Last Friday, the Fair Work Commission delivered its annual decision on increases to the minimum wage and award minimum wages. The announcement of a 5.75 percent award wage increase is disappointing, and we know business owners are already facing pressure from higher interest rates, increases in rent and power bills and the cost of goods and services. To read the National Retail Association’s response to the decision, click here.
In response to the Fair Work Commission’s decision, our Workplace Relations team are working around the clock to provide updated wage summaries to members to ensure businesses are compliant and able to meet their obligations by July 1, 2023. To access the updated wage summaries, please visit our member portal for a full suite of summaries by industry. If you have questions about rates of pay, please call our Workplace Relations hotline on 1800 RETAIL (738 245).
Our next information session for members is coming up on Thursday, June 15, with a webinar from NRA Legal on how to deal with regulators in business. There are so many evolving compliance requirements that affect the retail industry, and no business can afford to be ill or under-informed. This session is free for all members ($49 for non-members) and I strongly encourage anyone who deals with any regulators (such as the Fair Work Ombudsman, Work Health & Safety Regulators, and Wage Inspectors) to come along for a very well-spent 1 hour of your working week. You can register here.
As the single-use plastics bans continue to evolve, the State and Territory Governments are announcing additional regulations to the suite of bans. These bans affect many of our members and are another area of compliance you cannot afford to be ill-informed about. Our Policy team is leading the charge for retailers to adapt to these bans in time, and we’re supporting members with dedicated sessions to discuss the impacts of the bans. You can register for a session using this link. Additionally, you can also contact the team directly at sustainability@nationalretail.org.au.
On the topic of sustainability in business and leading the evolution with waste management, the National Retail Association has partnered with the Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation to host a dedicated session for members on the National Packaging Targets. This is a great chance for members to understand what the NPTs are and how they impact your business. This dedicated online session will be held on Thursday, 15 June and you can register link here.
Another important issue to be aware of is product recalls and if or when they might affect your business. In April, the ACCC released updated practical guidance and tools for businesses on when and how a product safety recall should occur. If your business is potentially impacted by a product recall, you can access the guidelines here.
Have a great week.