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General Discussion >> General Board >> Retailers To Fight Union On Youth Pay Rates. http://www.ozpolitic.com/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1363803400 Message started by imcrookonit on Mar 21st, 2013 at 4:16am |
Title: Retailers To Fight Union On Youth Pay Rates. Post by imcrookonit on Mar 21st, 2013 at 4:16am
Retailers to fight union on youth pay rates
by: Ewin Hannan From: The Australian March 21, 2013 THE nation's largest union will seek 10 per cent pay rises today for young adult retail workers in a landmark case that has implications for employees across the hospitality and fast food sectors. The Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees Association will ask the Fair Work Commission to progressively scrap the junior rates of pay for retail workers aged 18 to 20. Under the current award, 18-year-olds are paid 30 per cent less than the adult rate, 19-year old receive 20 per cent less and 20-year-olds 10 per cent less. The union's national secretary, Joe de Bruyn, said the union initially would push to have the rate for 20-year-olds lifted, with increases for 18 and 19-year-olds phased in to reduce the economic impact. According to union estimates, about 25 per cent of 20-year-old retail workers receive adult rates as they are employed by major retailers that have enterprise agreements with the union. "Eighteen-year-olds are considered adults in every other aspect of life," Mr de Bruyn said. "They're seen as responsible enough to vote and drive, so it's only fair that they're given the same standing in the workplace." He said when a retail worker turned 18, "they've quite often been working for a number of years (and) many are even in management positions". The Australian Retailers Association said it would oppose the claim, arguing it would make companies less likely to employ young people. Executive director Russell Zimmerman said the retail sector had been under significant stress and could not afford to take on 18 to 20-year-olds at higher pay. Mr de Bruyn said that not paying workers a full adult wage until they turned 21 was "a hangover from decades past". He cited New Zealand, where the adult minimum wage applies to all employees aged 16 and older who are not new entrants or trainees. "New Zealand has rectified the discrimination and evidence shows it's having a positive impact on employment. Australia is lagging behind the rest of the modern world." On April 1, the adult minimum wage in New Zealand will increase from $13.50 to $13.75 an hour, significantly less than Australia's rate of about $20. Mr Zimmerman said retailers' problems had been compounded by the Fair Work Commission throwing out the employer bid to cut penalty rates paid to thousands of retail and fast-food workers. Business has called on Julia Gillard to drop Labor's plan to "protect" penalty rates in legislation after the decision. The government is resisting a call by four employer groups to abandon proposed changes to federal workplace laws. The proposals will be detailed in federal parliament today. |
Title: Re: Retailers To Fight Union On Youth Pay Rates. Post by greggerypeccary on Mar 25th, 2013 at 6:22pm Good on Mr de Bruyn. (the only Dutchman who doesn't like dykes) This is long overdue. |
Title: Re: Retailers To Fight Union On Youth Pay Rates. Post by John Smith on Mar 25th, 2013 at 7:14pm
sounds fair ... old enough to drink, vote and drive? then you are old enough to receive a full wage ...
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Title: Re: Retailers To Fight Union On Youth Pay Rates. Post by newtown_grafitti on Mar 25th, 2013 at 9:46pm Quote:
No it doesn't - although de Bruyn is right when he says that the existing system is wrong. The whole idea of retailer award wages misrepresents what retailers need to do in the age of online shopping. A retail worker at a supermarket has a whole different kind of job from one at David Jones or specialty retailers. A smart 18-year-old with a month or two experience can compete with the best as a checkout operator. (I've seen them - and in our district many of them are students and are very quick on the uptake.) Equal wages for equal work - which means that award-mediated age discrimination here is ridiculous. On the other hand if I go to DJs to buy a suit (a painful experience that I shall never suffer again), the help that I would get from someone fresh out of school is not the same as from someone who has years of experience in fitting men and who knows the store's stock inside out. (As an aside, DJs is in the process of retiring its point of sale system - the dot matrix printers are finally going. With the new system they will supposedly be able to monitor sales by sales person in real time and tailor remuneration to results - bugger the industry award.) Having said all that, shop assistants of all descriptions are being steadily replaced by systems on the web that - in many cases - do far better what people in shops used to do. In the case of men's suits, there is a hybrid model operated out of Hong Kong. A tailor comes to Australia, rents a suite at a hotel in each capital city for a few days, advertises, provides copious samples of fabrics and styles, measures clients, flies back to Hong Kong - and ten days later the suit arrives with (if the client has ordered them) a second pair of trousers and a dozen bespoke shirts. Measurements are held on file against future orders. Mr de Bruyn and his people are becoming irrelevant. It's time that they noticed that. |
Title: Re: Retailers To Fight Union On Youth Pay Rates. Post by John Smith on Mar 25th, 2013 at 10:54pm newtown_grafitti wrote on Mar 25th, 2013 at 9:46pm:
rubbish .. DJ's doesn't tailor suits, they sell them of the rack ... how useless must you be to not know if a jacket you are trying fits? any adjustments to size are made later and not by the sales assistant ... an 18 yr old can learn to button your jacket and says 'it looks like it was made for you Mr Grafitti' just as well as a 40 yr old. Kissing ass is easy to teach an 18 yr old ... trying to find one that wants a job that invovles ass kissing, now that is the problem .. pay better and you just may find one. |
Title: Re: Retailers To Fight Union On Youth Pay Rates. Post by newtown_grafitti on Mar 25th, 2013 at 11:09pm Quote:
Never said they did, but faced with a competitor who does, and sells individually tailored suits at a lower price than their rack stuff, shop assistant award wages are the least of their worries. Quote:
Obviously you've never bought a suit at David Jones - in fact I haven't for a number of years. Maybe the system has changed. It used to be that the sales assistant would check arm length, trouser length (whether cuffed or cuffless was required), waist dimension and back width, pin the fabric where adjustments were needed and send the garments for alteration. I submit that this requires some considerable experience and judgement. If DJ no longer does this, there are visiting Hong Kong tailors who do. Quote:
If you mean "kissing arse", don't be squeamish. Tell us what you really think. |
Title: Re: Retailers To Fight Union On Youth Pay Rates. Post by John Smith on Mar 25th, 2013 at 11:14pm newtown_grafitti wrote on Mar 25th, 2013 at 11:09pm:
I'd agree ... DJ's is one of the last remaining dinosours of retail ... it either evolves into something else or dies. |
Title: Re: Retailers To Fight Union On Youth Pay Rates. Post by John Smith on Mar 25th, 2013 at 11:15pm newtown_grafitti wrote on Mar 25th, 2013 at 11:09pm:
many years ago ... how hard is it to measure a sleve ... you don't think an 18 yr old can learn to do it in a few months? oh ye of little faith newtown_grafitti wrote on Mar 25th, 2013 at 11:09pm:
yep, that was it |
Title: Re: Retailers To Fight Union On Youth Pay Rates. Post by Spot of Borg on Mar 26th, 2013 at 4:49am
IMO its ridiculous to expect kids between 18 and 20 to get lower wages. Fair enough @ 16 but 18? It should be completely stopped and adults get adult wages.
SOB |
Title: Re: Retailers To Fight Union On Youth Pay Rates. Post by KJT1981 on Mar 26th, 2013 at 5:09am
Raise the driving, drinking and voting age to 21. That will fix it.
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