam O’Brien. 

“The evidence is clear: giving people paid time off to manage their health improves long-term well-being and lifts productivity.” 

The ACTU’s submission also includes recommendations on areas such as roster justice, cultural and kinship leave, improvements to personal and carers leave, and clarifications around redundancy payments. 

Committee Chair, Dr Carina Garland MP, highlighted the importance of the NES, and the need to ensure it reflects the modern workplace. 

“The National Employment Standards are a critical part of the workplace relations framework, setting out a guaranteed minimum safety of terms and conditions that cannot be undercut. It’s time for a coordinated review to find out whether the Standards remain fit ‘for purpose’ in a changing labour market,” Dr Garland remarked. 

“The committee wants to receive submissions on the effectiveness and application of the NES, including any opportunities for technical improvements.” 

Unions urge push for paid reproductive health leave

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Unions are calling for a dedicated entitlement to reproductive health leave for all working Australians, proposing the introduction of 10 days of paid leave. 

Reproductive health represents a widespread and serious concern. For example: 

  • Fertility issues affect one in six Australian couples 
  • Prostate cancer affects one in six men 
  • Endometriosis affects one in seven women 

These are among only a few of the significant reproductive health challenges Australians face. Many of these conditions require ongoing medical appointments, screenings, or recovery time, meaning workers often rely on personal leave or go unpaid to manage their health. 

The Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) recently presented a proposal to the federal parliamentary inquiry into the National Employment Standards (NES), urging the consideration of a standalone reproductive health leave entitlement, with ACTU Assistant Secretary Liam O’Brien stating that “[n]o Australian should have to choose between their health and their pay.” 

While the NES currently provides personal and carer’s leave, it does not cover reproductive health needs. Under the proposal, all workers – regardless of gender – would have access to 10 days of paid reproductive health leave for issues such as menstrual pain, menopause, prostate cancer screening, IVF and fertility treatment, miscarriage, and conditions like endometriosis. 

Modelling from the Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre (BCEC), based on a 12‑day entitlement, estimated the cost of providing paid reproductive health leave at $1.7 billion a year. This figure accounts for productivity gains, higher employee retention, and reduced early retirement. 

“Reproductive health affects all workers, regardless of their gender. Whether you’re going through IVF, attending a prostate cancer screening, or managing endometriosis, these are important health issues that should never cause financial stress,” O’Brien asserted. 

By contrast, BCEC estimated the absence of paid reproductive health leave costs the Australian economy more than $21.3 billion annually through work absences and reduced capacity.  

The Australian Institute of Superannuation Trustees also estimated that menopause alone costs women aged 50-54 more than $15 billion a year in lost earnings and superannuation. 

O’Brien is urging the Albanese Government to consider the proposal, noting that many Australians delay screenings, push through pain, or work while unwell because they cannot afford to run down their leave balance.  

“This only creates more serious health problems down the track and keeps people away from work for longer. The evidence is clear: giving people paid time off to manage their health improves long-term well-being and lifts productivity.” 

The Queensland Government already provides 10 days of reproductive health leave to its public sector workforce, highlighting the growing recognition of reproductive health as a core workplace issue. 

 

Unions to ban work on engineered stone unless government acts 

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The Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) executive has resolved to take all necessary steps to ban engineered stone by the middle of next year if federal government bans are not in place by then. 

This means union members will not allow engineered stone to be imported, transported or used in building sites across Australia. The decision comes after years of campaigning by unions and health experts, who have warned of the deadly health risks associated with engineered stone. 

Engineered stone is a popular material for kitchen benchtops and other surfaces, but it contains up to 95% crystalline silica. When silica dust is inhaled, it can cause silicosis, an incurable and potentially fatal lung disease. 

In some states, up to one in four stonemasons who work with engineered stone have been diagnosed with silicosis. 

The ACTU is calling on the federal government to ban engineered stone and introduce a national health monitoring and silicosis screening program for workers exposed to respirable crystalline silica. The union is also calling for adequate compensation and support for affected workers. 

ACTU Assistant Secretary Liam O’Brien said foreign multi-national corporations that manufacture and import engineered stone have known about the risks it poses for decades, but have failed to take action. 

“Safe working conditions enjoyed by workers today were not given to us by governments or employers,” he said. 

“They were fought for and won by workers and their unions. Today the ACTU executive sends a clear message that governments should ban this harmful fashion product.” 

NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association General Secretary, Shaye Candish, has stated her Association’s support for the bans.  

“[Silicosis] is entirely preventable. Nurses and midwives will stand with the union movement as we call for this ban,” Ms Candish said.  

The ACTU’s decision to ban engineered stone is a significant step forward in the fight to protect workers from silicosis. 

 

“Shocking” research shows frontline workers facing unprecedented levels of workplace violence and mental illness 

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A recent survey conducted by the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) shows that mental health issues and workplace violence continue to be among the fastest growing challenges for frontline health workers.  

The survey, conducted by the peak body for trade unions in Australia, paints a bleak picture for frontline health workers. Of those surveyed:  

  •  47% said they or their colleagues have been exposed to violence or threats of violence in the workplace; 
  • 76% said they or their colleagues experience traumatic events, distressing situations or aggressive clients at least some of the time; 
  • 17% said they have experienced mental health injuries as a result of work.  

ACTU Assistant Secretary Liam O’Brien described the findings as “shocking”. 

