Peak retail industry body the Australian Retailers Association (ARA) applauded Fair Work Australia's (FWA) decision today to reduce the minimum shift requirements to 1.5 hours for secondary school students and said the ruling would save jobs.
ARA Executive Director Russell Zimmerman said school students and retailers alike would be rejoicing today after shift requirements in the modern award - which came into play on 1 January 2011- forced retailers to deny after school work to the thousands of students employed in the sector.
"Fair Work Australia has made a logical decision that will overturn limitations in the modern award that didn't take into account the hours available between school finishing times and close of business," Zimmerman said.
"The retail industry has traditionally been a willing contributor to giving school students their start in the workforce, the ability to gain an independent income and learn valuable skills beyond the classroom. Retailers take this social responsibility seriously and today retailers will be genuinely delighted to take on that role again.
"This is a win- win for students and retailers. It's just a pity this decision wasn't made any earlier.
"Retailers and industry associations have been advocating for this common-sense ruling since the first applications were made in March last year with FWA having its first opportunity to make changes that would save jobs for school students in July.
"Almost one year on, school students and retailers both have a workable outcome which ensures students will still get a valuable start in the workforce. In the meantime, hundreds of school students across the country have lost their jobs.
"In an ARA survey of over 330 retailers in April 2010, 38 percent of respondents said they would stop employing school students as a result of the limitations imposed by the three hour minimum shift requirement," Zimmerman said.
For over 100 years, the Australian Retailers Association (ARA) has been the peak industry body in Australia's $240 billion retail sector which employs over 1.2 million people. As an incorporated employer body under the Fair Work (Registered Organisations) Act 2009 and with a range of member services including business consulting, policy development, advocacy and education, the ARA promotes and protects over 5000 independent and national retailers throughout Australia.
Visit www.retail.org.auor call 1300 368 041.
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