Media Statement: Fairfax gets it wrong again on Domino’s Agreement

In its article ‘Pizza driver aims to deliver for Domino’s underpaid workers’ (20/08 – The Age online) Fairfax purposely omits key facts relating to the SDA’s handling of the Domino’s Pizza agreement covering delivery drivers.

In February 2016, the SDA and Domino’s commenced negotiations over a new agreement that would cover all employees working instore and as delivery assistants.

With no prospect of an agreement being reached, the SDA filed to terminate the Domino’s agreements as long ago as June 2016, long before the so called ‘Retail and Fast Food Workers Union’ (RAFFWU) sought to involve itself.

This is key fact which has been deliberately left out, no doubt to cast negative aspersions on the SDA.

The SDA’s June 2016 action to terminate the Domino’s agreement saw progress in rates and penalties. The Fair Work Commission closed that SDA application in December 2016 urging the parties to continue bargaining.

In July 2017, the SDA filed a further application to terminate the agreement on the basis that despite the progress made, the terms being applied still did not meet the standards of industrial law as interpreted by the Coles BOOT decision.

Despite the claims made in the Fairfax article about the activities of RAFFWU in relation to the Domino’s agreements the organisation has been extremely late to these proceedings and has had little involvement in this, or any other relevant industrial matter.

Given that RAFFWU is not registered as an industrial organisation, has no legal status to enforce industrial conditions, is not recognised by the ACTU and has negligible membership in the retail and fast sectors, this comes as little surprise.

It is deeply disappointing that Fairfax has allowed itself to become a mouthpiece for the vested interests of an illegitimate organisation, comprised of political activists and lawyers, whose sole purpose is to undermine the positive work of the legitimate union, the SDA which continues to fight a hard and expensive campaign to protect penalty rates for over 700,000 retail and fast food workers.

Media contact: Darren Rodrigo 0414783405

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