Retail Award summary

Industrial relations advisors Workforce Guardian have prepared a summary of the General Retail Industry Award.Note that under the Retail Award, casual employees must be engaged for a minimum of 3 hours on each occasion, except for full-time secondary school students who can be engaged for a minimum of one and a half hoursin certain circumstances.Casual employees must be paid an additional casual loading of 25% for all ordinary hours worked. This payment is compulsory.The now-terminated Postal Services Industry Award, which was negotiated by POAAL and had served the LPO sector well, had a casual loading of 20% and no minimum call-out for casual employees.It is disappointing that the CEPU withdrew its application to modernise the Postal Services Industry Award - without warning and without POAAL's support. By doing so, the rug was pulled out from underneath the LPO sector.If the Fair Work Commission hearing at the beginning of July had gone ahead as expected, we might not be in this situation. Staff costs for hundreds of Licensees have increased.Licensees who are paid-up members of POAAL can access free over-the-phone industrial relations advice from Workforce Guardian. Just ring 1300 781 299 and have your POAAL membership details (including membership number) handy. (Service operates Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm AEST.)The Retail Award summary can be downloaded as a PDF.