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The ASU is seeking the assistance of members to help protect the working conditions of clerical and administrative employees in offices throughout the country. Unless action is taken, office employees may find themselves working on Saturday mornings as part of their normal pattern of working time and without additional payment.
How could this happen?
The Australian Government has instructed the Australian Industrial Relations Commission (AIRC) to modernise all industrial awards - both Federal and State awards - and to bring all existing awards into the Federal system.
To do this, the AIRC has been asked to combine all existing awards applying to a particular occupational group or within a particular industry into one national award. Awards set the minimum terms and conditions for all Australian workers, whether members of a union or not. The also set the floor for union workplace bargaining and therefore what they provide in the way of terms and conditions of employment are very important to all workers.
The new modern awards will apply to workers in all Australian States and Territories and bring together all existing awards that apply. In this process the AIRC has released a draft award which provides that office employees can be asked to work on Saturday mornings as part of their normal working week (known in industrial jargon as ordinary hours of work) and without any special pay rate for these hours.
This would be a very significant change for workers under many State and Territory awards which don't allow this at present. Instead of taking the kids to Saturday morning sport in the future, workers will be taking themselves to work!
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