Would you take a pay cut to work from home?
Former Victorian premier Jeff Kennett is proposing public servants who work remotely should be paid less than those that have no choice but to commute — such as nurses and teachers.
He explained his idea to Sammy J on ABC Radio Melbourne Breakfast.
EDIT - Here’s the article in the Herald Sun they’re referring to (unpaywalled): https://archive.is/20230711234402/https://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victoria/bid-to-have-employees-salaries-cut-if-they-work-from-home/news-story/6273dad7538f5485e182a6cd5e19cc92
Teachers and nurses are underpaid and should be paid more because of how important their jobs are to society. Bringing wages down for everyone else is beyond fucking stupid when the same argument can be made about just lifting wages for teachers and nurses.
Teachers and nurses also arguably benefit from wfh. Fewer cars on the road = fewer accidents for nurses to deal with. Parents having better work life balance = more capacity to help their kids learn so teachers are less burdened.