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Woolworths To Restore Penalty Rates (Read 1024 times)
whiteknight
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Woolworths To Restore Penalty Rates
Jan 8th, 2019 at 7:17am
 
Woolworths overcomes hurdles to restore penalty rates   Smiley 

07 Jan 2019  Financial Review

Supermarket giant Woolworths has successfully got its agreement through the workplace tribunal, with more than 100,000 employees now set to receive full penalty rates for the first time in decades.   Smiley

The Fair Work Commission rejected challenges from the Retail and Fast Food Workers Union, which had wanted Woolworths to include years of backpay for below-award payments, and approved the four-year agreement on Monday to come into effect next week.

The new deal marks a growing shift for big retailers because it does away with the long-standing practice of trading away penalty rates for higher weekly rates and could see a significant increase in Woolworths' labour costs.

Woolworths is set to see its labour costs rise by $200 million, a union says.

Like Coles agreement approved last year, the Woolworths deal will boost weekend and evening rates while preserving higher base rates for existing workers.

Casual loadings will also increase from 20 per cent to the full 25 per cent and junior rates, overtime, shift rates and uniform allowances will rise to the award level.


The Shop Distributive and Allied Employees Association, which strongly backed the deal, highlighted some workers would get "up to" $1100 in cash and gift cards once the agreement came into effect, depending on hours worked and length of service.

"This new agreement means that Woolworths workers across the country will be better off – not just in terms of their take-home pay, but also when it comes to their working conditions," SDA national secretary Gerard Dwyer said.

"Woolworths workers will get improved penalty rates, maintain their hard-won SDA conditions and all workers will receive pay rises."   Smiley

Retailers have been forced to do away with penalty rate trade-offs negotiated with the SDA after RAFFWU's landmark case in 2016 that found the practice left employees who worked weekends below the award minimum.

"This new agreement means that Woolworths workers across the country will be better off – not just in terms of their take-home pay, but also when it comes to their working conditions," SDA national secretary Gerard Dwyer said. Tamara Dean

The case threw the industry into bargaining limbo and it's only been in recent months that big retailers, including K-Mart and McDonalds, have started to negotiate new agreements with the full award conditions.

RAFFWU had launched a series of challenges to the Woolworths deal including that it failed to give the required notice of employee representational rights, in part because the supermarket had included its logo on the notice.

But deputy president Val Gostencnik said the errors were "minor procedural or technical" ones and invoked the Coalition's legislation passed late last year that allowed the tribunal to overlook defects if they did not disadvantage employees.

He also rejected challenges that the sign-on bonus was discriminatory despite RAFFWU claims that the 44 per cent of workers ineligible for it were "more likely to be female, younger (under 25 years), work part-time hours, be employed on a casual basis".
Appeal not ruled out

RAFFWU secretary Josh Cullinan did not rule out an appeal or continuing his union's bid to axe the old enterprise agreement, which could see Woolworths liable for seven years of backpay if it was found to have failed the better-off overall test.

"I think there are 85,000 workers who would be better off if they won an appeal and the termination application was then successful," he said. "Some could be looking at over $100,000 of backpay."

However, he acknowledged that on January 14, Woolworths "will be paying workers over $200 million of penalty rates, casual loadings, shift rates that were stripped out over decades".

He claimed the new agreement would increase costs for the retailer by 7.5 per cent.

However, Woolworths said the figures were not accurate.

"There is no basis to RAFFWU's claims around the cost of the EA and the figures they've cited are wrong," a spokesman said.

He said Woolworths was "pleased" with the Fair Work decision and thanked the SDA, the meat workers union and the Australian Workers Union for "their constructive engagement throughout the bargaining process".
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greggerypeccary
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Re: Woolworths To Restore Penalty Rates
Reply #1 - Jan 8th, 2019 at 9:41am
 

RAFFWU, causing trouble once again.

For those who don't know, RAFFWU are NOT a registered union.

They're just a bunch of disgruntled troublemakers.

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Grappler Truth Teller Feller
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Re: Woolworths To Restore Penalty Rates
Reply #2 - Jan 8th, 2019 at 11:52am
 
greggerypeccary wrote on Jan 8th, 2019 at 9:41am:
RAFFWU, causing trouble once again.

