Walters pushes flexible work week

The debate on the Protection of Wages Bill in the Senate has prompted opposition senator Ryan Walters to call for greater flexibility for workers outside of the rigid 40-hour work week.

He argued that several employees are unable to consistently work a normal five-day week due to personal obligations or constraints.

He stated that the law often punishes people who do not come to work regularly or who have a certain level of absenteeism.

“Sometimes absenteeism is not born out of the fact that you are reckless or witless but the fact that you cannot make it to work. The fact that your livelihood, your family structure, will not allow you to get to work on all occasions.”

“On one hand, we have a government that, rightly so, is trying to give workers as many hours as they can afford … but if an employer rosters staff five days a week, 40 hours, and the employee does not come to work two days a week for a prolonged period of time because of personal circumstances. The employer is within his right to start to take action against that employee.”

Senator Walters suggested workers should be able to agree with employers to work fewer hours or four-day weeks:

“We have to bridge the gap, and we have to start to think about giving employees the opportunity to say how many hours they want to work. So that the employer can fit them into a schedule once it is appropriate to the company or to the employer, to the business.”

He argued there should be greater flexibility in working arrangements between employers and employees.

“Personal circumstances will not allow persons to come to work five days a week. They have to keep children; they have to tend to elderly elderly parents and grandparents. Sometimes something like transportation is an issue to even come to work. Sometimes their own personal financial situation — they don’t think that they want to work 40 hours — they just want to work 30 hours, 32 hours because that is what they need. They’re working on their needs.”

Senator Walters suggested that labour policy should bridge that gap to allow employees and employers to have more flexible working arrangements that could reduce the high staff turnover experienced in some workplaces.

“Especially in certain industries where scheduling of hours is top priority. Especially on the seven-day calendar, there has to be some flexibility. I’m not saying that you let the workers dictate the pace of the organisation, but I’m saying there has to be some flexibility on if a person wants to be able to work four days, or if they want to be able to work 30 hours a week, or if they want to be able to work three days.”

Meanwhile, Senator Walters also raised concern about whether the legislation adequately addresses the timely payment of vacation pay.

“What has happened in the industry is that sometimes people go on vacation and by the time they come back and they not get paid. So the timely payment of vacation pay should also be reflected in this legislation if it is not reflected in another piece of legislation that will ensure the timely payment for persons who go on vacation.”

However, Senator Ramon Alleyne stood on a point of order to clarify that the matter is already addressed under the Holidays with Pay Act.

“We have a Holidays with Pay Act, which specifically deals with issues associated with the payment of holiday pay. It is actually required to be paid the day preceding the taking of holiday. So this is not an issue for this piece of legislation.”

(LG)