The National Retail Association (NRA) urges the Senate to pass the Morrison government’s industrial relations reforms without delay.
In a member impact survey undertaken between 8 and 15 March 2021, NRA members “overwhelmingly” supported the need for change.
The need for certainty around casual employment featured heavily. Casual employment is said to be a common feature in almost all of NRA’s members operating under the Retail Award.
80% of those retailers said that the primary reason that they engaged casual employees, rather than permanent employees, was because of the need for flexibility around work hours.
More tellingly, 52.5% of retailers said that if award conditions were more flexible, they would “definitely” employ more staff on a part-time basis rather than a casual basis, while 35% said that they would at least consider it. Only 12.5% said that they would stick to casual employment even if award conditions changed.
In this environment, says the NRA, the prospect of further delay to much-needed reforms due to the Senate crossbench is causing consternation for employers.
“Our members are calling out for change,” says NRA Deputy CEO Lindsay Carroll.
“Although the retail sector is often criticised for the scale of casual employment, we see from our members a clear desire for a workable departure from this paradigm.”