Mayoral candidate floats new plan to scrap WFH for group of workers

This particular group of workers numbering over 1000 are facing the prospect of coming into the office at least four days a week.

A group of Victorian workers are once again facing the possibility of losing their work from home privileges and being forced to spend at least four days in the office every week in a move meant to revitalise the city.

Another mayoral candidate has reportedly thrown his weight behind the idea, just weeks after his competitor vowed to send Melbourne’s huge government and corporate workforce back into the CBD.

Lord mayoral candidate Arron Wood has hinted at similar measures coming into place if he wins the upcoming local election in October, with one of his policies “to revitalise Melbourne’s economy” involving “Get(ting) more people to come into the city safely and on time”.

Over the weekend, the lord mayor hopeful unveiled his most detailed election policy yet including a $25 million package to re-establish Melbourne as a global hub, according to The Herald Sun.

Part of the plan is centred around forcing the City of Melbourne’s 1700-strong government workforce back into the office four days a week to kickstart the city’s beating heart.

It comes just a month after the NSW government issued a more extreme directive to its 450,000 civil servants to ditch working from home and head into the office pronto, sparking instant outrage.

Melbourne Lord Mayor candidate Arron Wood is taking a stance against working from home. Pic: Supplied

Melbourne’s mayoral candidate, Mr Wood, worked as a small-business owner for 20 years before turning his attention to politics. And it’s small businesses that are driving his policy.

He told the publication these businesses are at “crisis point”, flagging a recent survey that found a whopping 45 per cent of small business owners have considered closing down in the past 12 months amid the cost of living crisis.

“When you’re at a point of crisis, the City of Melbourne needs to be pulling every lever within its power to make sure it stops that loss of small businesses,” he said.

“And I don’t see that sense of urgency from the (current) City of Melbourne.”

Mr Wood confirmed to news.com.au that if he was elected, he would "lead by example" and come into the office four days a week.

“We’ll work constructively with Council leadership to require that Town Hall staff do the same," he added. 

“Bringing workers back into the city is essential to supporting our local businesses and driving Melbourne’s economic recovery.”

According to the City of Melbourne’s website, the organisation is made up of its elected as well as a further 1770 staff.

Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry Chief Executive Paul Guerra previously said “business would like to see more people in the CBD”.

“If we can make the city cleaner, safer and more accessible we will naturally see a rise in the number of people wanting to be in that environment, which is a good thing for business,” he said to news.com.au last month.

“Only employers can mandate a return to the office for their staff. The State Government has the authority and power to enforce its three day in the office minimum or increase the number of days its workforce must attend the office.

Mr Guerra urged the City of Melbourne to lead the way and “mandate their employees to be back in the office full time.”

Melbourne CBD business owners struggling with office workers not returning after Covid lockdowns. This picture shows shutdown cafes on the top end of Collins Street near Parliament House. Picture: David Caird

It comes as another mayoral candidate has floated an even more extreme policy on the working from home front.

Former AFL star Anthony Koutoufides has also thrown his hat in the upcoming mayoral race and said his “first priority” would be sending Melbourne’s huge government and corporate workforce back into the city.

“We will work with the state government to introduce new laws that government and corporate workers must work at least four days a week in their office to enliven the city,” he said in August.

More recently, Mr Koutoufides even went as far to say he would shout city workers a Monday morning coffee for at least a month to draw them out of the suburbs.

But his bold plan generated strong criticism from Victorian Trades Hall Council secretary Luke Hilakari, who said the Lord Mayor of Melbourne had “no right or ability” to intervene in working arrangements between workers and employers.

“Since the pandemic many city-based workers have developed new ways of working that better serve the needs of their families, increase productivity and reduce stress,” he told news.com.au at the time of the policy announcement.

“Workers decide how we spend our money. Ideas to force people back to the CBD to subsidise unsuccessful city businesses will only come at the expense of local small businesses in the suburbs.”

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