The main public sector union has hit back at former Victorian premier Jeff Kennett for his "very outdated opinions" on flexible work, after the federal government agreed to remove caps on the number of days public servants can work from home.
The Australian Public Service Commission on Tuesday said it would remove limitations on the number of days public servants can work from home, formalising a move to declare all APS roles flexible in April.
The agreement followed a claim from the Community and Public Sector Union, which pushed for more flexibility in ongoing APS-wide pay and conditions talks.
Mr Kennett on Wednesday told the Herald Sun Victorian public servants who chose to work from home should be paid less than those commuting into workplaces, because they were saving money.
"The community needs to think in advance on what might become a very unpleasant divide between those who have to pay the expense of getting to work, than those who elect to stay at home," Mr Kennett told the ABC on Wednesday.
"It's a discussion I think we need to have."
He said he was not critical of those who chose to work from home in response to rising cost of living.
'Very outdated opinions': CPSU boss
But CPSU national secretary Melissa Donnelly dismissed Mr Kennett's calls as out of touch.
"Mr Kennett has shared a range of very outdated opinions, but I don't think there are many people are lining up for his advice," she said in a statement.
"He seems to be coming at the matter as if flexibility were a bad thing, but that couldn't be further from the truth.
"Flexible work rights open the door to employment for people who have otherwise been excluded because of rigid expectations and ideas about how, when and where work should be done."
The Public Service Commission's chief negotiator Peter Riordan tabled the government's flexible work agreement this week.
"This common condition is a significant step for the APS and would create a consistent approach to flexible work arrangements for all APS employees," he said in a statement.
New chapter of flexible work for the APS
It means that government agencies will include the option for all roles to be flexible in their enterprise agreements, with a presumption that agencies will approve flexible work arrangements.
However, managers will still be able to deny or amend requests for flexible working arrangements on reasonable business grounds.
It also removes caps on the number of days employees can work from home, a common practice across government agencies since the COVID-19 pandemic introduced greater flexibility to public sector work.
Furthermore, there will be scope for staff to work outside of their agency's regular hours, and agencies may support employees working from home by providing equipment and covering certain costs.
First Nations staff's connection to country will also be considered by managers reviewing requests for flexible work, under the agreement.
"The CPSU has been pleased to see the APSC unafraid to make bold progress and hopes they see the value in continuing to do so," Ms Donnelly said.
The union is still pushing for a better pay deal, after it rejected an offer of a 10.5 per cent increase over three years, taking steps to prepare for potential industrial action within Services Australia.
"We will be continuing to push the APSC for significantly improved pay and pay equity proposals, after initial proposals failed to meet expectations," Ms Donnelly said.
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