By Patrick Avenell
The National Retail Association (NRA) has lodged a submission to the award review being conducted by Fair Work Australia, with executive director Gary Black seeking major reductions to employee entitlements.
Amongst Black’s checklist of proposed changes is the reduction of Sunday penalty rates from double to time-and-a-half, the complete removal of weekday late-night penalties and increased flexibility to agree to minimum shift times.
“Of critical importance to the retail sector are provisions which deliver flexibility in employment arrangements at the enterprise level and provisions which help lift standards of performance and productivity in the workplace,” Mr Black said.
“For the majority of retailers the modern award in the first instance led to higher labour costs and greatly reduced flexibility. The award review process now creates the opportunity for employers to achieve productivity offsets to reimburse them for the increase in labour costs which should never have eventuated.”
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It is common practice when submitting to these types of reviews to suggest much more than you expect or even want, in the hope that you can be halfway, thus achieving outcomes you envisioned.
The NRA describes its seven main proposals as (copied directly from an NRA release):
-Reduction in the Sunday penalty from double time to time-and-a-half.
-The ability to use individual flexibility agreement to reduce the duration of the minimum
shift.
-The introduction of flexible part-time provisions.
-Reduction of the casual loading from 25 per cent to 23 per cent.
-Inclusion of an introductory classification (90 per cent at six months for new employees).
-By mutual agreement, the use of an alternative remuneration system which provides for a
base rate (lower than current rate) plus commission.
-Removal of late night penalties (applicable Monday to Friday).