Woolworths joins corporate rebellion against Australia Day telling 160,000 employees they can WORK instead of taking the day off – after Ten told workers: ‘January 26 is not a day of celebration’
- Woolworths employees can choose their Australia Day
- Employees can take off January 26 or another day
- Channel 10, Telstra, Deloitte, KPMG and EY can also choose
Woolworths employees will be able to chose whether they celebrate Australia Day with workers told they can take January 26 off or swap it for another date.
Woolworths said it decided to make Australia Day flexible in recognition of the pain January 26 represents to Indigenous people.
The move has been met with praise from customers and workers with many saying they wish they were given the choice too.
‘I think the option’s good because there is a growing movement of people who don’t want to celebrate Australia Day for the day so I think employers putting that option out there is a good thing,’ one said on Thursday.
Woolworths workers (above) can choose whether to celebrate Australia Day on January 26 or another date of their choice
Woolworths said the decision is in recognition of what January 26 represents for Indigenous people and encouraged its workers to ‘mark the day as it suits them’ (pictured, an Australia Day reveller)
Media giant Channel 10, Telstra and accounting firms Deloitte, KPMG and EY have also given employees the choice of when to celebrate Australia Day.
‘With more than 160,000 team members across the country we’re proud to be a snapshot of Australian society,’ a Woolworths spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia.
‘To that end, we recognise the 26th of January means different things to different people. We think it’s up to each team member to mark the day as it suits them.
‘Our priority is creating a safe and supportive environment in our stores and sites and creating a workplace where every team member can belong.
‘We remain focused on our reconciliation commitments including supporting the aims of the Uluru Statement from the Heart.’
Media giant Channel 10, Telstra and accounting firms Deloitte (above), KPMG and EY have also told employees they can choose a day off to celebrate Australia Day instead of January 26
Channel 10 owner Paramount wrote to its employees that it won’t force employees to take the holiday because ‘January 26’ is not recognised as a celebration by everyone.
‘At Paramount ANZ we aim to create a safe place to work where cultural differences are appreciated, understood and respected,’ high-ups wrote in the email, first published by The Australian’s Media Diary.
‘For our First Nations people, we as an organisation acknowledge that January 26 is not a day of celebration.
‘We recognise that there has been a turbulent history, particularly around that date and the recognition of that date being Australia Day.
‘We recognise that January 26 evokes different emotions for our employees across the business, and we are receptive to employees who do not feel comfortable taking this day as a public holiday.’
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