WAGES – RETAIL TRADE EMPLOYEES – AUSTRALIA

SDA canvasses penalty cut

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 5 : 18-May-16

The Shop, Distributive & Allied Employees’ Association does not support a push to reduce penalty rates for working on weekends. However, its submission to the Fair Work Commission’s review of weekend penalty rates proposes that workers be given the right to refuse to work on Sundays if the FWC rules that Sunday penalty rates should be reduced to the level that applies for working on Saturdays.

CORPORATES
SHOP, DISTRIBUTIVE AND ALLIED EMPLOYEES’ ASSOCIATION, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, TRANSPORT WORKERS’ UNION, AUSTRALIA. ROAD SAFETY REMUNERATION TRIBUNAL

Double hit for Shorten on penalties

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Original article by Sid Maher, Joe Kelly, Mark Coultan, Paige Taylor
The Australian – Page: 1 : 17-May-16

Federal Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has ruled out introducing legislation to protect penalty rates if the Fair Work Commission rules that Sunday rates in sectors such as retailing and hospitality should be reduced. Shorten has reiterated his position that the Australian Labor Party will not oppose the FWC’s ruling, despite pressure from the Australian Greens and the union movement to take action to safeguard penalty rates.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, AUSTRALIAN GREENS, ACTU, 3AW SOUTHERN CROSS RADIO PTY LTD, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, SHOP, DISTRIBUTIVE AND ALLIED EMPLOYEES’ ASSOCIATION, AUSTRALIAN MANUFACTURING WORKERS’ UNION

Retailers break ranks on right to refuse shifts

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Original article by Sue Mitchell
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 9 : 12-May-16

Four retail industry bodies have made a joint submission to the Fair Work Commission’s review of penalty rates in which they argue that employees should be able to refuse working on Sunday shifts if weekend penalty rates are reduced. However, the Australian Industry Group and the Pharmacy Guild – which represent hospitality industry workers – have in turn argued that there should be no such right of refusal, as it is the same as working a Saturday shift.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, RETAIL COUNCIL LIMITED, AUSTRALIAN RETAILERS ASSOCIATION, NATIONAL RETAIL ASSOCIATION LIMITED, MASTER GROCERS’ AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, THE PHARMACY GUILD OF AUSTRALIA, THE AUSTRALIAN INDUSTRY GROUP, WOOLWORTHS LIMITED – ASX WOW, COLES GROUP LIMITED, BUNNINGS GROUP LIMITED, HARVEY NORMAN HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX HVN

7-Eleven dumps independent back-pay panel

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Original article by Adele Ferguson, Sarah Danckert
The Age – Page: 3 : 12-May-16

Allan Fels is concerned that employees who were underpaid by 7-Eleven may not be fully compensated after the convenience store chain moved to disband the independent panel that was established to assess compensation claims. Fels and fellow panel member David Cousins have been advised that 7-Eleven will now handle compensation claims in-house. Fels says the move is aimed at minimising the amount of compensation 7-Eleven must pay.

CORPORATES
7-ELEVEN STORES PTY LTD, DELOITTE TOUCHE TOHMATSU LIMITED, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION

Penalty rates a poll bombshell

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Original article by Elizabeth Colman, Joe Kelly
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 21-Apr-16

The Fair Work Commission may issue its ruling on weekend penalty rates in the retail and hospitality industries before the 2016 federal election. Employers are seeking a reduction in the penalty rates that apply for working on Sundays and public holidays. Australian Industry Group chief executive Innes Willox says penalty rates will be the key industrial relations issue during the election campaign. He argues that the current regime deters employers from hiring and training staff.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, THE AUSTRALIAN INDUSTRY GROUP, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, ACTU, SHOP, DISTRIBUTIVE AND ALLIED EMPLOYEES’ ASSOCIATION, UNITED VOICE, TOURISM ACCOMMODATION AUSTRALIA, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION COMMISSION

7-Eleven’s legal woes

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Original article by Sarah Danckert
The Age – Page: 24 : 7-Apr-16

Australia’s Fair Work Ombudsman alleges that 7-Eleven franchisee Jim Chien-Ching Chang falsified payroll records and underpaid eight employees. One employee is said to be owed more than $A13,000 in unpaid wages, while the Ombudsman claims that none of Chang’s employees were paid shift worker allowances or weekend penalty rates. 7-Eleven employees have been paid about $A10m to date via a compensation scheme that was established in the wake of the wage exploitation scandal in 2015.

CORPORATES
7-ELEVEN STORES PTY LTD, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK OMBUDSMAN, JS TOY PTY LTD, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION

Coles boss wants enterprise law ‘rethink’

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Original article by Catie Low
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 63 : 24-Mar-16

A leading retail executive says Australia’s workplace laws are too complex and outdated. Coles MD John Durkan told an American Chamber of Commerce in Australia event on 23 March 2016 that the company’s latest enterprise agreement was hijacked by a casual worker who challenged it in court, despite overwhelming support for the agreement among Coles workers.

CORPORATES
COLES GROUP LIMITED, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, ALDI STORES SUPERMARKETS PTY LTD, AMERICAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE IN AUSTRALIA, WOOLWORTHS LIMITED – ASX WOW, AMAZON.COM INCORPORATED, BUSINESS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA

7-Eleven still rorting workers, says CEO

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Original article by Mathew Dunckley
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 18 : 21-Mar-16

Former Skilled Group boss Angus McKay says addressing problems with 7-Eleven’s corporate culture will be one of his priorities as the convenience store chain’s new CEO. McKay has conceded that wage exploitation is most likely still an issue at some stores, but he has committed to completely eliminating such practices. He also concedes that the wages scandal has tarnished 7-Eleven’s reputation among consumers.

CORPORATES
7-ELEVEN STORES PTY LTD, SKILLED GROUP LIMITED, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, AUSTRALIAN SECURITIES AND INVESTMENTS COMMISSION, FOSTER’S GROUP LIMITED, DIAGEO AUSTRALIA LIMITED

Penalty rates ‘help lowest paid’

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Original article by Benjamin Preiss
The Age – Page: 3 : 14-Mar-16

The Victorian Government’s submission to a Fair Work Commission review of penalty rates in the hospitality and retail industries argues that many people on low incomes rely on penalty rates for basic household expenses. It also argues that penalty rates often cost companies less than expenses such as taxes and local council rates.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, THE AUSTRALIAN INDUSTRY GROUP

Fair Work to examine penalty rates

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 : 16-Feb-16

Employers’ groups must make their final submissions to the Fair Work Commission’s review of penalty rates by 1 April 2016. The full bench has ruled that employers’ submissions can include the Productivity Commission’s recommendations on reducing Sunday penalty rates in industries such as retail and hospitality to bring them in line with those that apply on Saturdays. Unions’ submissions to the FWC review must be lodged by 21 March.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, AUSTRALIA. PRODUCTIVITY COMMISSION, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, BORAL LIMITED – ASX BLD