The Australian Council of Trade Unions said it will use next week’s economic productivity roundtable to press the Albanese government to endorse a four-day working week without any reduction in wages. The union peak body argues that shorter hours would improve work–life balance and help distribute the benefits of technology-driven productivity gains. Employer groups have already criticised the plan, warning that labour productivity has stagnated and that mandating an extra day off could raise costs and hamper competitiveness. The government has not indicated whether it supports the proposal, but the issue is expected to figure prominently in the roundtable discussions that feed into Canberra’s broader workplace-relations agenda.