What a year we've had!

2018 has been a big year.

 

Enterprise Agreements

A new Coles Supermarkets Agreement was endorsed by hundreds of Delegates across Australia, and voted on by team members with an overwhelming 90% “yes” vote.

A new Woolworths Supermarkets Agreement was endorsed by hundreds of Delegates across Australia and voted on by team members with an overwhelming 93% “yes” vote.

There are many other enterprise agreements in the pipeline.

 

Public holidays

Currently, Easter Sunday is a public holiday because it is gazetted by the Minister. A new Minister could abolish it.

We want to see legislation passed to add Easter Sunday to the list of public holidays in the Public Holidays Act.

Christmas Day falls on a Saturday in 2021, and a Sunday in 2022. There is a substitute public holiday on the following Monday or Tuesday, as appropriate. But 25 December is not a public holiday in those years.

We want to see legislation passed so that Christmas Day is a public holiday when it falls on a Saturday or a Sunday, as well as the following Monday or Tuesday, as appropriate. This includes in 2021 and 2022.

The SDA has continued our lobbying on these public holiday issues.

The re-election of the Andrews Labor Government should see legislation on these public holiday matters passed next year, after many years of campaigning by the SDA.

 

Change The Rules

The trade union movement is campaigning to Change The Rules because the rules are broken for working people.

Wage increases are not keeping up with price increases.

Penalty rates are being cut.

Other Award conditions are being cut.

The Commissioner’s powers to make decisions on matters affecting workers have been reduced.

There is more job insecurity, and new forms of work like Foodora and Deliveroo threaten to reduce current wages and working conditions for all workers.

The rules are broken. We need to Change The Rules.

This will be an important issue in the upcoming Federal election, expected in May next year.

 

Customer Abuse and Violence

Our members are fed up with customer abuse and violence.

We want our members to be treated with respect.

The SDA has been running a campaign called No One Deserves A Serve to seek to change customer behaviour.

We started an advertising campaign in December last year.

We also advertised in the lead up to the ban on one-use plastic bags in July this year.

In the lead up to Christmas this year, the SDA has again been running advertising, seeking to improve customer behaviour towards retail and fast food workers.

 

Penalty Rates

We have been under relentless attack by the employers for years on penalty rates. Unfortunately, they have been successful in reducing the Sunday and public holiday penalty rates.

However, I am delighted to report that we have won improvements in penalty rates for casuals after 6pm Monday to Friday and on Saturday.

 

Happy Christmas

After a very big year, Trish and I together with all of our Officials wish all members a very Happy Christmas and a Happy New Year.