The right for employees to disconnect from their employer could be included in minimum workplace conditions as the peak union body urges the workplace tribunal to strengthen protections.

The Australian Council of Trade Unions wants the right locked into modern awards by the Fair Work Commission after the opposition threatened to wind back industrial relations changes ushered in by the Labor government.

The right to disconnect allows workers to ignore unreasonable communication from their bosses outside of work hours which proponents argue provides more of a work-life balance.

Changes in technology shouldn’t undermine an employee’s right to be paid for extra work and for them to be able to switch off, ACTU President Michele O’Neil said.

“The right to disconnect is an important part of addressing cost-of-living because people deserve to be paid wages for every hour they work,” she said.

“Abolishing this right would worsen the work-life balance of families and create more burn-out and stress in people’s lives.”

​The right also helped boost productivity by helping improve mental health, Ms O’Neil argued.

The union’s submission to the Fair Work Commission comes in light of Opposition Leader Peter Dutton’s budget reply speech, where he promised to revert to coalition-era workplace laws.

Businesses have argued that a strictly enforced right to disconnect impacted the flexibility that comes with modern working conditions.

An employee’s rights were able to be negotiated directly with their employer and those who needed to be contacted out of hours were often compensated, business groups said.

This post was originally published on Michael West.