Last week’s retail trade data may not have been the most high-profile activity performed by the Australian Bureau of Statistics in recent months. That honour clearly went to the national Census. But in terms of outcomes, this exercise was almost as disappointing! The ABS reported that retail trade flatlined in July – in official terms, […]
The Victorian Supreme Court found an abattoir business to have breached its duty of care to an employee’s health by requiring them to work 70 hours a week and be on call 24/7. Due to Castricum Brothers Pty Ltd cutting its workforce, Joseph Roussety was promoted to plant manager, increasing his hours gradually from 40 […]
Almost 20 new asylum seekers have found new jobs with Woolworths and more than 60 gained valuable work experience, after the Australian supermarket chain connected with a life-changing program from the Brotherhood of St Laurence. One of Woolworths’ newest employees recruited under the Given the Chance for Asylum Seekers program, Taj, was just 16 when […]
In a recent case brought before the NSW Supreme Court DP World’s (DPW) six-month restraint of trade period on their Operations Manager was deemed to be reasonable when the former employee gave three-months’ notice before beginning employment with a competitor. On April 27, DPW’s Operations Manager accepted a position with their direct competitor, Asciano. DPW […]
Following the 4 yearly review of the Modern Awards by the Fair Work Commission, a number of changes have been introduced to ensure consistency around annual leave provisions. The affected awards include: General Retail Industry Award 2010 Fast Food Industry Award 2010 Restaurant Industry Award 2010 Clerks Private Sector Award 2010 Hair and Beauty Industry […]
When my husband and I took over Peter Baker-Finch in 1999 the company was already a member of the National Retail Association (NRA). There was never any question of not continuing the membership, as in our early days of running the store, NRA proved to be an extremely helpful resource. NRA provides me with updates […]
A Western Australia crane hire company was recently fined $25,500 for contravening sections of the Fair Work Act when they terminated a crane operator’s employment for expressing his workplace right of being underpaid for overtime. In May 2014, the mobile crane operator and the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) confronted WA Universal Crane […]
WorkSafe Western Australia is undertaking a proactive inspection program to look at safety issues in takeaway food outlets which will involve inspectors visiting fast food outlets in Perth and regional areas of the State throughout the 2016/17 financial year. WorkSafe Director Joe Attard said the inspection program had been prompted by a significant number of […]
Nextra Mona Vale Newsagency first decided to join the National Retail Association (NRA) when the Nextra head office brought in a staff member from the NRA to explain member benefits. Immediately our business saw the value in such membership and the opportunity to be represented by retail specialists. That was 13 years ago and I […]
“National Retail Association (NRA) membership was recommended to us by our franchisor as the industry organisation to join. NRA have always been responsive and efficient in our dealings with them. My questions never go unanswered. The NRA Team’s services are most invaluable and have assisted us on many occasions. The legal team have knowledge and […]
As of Friday 8th July, the Fair Work Commission (FWC) launched a revitalised website with new design and features which have been based on feedback compiled through a website usability survey by stakeholders. The Commission was seeking feedback to improve the design, user experience and the functionality of the website. Feedback received from stakeholders has […]
The Fair Work Ombudsman has taken legal action against another 7-Eleven franchisee for underpaying 12 employees. Couple Haiyao Xu and Yiran Gu, who operated a 7-Eleven store in Parkville Melbourne, were found to have underpaid staff by over $84,000 while building up a near $3 million property portfolio. Judge Suzanne Jones said, “There can be […]
On 15 June 2016, the Fair Work Commission released a statement to advise how the Full Bench proposed to deal with the payment of wages in relation to five issues; timing of payment of wages, removing a restriction on the days for payment of wages, timing of payment on termination of employment, penalty for late […]
On Thursday 23 June 2016, the Fair Work Commission announced it would increase filing fees, high income thresholds and compensation caps for unfair dismissal applications. For unfair dismissal claims occurring on or after the 1 July 2016, the high income threshold will be increased to $138,900 and the compensation limit will be increased to $69,450. […]
Anyone in business would know that it is always a good idea to register your trademarks to protect them for your business. In fact, there’s a little saying that’s been going around, especially when it comes to the topic of UGG boots: “Don’t be an Ugg. Register your trademark before it gets Ugg-ly” While it […]
At the National Retail Association (NRA) we pride ourselves on the services, benefits and value for money that we offer our members. You can rest assured that an investment in a NRA membership can save you thousands in the running of your business. Did you know that as a member of the NRA, we can […]
This week saw the National Retail Association facilitate two mental health workshops to help our members identify and manage mental health issues in the workplace. New Australian research has identified that workplace bullying and harassment increases the likelihood of a worker developing suicidal thoughts. These results highlight a growing need for organisational intervention to address […]
Language in the workplace, especially between colleagues and team members, performs an important role in determining what is acceptable behaviour, and ultimately, what the broader workplace environment looks like. In many workplaces, it is unfortunate that condescending and patronising language can be an all-too-frequent occurrence. In many instances, a capable and competent team member will […]
This week we look at a recent case which serves as a timely reminder to employers engaging in enterprise bargaining to take note of the time requirements as detailed in the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth). If you are considering bargaining or if your enterprise agreement is due to expire, call and speak to an […]
This week we look at a recent case where a club was ordered to pay over $415,000 in compensation when they breached multiple IR laws and engaged in adverse action by modifying an employee’s hours from full-time to part-time without mutual consent to avoid extra costs of a worker’s compensation claim. The reduction in hours […]