The Good, The Bad and the Unknown

Easter Sunday

I am delighted to report that Easter Sunday is a public holiday in Victoria this year and every year going forward until the next State election. So is Grand Final Friday.

The State Government has made both days permanent public holidays by appointing the days as public holidays in the Government Gazette.

However, they are at risk if there is a change of Government at the next State election.

The achievement of Easter Sunday as a public holiday was made possible by the hard work and lobbying of SDA Officials, Delegates and members.

If you work on Easter Sunday, you are entitled to public holiday penalty rates.

See your award or enterprise agreements for details of your public holiday entitlements over Easter, or phone the SDA Office.


Penalty Rates

The employer attack on Sunday and public holiday penalty rates in the retail industry, the fast food industry and the hospitality industry continues in the Fair Work Commission.

Both the SDA and United Voice are mounting strong cases to defend our members’ penalty rates.

We are under attack on two fronts.

The Federal Liberal Government has referred the issue of penalty rates to the Productivity Commission.

Predictably, the Productivity Commission has produced a report calling on Sunday penalty rates to be slashed to time-and-a-quarter with no compensating wage increase.

The employers are using this Productivity Commission report against us in the Fair Work Commission.

Such a reduction in take-home pay would devastate workers in retail, fast food and hospitality.


Productivity Commission

The report of the Productivity Commission produced at the request of the Federal Liberal Government is a major attack on the fundamental rights of workers.

It attacks penalty rates.

It attacks minimum wages and conditions.

It attacks public holidays.

It attacks enterprise agreements.

It attacks the independent umpire – the Fair Work Commission.

It proposes a nasty new “employment contract” where your employer just writes out what your wages and conditions will be, without any negotiations with the Union and without any vote of employees.

This is just like what 7-Eleven franchisees have done.

If a future Turnbull Liberal Government implements the report it requested from the Productivity Commission, your wages and conditions will be slashed.


Services

Apart from defending your wages and conditions and negotiating improvements in wages and conditions, the SDA provides a wide range of services to SDA members.

In this edition of The Shop Assistant, you will find an outline of the many services the SDA offers.

Take the time to browse through them and see which ones are of benefit to you.