Push to count ‘sleepovers’ as breaks could lead to 28-hour shifts for Australian care workers, unions warn

Unions argue ‘sleepovers’ – where an employee is required to sleep overnight at a premises away from their home – are not proper rest breaks. Photograph: Dominic Lipinski/PA

A business push to count “sleepovers” as breaks in care industries could result in “nightmare” 28-hour shifts without penalty rates, unions have warned.

This week the Fair Work Commission will hear a case brought by the Australian Industry Group asking it to change the safety net for care industries to clarify that hours worked before or after a sleepover count as separate shifts.