For those who don't know, RAFFWU are NOT a registered union.

They're just a bunch of disgruntled troublemakers.



What do you expect when the Union movement has become merely an adjunct to the Labor party in its current insane mode, rather than being the genuine engine room and controller of the Labor party?

Seems to me the 'disgruntled' non-union got its way.....

People power, innit?

On a philosophical note, one has to ponder how and when a strong 'Union' man would condemn a new upstart that actually achieves something for workers... winds of change, innit?  LNP/Labor/ACTU - all worn-out hacks used for a free ride to power for some with real issues..

Bring On The Revolution!
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“Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passion, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence.”
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greggerypeccary
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Re: Woolworths To Restore Penalty Rates
Reply #3 - Jan 8th, 2019 at 11:59am
 
Grappler Truth Teller Feller wrote on Jan 8th, 2019 at 11:52am:
greggerypeccary wrote on Jan 8th, 2019 at 9:41am:
RAFFWU, causing trouble once again.

For those who don't know, RAFFWU are NOT a registered union.

They're just a bunch of disgruntled troublemakers.



What do you expect when the Union movement has become merely an adjunct to the Labor party in its current insane mode, rather than being the genuine engine room and controller of the Labor party?

Seems to me the 'disgruntled' non-union got its way.....

People power, innit?

On a philosophical note, one has to ponder how and when a strong 'Union' man would condemn a new upstart that actually achieves something for workers... winds of change, innit?  LNP/Labor/ACTU - all worn-out hacks used for a free ride to power for some with real issues..

Bring On The Revolution!


No.

RAFFWU didn't get their way.

They're considering an appeal, though.

The important thing to remember is, they're NOT a registered union.

People should avoid them at all costs.

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Gnads
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Re: Woolworths To Restore Penalty Rates
Reply #4 - Jan 8th, 2019 at 12:48pm
 
greggerypeccary wrote on Jan 8th, 2019 at 11:59am:
Grappler Truth Teller Feller wrote on Jan 8th, 2019 at 11:52am:
greggerypeccary wrote on Jan 8th, 2019 at 9:41am:
RAFFWU, causing trouble once again.

For those who don't know, RAFFWU are NOT a registered union.

They're just a bunch of disgruntled troublemakers.



What do you expect when the Union movement has become merely an adjunct to the Labor party in its current insane mode, rather than being the genuine engine room and controller of the Labor party?

Seems to me the 'disgruntled' non-union got its way.....

People power, innit?

On a philosophical note, one has to ponder how and when a strong 'Union' man would condemn a new upstart that actually achieves something for workers... winds of change, innit?  LNP/Labor/ACTU - all worn-out hacks used for a free ride to power for some with real issues..

Bring On The Revolution!


No.

RAFFWU didn't get their way.

They're considering an appeal, though.

The important thing to remember is, they're NOT a registered union.

People should avoid them at all costs.



If they are not registered they have no right to be involved in any workplace negotiations.
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"When you are dead, you do not know you are dead. It's only painful and difficult for others. The same applies when you are stupid." ~ Ricky Gervais
 
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greggerypeccary
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Re: Woolworths To Restore Penalty Rates
Reply #5 - Jan 8th, 2019 at 1:01pm
 
Gnads wrote on Jan 8th, 2019 at 12:48pm:
greggerypeccary wrote on Jan 8th, 2019 at 11:59am:
Grappler Truth Teller Feller wrote on Jan 8th, 2019 at 11:52am:
greggerypeccary wrote on Jan 8th, 2019 at 9:41am:
RAFFWU, causing trouble once again.

For those who don't know, RAFFWU are NOT a registered union.

They're just a bunch of disgruntled troublemakers.



What do you expect when the Union movement has become merely an adjunct to the Labor party in its current insane mode, rather than being the genuine engine room and controller of the Labor party?

Seems to me the 'disgruntled' non-union got its way.....

People power, innit?

On a philosophical note, one has to ponder how and when a strong 'Union' man would condemn a new upstart that actually achieves something for workers... winds of change, innit?  LNP/Labor/ACTU - all worn-out hacks used for a free ride to power for some with real issues..

