Pharmacy Daily | IR reforms likely to cause little impact

CHANGES to the Fair Work Amendment (Supporting Australia's Jobs and Economic Recovery) Bill 2021 will have little impact on the operations of community pharmacies, a spokesperson for the Pharmacy Guild of Australia believes.

The spokesperson told Pharmacy Daily that the elements of the Bill which passed through the Senate yesterday, with the support of One Nation Leader, Pauline Hanson, were "aligned with the recommendations made in the Guild's submission".

However, the Guild noted that "the Bill is still a work in progress and has yet to be presented to the Lower House where further amendments may be made".

"The Guild will continue to advocate for measures which benefit community pharmacies and their ability to continue providing the best possible health services to their patients and communities," the spokesperson said.

However, Shadow Industrial Relations (IR) Minister, Tony Burke, said the amendment deleted "every penalty for wage theft", in a tweet after Coalition Senators and Hanson voted in favour of the changes to the Bill.

"They just let employers who deliberately underpay off the hook," he said.

"Thanks to them there are no federal penalties for wage theft."

The passage of the legislation came after trade union group, Professional Pharmacists Australia, urged members to contact Hanson and other crossbench Senators to urge them to vote against the Government's amendments.