Australia's new 'right to disconnect' law goes into effect

Aug. 26 (UPI) -- A new Australian law went into effect on Monday that protects workers from being contacted by their employers outside of their work hours via phone calls and emails.

Under what is dubbed as the "right to disconnect" law, employees can refuse contact from work unless that refusal is "unreasonable." The law is meant to curb employee contact with employers through the Internet, which has grown over the years.

Ubiquitous contact means through social media and cell phones after being described by workers and employee rights experts as "digital leashes" for employers. Some have complained the constant contact has made unpaid work commonplace in Australia.

While the new law does not prevent employers from contacting their employees after hours, it allows employees the option not to respond without fear of retribution. Australian officials said countries in Europe and Latin America have already placed similar laws on the books.

A company could face fines of up to $64,000 for violating the new law.

"Unions welcome the new right-to-disconnect laws coming into effect today as a cost-of-living win for working people," the Australian Council of Trade Unions said in a statement .

"Today's new rights will empower workers to refuse unreasonable out-of-hours work contact, enabling greater work-life balance and reducing the burden of unpaid labor while families face cost-of-living pressures."

Academic Gabrielle Golding told Australian Broadcasting Corp. that the COVID-19 pandemic ushered in work-at-home with employers using email, social media and text methods to reach employees. But when workers returned to the office, she said the employer's digital contact with employees did not subside after hours, opening the door for the new law.