THE Australian Retailers Association (ARA) has proposed a two-stage transitional pay arrangement of the Sunday penalty rate reduction.
This phased approach will allow retailers to implement the benefits of the penalty rate reduction in terms of additional hours of work and employment opportunities in a reasonable manner, the ARA said.
The proposition is to reduce the Sunday penalty rates for permanent and casual employees to 175% from 01 Jul 2017, with a second stage seeing Sunday rates for permanent employees reduced to 150% from 01 Jul 2018.
ARA executive director Russell Zimmerman said phasing in these changes would assist retailers across the industry in creating more jobs, offering additional work hours and increasing levels of service to the community.
"Based on the evidence presented to the Commission during this industry-wide case, employees in the industry would experience no, or very marginal, negative impact, as a result of this phased approach," he claimed.
"Modern Awards needs to be simple, steady and easy to implement," he said, adding that the process should not impact negatively on retailers' capacity to increase employment rates and sustain growth.
"With 725,000 people out of work, including 259,000 young people, the ARA believes the reduced penalty rates will make it easier for employers to hire staff."
The controversial Fair Work Commission ruling (PD 23 Feb) also reduced penalty rates for hospitality and pharmacy workers.
The above article was sent to subscribers in Pharmacy Daily's issue from 16 Mar 17
To see the full newsletter, see the embedded issue below or CLICK HERE to download Pharmacy Daily from 16 Mar 17