Pharmacy payment storm
April 11, 2012
PHARMACIST union APESMA has
hit out at the Pharmacy Guild of
Australia, saying it is deliberately
trying to legitimise the breaches of
the employment laws uncovered in
Qld by the Fair Work Ombudsman.
The comments come in response
to the Guild’s submission to vary
the Pharmacy Industry Award 2010,
with APESMA accusing the Guild of
trying to “change the law to cut
pharmacists’ pay”.
The changes proposed by the
Guild include redefining full-time
employment as “38 hours or less
per week” and varying part-time
hours to “work less than the
number of full time hours at the
particular workplace”.
In addition the Guild seeks to
amend the requirement for part
time employee rostering for a
minimum of three consecutive
hours to at least one and a half
hours if the employee is a secondary
student working between 3-6.30pm
on a school day, if they agree to
work a shorter shift, and if
employment for a longer period is
not possible because of the
operational requirements or the
unavailability of the employee.
Other proposed changes include
amendments to casual working
hours (similar to part time variations),
and changes to meal and uniform
cleaning allowances.
The definition of overtime would,
under the changes, also be altered
to mean “authorised additional
hours performed at the direction of
the employer”, whilst annual leave
changes would see employers able
to require employees to take
annual leave by giving at least four
weeks notice under certain
circumstances including “as part of
a shut-down of the whole or part of
the pharmacies operations”.
MEANWHILE the Guild has
rejected APESMA’s assertions,
saying that variances are about
“maximising flexibility and fairness,
in good faith and in the interests of
both employers and employees”.
“The application also seeks to
remove ambiguity and uncertainty
in some sections of the award,” the
Guild said.
“APESMA’s claim that the move to
classify pharmacists working less
than 38 hours as full time is
designed to ‘avoid having to pay
entitlements such as overtime’ is
just plain wrong,” the Guild said.
“This must be the first union in
history to oppose a shorter working
week,” the Guild added.
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