“This research shows Australian workers – but especially those in frontline healthcare – under immense pressure, dealing with significant levels of mental ill-health and shocking rates of violence in the workplace,” Mr O’Brien said. 

“The pandemic has brought into sharp focus how important it is that all working people are safe in their workplace. But Australian workers face a multitude of risks beyond the threat of COVID-19. 

“Frontline workers who have carried our country through the pandemic should be able to rely on a safe workplace”. 

Aged care vaccine rollout “an absolute debacle”

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By the end of April, barely 10 per cent of Australia’s 330,000 aged care workers had been vaccinated, though they are classified in the 1a group for the highest priority frontline staff.

Fewer than one-third of aged care facilities had administered both doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to their residents eight weeks into the program, as logistics companies fail to deliver the vaccines, health providers fail to show up and the vast majority of workers have no clear access to vaccinations, the Sydney Morning Herald (SMH) reported.

One major aged care provider told the SMH that the rollout was “an absolute debacle”.

Aged care providers told the SMH that their workers did not have access to the NSW Health-operated hubs that vaccinate the highest priority groups, such as frontline medical workers and hotel quarantine staff, because aged care falls under the federal government. NSW Health confirmed this.

The Morrison government said its initial strategy of inoculating staff at their workplace was “under review”.

The federal government had planned to send dedicated teams to aged care facilities to vaccinate staff and to establish offsite “pop-up” vaccination hubs.

The ACTU said the government walked away from these commitments.

“These workers were told they would be treated with the same urgency and attention as other frontline health staff, but many will end up waiting six months to be vaccinated,” said ACTU Assistant Secretary Liam O’Brien.

Work hurts  

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For an overwhelming number of Australian workers a career without workplace injuries is the exception not the norm.

A major survey of 25,000 Australian workers examining their experiences of safety and injury at work shows a system that is failing to keep workers safe, says the ACTU.

The study revealed that during their lifetimes, almost 80 per cent of respondents suffered physical or mental injuries as a result of their work.

“This survey shows Australian workers are dealing with systemic physical and mental health issues as a result of the conditions of their work,” said ACTU Assistant Secretary, Liam O’Brien.

“It shows a workforce that is being failed by a system, which does not levy significant penalties against employers who allow hazards to persist.”

The study also found that:

  • 25 per cent of respondents reported mental health problems, 18 per cent reported physical injuries and 34 per cent reported both issues 
at work.
  • 16 per cent of the workforce knows someone who has died at work or as the result of a workplace illness.
  • 91 per cent think that employers who are found responsible for the death of a worker should face up to 20 years in prison.

Workers say they are aware of serious threats to their physical and mental health, which are being tolerated or ignored by their employers.

The report highlighted the damaging consequences of psychosocial hazards.

“Psychological workplace hazards are under-regulated and consequently under-recognised but just as dangerous as physical ones,” it says.

“How work is structured and organised presents persistent psychological and physical hazards. Occupational violence, workplace stress, hostile work environments, exposure to trauma and other ongoing issues in many workplaces, can lead to physical injuries and mental health issues.

“Being in a workplace where you or your co-workers risk being threatened with violence or attacked by clients or patients, or being in a workplace that demands persistently long hours of high-stress work with little or no support, or requires you to work unsociable hours, or where you are subjected to bullying or abuse or harassment by colleagues, is just as dangerous as a faulty machine or a wet floor.”

Sixty-one per cent of workers who responded to the survey said they had experienced mental illness because of ongoing issues in the workplace not addressed by their employer.

Healthcare workers, including nurses, were singled out in the report as targets of physical abuse.

“The threat or reality of physical abuse from patients, clients, customers or other members of the public is a constant hazard for many healthcare workers, first responders and educators,” it said.

“Sixty seven per cent of respondents said they did not believe their employer knew how to deal with occupational violence in their workplace.”

Sanctions against employers for breaches of workplace safety are grossly inadequate, the report found.

“Under the current system in most states, when a company or senior manager is found to be liable for a workplace injury or death they receive a small fine, which they can claim against their insurance,” it said.

The ACTU has been campaigning to change this to ensure that the employers who are responsible for injuries and deaths at work face the consequences of their actions.

This campaign has broad support in the workplace.

Seventy-one per cent of respondents did not think the current regime imposes penalties that are significant enough to make employers take safety seriously.

A majority did not think it should be possible for employers to claim fines against their insurance. Ninety one per cent think that employers who are found responsible for the death of a worker should face up to 20 years in prison, just like any other incident of manslaughter.

Workers see unions as critical in enforcing workplace health and safety standards.

Ninety-seven per cent said that unions should have a role in workplace health and safety standards (WHS), and should be able to take employers to court if they break health and safety laws.

Ninety per cent of respondents were opposed to restrictions on unions from entering workplaces to investigate safety breaches.

Key findings

78% of people have suffered a mental or physical injury at work

54% are aware of existing hazards in their workplace that could cause serious injury or illness

79% do not believe penalties are sufficient to force employers to take safety seriously

61% have experienced poor mental health because their employer did not manage hazards in their workplace

Read the report

You can read the report – Work shouldn’t hurt – a survey on the state of work health and safety in Australia at: https://www.actu.org.au/media/1385647/work-shouldnt-hurt-report-clean-final.pdf

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