A Fair Day's Work: The Quest to Win Back Time

By: Sean Scalmer

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Synopsis: The length of the working day and the challenges of work–life balance are pressing issues for many Australians, as well as lively matters of public controversy. While the winning of the eight-hour day is celebrated as a past industrial achievement, contemporary discussions of working hours often overlook its rich history. Tracing 150 years of campaigns for rights and for the fair distribution of productivity gains, historian Sean Scalmer shows how these movements successfully reduced the length of the standard working week from 60 to 38 hours per week, and how economic, social and political shifts since the early 1980s have stalled this long-term progress. Today, industrial laws provide inadequate protection for excessive hours, and Australian women increasingly shoulder long hours of paid work with the bulk of unpaid domestic labour. This has produced a social crisis for all Australians, but is yet to inspire adequate political action. As debate over our working lives intensifies amid ongoing political, economic and technological challenges, Scalmer&’s labour of love on the history of work and play affords us a way to understand the past so we can win back our time—collectively.

Book Quality:: Publisher Quality
Book Size:: 192 Pages
ISBN-13:: 9780522880823
Related ISBNs:: 9780522880816
Publisher:: Melbourne University Publishing
Date of Addition:: 08/13/25
Copyrighted By:: Sean Scalmer
Adult content:: No
Language:: English
Has Image Descriptions:: No
Categories:: History, Nonfiction, Business and Finance, Australiana, Politics and Government
Submitted By:: Bookshare Staff
Usage Restrictions:: This is a copyrighted book.