Bring On The Revolution!


No.

RAFFWU didn't get their way.

They're considering an appeal, though.

The important thing to remember is, they're NOT a registered union.

People should avoid them at all costs.



If they are not registered they have no right to be involved in any workplace negotiations.


It's not so black & white.

RAFFWU are not an “Employee Organisation” registered under Fair Work legislation.

They are registered as an Australian registered body and as an incorporated association.

They have some rights in the workplace, but not the same rights as a union registered under Fair Work legislation.

"While the current case has clarified that the RAFFWU has no rights to terminate or vary an existing enterprise agreement on its own behalf, an unregistered union is not precluded from involvement during the crucial enterprise agreement negotiation process (noting the RAFFWU has recently announced it is a bargaining representative for "quite a few employees" for the proposed new Coles enterprise agreement)."

The "rogue union": the rise of unregistered organisations and their impact on employers




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Bit Grose
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Re: Woolworths To Restore Penalty Rates
Reply #6 - Jan 8th, 2019 at 1:04pm
 
I was taken advantage of at Woolworth's and thought I might be pregnant!
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Grappler Truth Teller Feller
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Re: Woolworths To Restore Penalty Rates
Reply #7 - Jan 8th, 2019 at 5:04pm
 
People Power, innit?  I recommend you read Intervention and Revolution for a breakdown on what causes popular insurrection... one is that there is a perception that meaningful change (under existing bodies - which includes the Union movement at this time all bound up in its silly ideology rubbish) is too slow and positive action has to be taken to achieve some change...

Any 'rogue' unions or such springing up are a direct result of the failures of the ACTU to address real issues, but preferring to remain locked into Labor's mad feminist (etc) nonsense first and foremost.  Social engineering has become more important than actually doing the job you are paid to do.
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“Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passion, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence.”
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Re: Woolworths To Restore Penalty Rates
Reply #8 - Jan 8th, 2019 at 5:12pm
 
F(ar)kin YANKEE UNIONISTS!! 
Angry
Can kiss my Confederate arse!


If it wasn't for the British, Australians wouldn't even have 'a job' in the first place and here we have the Yankee Unionists 'take the money' from their fellow Workers to play 'hit man' on the Boss and force them to offer their workers 'more pay' as if its the Union itself, who the Workers... work for.


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AIMLESS EXTENTION OF KNOWLEDGE HOWEVER, WHICH IS WHAT I THINK YOU REALLY MEAN BY THE TERM 'CURIOSITY', IS MERELY INEFFICIENCY. I AM DESIGNED TO AVOID INEFFICIENCY.
 
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Dnarever
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Re: Woolworths To Restore Penalty Rates
Reply #9 - Jan 8th, 2019 at 6:26pm
 
Jasin wrote on Jan 8th, 2019 at 5:12pm:
F(ar)kin YANKEE UNIONISTS!! 
Angry
Can kiss my Confederate arse!


If it wasn't for the British, Australians wouldn't even have 'a job' in the first place and here we have the Yankee Unionists 'take the money' from their fellow Workers to play 'hit man' on the Boss and force them to offer their workers 'more pay' as if its the Union itself, who the Workers... work for.




Woolworth's wanted this agreement - it lets them keep over a decades worth of the money they should have paid to employees but didn't.
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greggerypeccary
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Re: Woolworths To Restore Penalty Rates
Reply #10 - Jan 8th, 2019 at 7:40pm
 
Dnarever wrote on Jan 8th, 2019 at 6:26pm:
Jasin wrote on Jan 8th, 2019 at 5:12pm:
F(ar)kin YANKEE UNIONISTS!! 
Angry
Can kiss my Confederate arse!


If it wasn't for the British, Australians wouldn't even have 'a job' in the first place and here we have the Yankee Unionists 'take the money' from their fellow Workers to play 'hit man' on the Boss and force them to offer their workers 'more pay' as if its the Union itself, who the Workers... work for.




Woolworth's wanted this agreement - it lets them keep over a decades worth of the money they should have paid to employees but didn't.


Correct.

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