Media Statement on Department of Education submission on Sunday penalty rates

Response to questions from The Australian on Department of Education submission on Sunday penalty rates

The key factors to consider when comparing awards with enterprise bargaining agreements are the ‘weekly take home pay’ and the ‘package of conditions’ that workers receive as a result of their agreement.

The Department of Employment submission did not set out to achieve a full comparison of awards with agreements and in particular gave no consideration to impact of higher base rates on workers pay.

It concedes its submission “does not constitute a full comparison of the agreement and relevant award and does not involve a comparison of hourly rates paid on any other day of the week” (page 15).

A full assessment of the benefits that enterprise bargaining entail must include full consideration of the practice of ‘rolling up’ penalty rates into higher base rates and superior working conditions, which has delivered strong above award weekly wages for retail workers.

The ’rolling up’ of penalty rates has delivered retail workers weekly wage rates significantly higher than the award. At Costco (new EBA January 2017), retail workers receive a weekly wage rate over $100 dollars above the award due to their union negotiated EBA.

The SDA is at various stages with a range of companies and has filed to cancel numerous agreements in 2016 and 2017.

Applications to terminate can result in either the company returning to the Award or alternatively renegotiating a new BOOT complaint agreement.”

Our Union has always bargained in accordance with the ‘test’ of the day and since the May 2016 Full Bench decision the SDA has bargained applying the principles of that decision.”

Please quote SDA National Secretary Gerard Dwyer

Media contact: Darren Rodrigo 0414783405

Comments are closed.