As a result of the ongoing 4-year Award Review process, particularly a review of penalty rates, the Fair Work Commission has recently handed down a decision resulting in various changes to penalty rates in the General Retail Award 2010.
Effective from 1 November 2018:
Casual evening and Saturday penalty rates
• A casual employee must be paid an additional 15% penalty payment (previously 10%) for all work performed on a Saturday (or 40% loading inclusive of the casual loading).
• A casual employee must be paid an additional 5% penalty payment for hours worked after 6pm Monday to Friday (previously not applicable to casuals) (or 30% loading inclusive of the casual loading).
Full time or part time evening and Saturday penalty rates
• A full-time or part-time employee must be paid an additional 25% penalty payment for ordinary hours worked after 6 pm on Monday to Friday.
• A full-time or part-time employee must be paid an additional 25% penalty payment for ordinary hours worked on a Saturday.
Shiftworkers
• A casual employee who is a shiftworker, and works on a Sunday, will have their shiftwork penalty reduced from 225% to 220% (inclusive of casual loadings).
• A full-time or part-time employee who is a shiftworker, and works on a Sunday, will have their shiftwork penalty rate reduced from 200% to 195%.
Further annual changes
As part of the decision, a transitional process will annually increase casual Saturday penalty rates until 2020 and weekday evening penalty rates until 2021.
Additionally, a transitional process will annually reduce Sunday shiftworker penalty rates until 2020. Subscribers whose employees work on these days and under those arrangements should make appropriate alterations to rates of pay for their casual employees effective from 1 November 2018.
Need help?
Contact our HR and employment law experts via the ‘Advice’ services in your Better HR subscription.
Not a subscriber? Contact Better HR to learn more about how we can help you.
