WorkSight Newsletter
June 2001
National wage increasesThe Australian Industrial Relations Commission handed down its National Wage Case decision on 2 May 2001. The decision increases wages and salaries in awards and minimum wage orders as follows: - Wages up to and including $490.00 a week will receive an increase of $13.00 a week.
- Wages between $491.00 and including $590.00 a week will receive a $15.00 a week increase.
- Wages over $590.00 a week will receive a $17.00 a week increase.
In previous years the Commission has stated that awards cannot be increased within 12 months of the last national wage case increase. However this year they have ruled that increases can be applied for before 12 months have passed if both the employer and the relevant union agree. This decision has already led to a round of applications to the Commission to have the wage increases applied to awards particularly in the building products and food industries as well as in the agricultural sectors. For more information on whether you should be paying these increases contact WorkSight
. Minimum federal wageThe Australian Industrial Relations Commission has increased the minimum federal wage to $413.40 a week. This means that a full time employee who is covered by a federal award cannot be paid less than $413.40 a week. Parental leave for casualsOn 31 May 2001 the Australian Industrial Relations Commission decided to award long term casuals the right to take 12 months unpaid parental leave. This gives long term casuals the same rights to unpaid parental leave as full and part time employees. The awards that are affected immediately are the:
- Clerical and Administrative Employee (Victoria) Award 1999,
- The Vehicle Industry - Repair, Service and Retail Award 2000,
- Retail, Wholesale and Distributive Employees (NT) Award 2000.
However it is likely that most unions will be applying to the Commission to vary other awards to include this new right over the coming months. The major problem facing employers now is to establish which casuals will be entitled to unpaid parental leave. The Commission has established the following definition:
"An eligible casual employee means a casual employee employed by an employer on a regular and systematic basis for several periods of employment during a period of at least 12 months. And that the employee has, but for the pregnancy or the decision to adopt, a reasonable expectation of ongoing employment." The key words in this definition are that the casual worker must have been employed on a "regular and systematic basis" for "at least 12 months" and that there was an "expectation of ongoing employment". This is another step towards providing casual workers with more certainty in their employment (earlier this year there was a decision in the Metal Engineering & Associated Industries Award to allow some long term casuals to become permanent). This should alert employers to the need to review their workforce to identify whether they are employing casuals on a long term basis. The benefits of employing staff on a casual basis are beginning to be eroded. It may make more sense (financially and in workforce planning terms) to employ staff on an on-going basis rather than pay casuals a 20 - 25% loading when the casuals start to gain access to employment conditions previously reserved for permanent staff. Birthday leaveHow do you and your staff celebrate birthdays at work? An increasing number of employers are giving employees a day off on their birthday! In some agreements this is to replace a local public holiday or a union picnic day. It certainly saves on someone having to go out and buy a cake! We can give you the advice and assistance you need, when you need it. For more information contact us at WorkSight.
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