PHARMACY owners who force their employee pharmacists to pay for COVID-19 vaccination (COVAX) training are breaching the Fair Work Act 2009, union group Professional Pharmacists Australia (PPA) warns.
PPA President, Geoff March, said the organisation had been contacted by members reporting that their employer had asked them to pay for their own training.
"While we support the administration of the COVAX program through community pharmacies, it is the responsibility of employers to pay for the training and for the time taken by staff to complete that training," he said.
"It is a clear breach of the Fair Work Act to require an employee to pay for a training activity that is for the benefit of the employer.
"Section 325 of the Fair Work Act 2009 makes it clear that if the employer requires the employee to undertake the training the employer must pay for it."
March added that the reports suggested that pharmacy owners had forgotten the lessons learnt by Chemist Warehouse, when the Fair Work Ombudsman required the group to back pay $3 million to employees who they required to attend training outside of working hours and had not paid.
"With the administration of COVAX likely to occur in some community pharmacies it would be wise for pharmacy employers to heed this lesson, and ensure they are paying to train their staff in the administration of the vaccine and compensate them for their time, in accordance with the law," he said.
Responding to the allegations, a Pharmacy Guild of Australia spokesperson told Pharmacy Daily that the organisation "regularly reminders members that they are required to meet all obligations as outlined within their respective workplace instruments, especially those related to employer-directed training and the reimbursement of any costs associated with this directed training."
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