Future of Work Work and Family Policy

Congress believes that workplaces must provide employees with sufficiently flexible work practices which support the choices they 1 Work and Family – Policy Paper make about family formation; the care of infants and young children; transitions out of and back into work for child-bearing and child- rearing; and the ongoing management of caring responsibilities. [...] Congress determines that, over the coming three years the ACTU’s priorities will be to: (a) Pursue improvements to the award safety net to enhance the capacity of employees to manage their work and family commitments. [...] Congress strongly endorses the decision of the Executive to initiate a three staged approach to variation of the safety net to achieve, over time, a range of work and family measures that support working families at different stages of their life course. [...] Congress supports the development of workplace and community-based campaigns in support of these claims, and encourages affiliates to actively campaign within their workplaces and the community in support of these claims. [...] 5 Work and Family – Policy Paper (b) The Commission be required specifically to examine proposed agreements in relation to whether or not they positively assist the workers covered by the agreement to combine work with family responsibilities, and in particular, that flexible hours provisions be held to contravene the no disadvantage test if they could result in disadvantage to workers with family.