Sydney bosses forcing staff to take leave while Sydney is locked down

Sydney workers say their bosses are forcing them to take annual leave during lockdown, despite the federal government providing assistance payments.

Labor MPs across Sydney say they are being inundated with calls from workers who are being forced by their bosses to use their annual leave while accessing the government’s disaster payments.

Earlier this week the federal government unveiled increased disaster payments to eligible Sydney workers, with the payments already starting to roll out.

Many Sydney businesses have closed their doors during the lockdown.

A worker who has lost more than 20 hours of work receives $600 payments, while those who have lost between eight hours and 20 hours can receive $375 a week.

The government also axed the $10,000 liquid asset test that was stopping some workers getting assistance during the crisis.

But, according to Labor, some employers have been telling workers they need to take their annual leave while they are receiving payment.

Opposition industrial relations spokesman Tony Burke said MPs across the city had reported people calling into electorate offices about being told to take their holidays.

Opposition industrial relations spokesman Tony Burke.

Emergency Management Minister Bridget McKenzie.

He said in some cases the employers had been confused, because when JobKeeper was introduced, employers were ­allowed to run down entitlements even as they were collecting the subsidy, which is not the case with the disaster payments.

“Being locked up in a room is not a holiday — they’re important public health measures but they’re not a reason for people losing their leave,” he said.

“Because this happened with JobKeeper last year as well there will be some workers looking down the barrel of going two years without a ­single day’s holiday.”

Mr Burke said the government needed to make it clearer what the rules were.

But a spokeswoman for Emergency Management Minister Bridget McKenzie said the Services Australia website made it clear that annual leave was not required to be used while receiving the Covid-19 Disaster Payment.

“Eligible individuals do not need to take annual leave before they can get the Disaster Payment,” Ms McKenzie said.

Under the scheme, the payments will kick in only if a lockdown lasts seven days or longer, which means Victorians will not get any support if the current lockdown there ends on schedule next week.

The payments are also only available in areas the Commonwealth has declared Covid hot spots.

Workers who allege they are being forced to take their annual leave should contact the Fair Work Ombudsman.