WFH can cut down on fuel use and commuting costs for employees
The New Zealand government is facing renewed pressure from unions to encourage working from home among public servants to save fuel amid the ongoing crisis in the Middle East.
The Public Service Association (PSA) said the government should be doing everything it can to reduce unnecessary travel.
"Every public servant who can work from home and who does so instead of driving, is one fewer car on the road burning fuel we can't afford to waste," said PSA national secretary Fleur Fitzsimons.
"This is about conserving a scarce resource as well as easing the financial pain on workers whose commuting costs have surged by $40 to $50 a week."
The PSA made the call as the Australian government launched a $20 million advertising campaign to reduce car use amid the global oil crisis. Business groups in the country have also started introducing flexible work arrangements amid rising absenteeism in workplaces.
"Even the Australian Government gets it," Fitzsimons said. "Meanwhile, our government refuses to cut fuel excise, or lower public transport fares and is still pushing public servants back into the office. It makes no sense."
Temporary WFH needed
The New Zealand government has already introduced a 30% increase in mileage rates for home and community support workers to help offset rising fuel costs.
The PSA, which advocated for the increase, said the change should be permanent. It also pointed out that this highlights the gap in the government's approach to the crisis.
"It recognises fuel costs are punishing many frontline care workers who have no choice but to drive, yet it won't take the obvious step of reducing unnecessary commuting for thousands of public servants who can do their jobs from home," Fitzsimons said.
"We are in a fuel crisis. A temporary, sensible increase in working from home would ease pressure on our fuel supply, take pressure off household budgets, all while keeping the public service running."
WFH 'not an entitlement'
In 2024, the government stated in new guidance that work-from-home arrangements are "not an entitlement" and should be by agreement between the employee and the employer.
And over the last year, tensions between the government and unions have been mounting due to this expectation, with some cases reaching the Employment Relations Authority (ERA).
One of the most recent cases involved the Ministry of Business, Innovation, and Employment (MBIE), after the PSA accused the agency of violating its "flexible by default" approach in introducing an updated flexible working policy.
The MBIE, however, has since backed down on this policy a day before the matter was to be heard at the ERA, according to reports.
