Aussie workers losing thousands to unpaid overtime

Part-time and casual workers are doing more and more unpaid overtime as full-time employees make use of the right-to-disconnect workplace laws.

New research by the Centre for Future Work at The Australia Institute found the average worker was doing 3.5 hours of unpaid overtime each week, or equivalent to more than four and a half full-time weeks per year.

That averages out to about $8000 lost by each worker, or a collective $95.8 billion loss to the entire workforce.

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The Centre found that full-time employees averaged 3.8 hours of unpaid overtime a week, compared to 3.7 hours for part-timers.

"The situation for full time workers has stabilised. It's a good first step. I would say, for them, the right to disconnect is working," Centre for Future Work director Fiona Macdonald said.

"But this is the first time we have seen rates of unpaid overtime for part time workers almost as high as full time workers."

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She acknowledged that Australians were too accustomed to offering free overtime to expect rates to plummet instantly.

"The right to disconnect is less effective for part time workers and casuals because they are simply not given enough paid hours to do their jobs," Macdonald said.

"Young people who are already on the lowest incomes are bearing the brunt of this trend towards squeezing part timers."

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Workers aged 18 to 24 average 4.7 hours a week of unpaid overtime.

"However you look at it, Australian workers are being ripped off," Macdonald said.

"The cost of living crisis isn't over. Now, more than ever, workers should be paid for every single hour they work."

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