Calls to Fair Work info line soar

The information hotline run by the Fair Work Ombudsman has received more than a million calls since last July when the Fair Work Act was introduced.

The information hotline run by the Fair Work Ombudsman has received more than a million calls since last July when the Fair Work Act was introduced.

The Federal Government’s workplace watchdog said it is currently receiving an average of 100,000 phone calls a month, while more than double that number are received online.

These figures represent a 9 per cent increase on volumes during the same period in 2008-2009.

A spokesman from the Ombudsman said the majority of callers were workers seeking information about wages, conditions and termination rules.

The introduction of the National Employment Standards in January, which included rules about maximum weekly hours of work, flexible working arrangements and parental leave, led to a rise in call numbers from about 4000 a day in January to 8000 in February.

In March the Fair Work website received more than 270,000 hits - the highest number in a single month since the site was launched last year.

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