Reasonable Hours Win For NSW Workers More than two million workers employed under NSW awards and agreements today won the legal right to refuse to work unreasonably long hours. The unanimous decision by the NSW Industrial Relations Commission, applies last year's national decision on Reasonable Hours to state awards, and recognises the pressures on workers with responsibilities as carers for the first time. The decision gives employees the right to refuse to work unreasonable levels of overtime if: - there is any risk to employee health and safety - it impacts on the employee's personal circumstances including any family and carer responsibilities; - notice given by the employer of the overtime is unreasonable. "When it comes to working hours, Australia ranks second only to South Korea in terms of hours work," "This decision is significant because it recognises the burden of long working hours and gives workers the grounds to argue their load is unreasonable. "The challenge is now for your union and members to organise around the issue to ensure that reasonable hours of work are a right for everyone." For further information contact: AMIEU Office on 02 4929 5496