Employee Relations Award Exsersize

2001EHR

Managing Employment Relations

Award Interpretation Exercise

Due date: Week 11 in class. Please attach the usual assignment cover sheet.

Marks: 15 marks in total

Reasons for exercise: Being able to read and interpret Awards is a key competency for HR and ER graduates.

Also, understanding the ‘background’ of awards is important; how they were arrived at, the history of the parties, their relative bargaining power etc.

Instructions: In your answer, give all the relevant part(s) of the Award (e.g. the clause and subclause number[s]) and the page no(s) where relevant – as well as answering the question.

Resources: General Retail Industry Award 2010 (Modern Award); hereafter called ‘the Award’. You can find it on the Fair Work Commission website or on the course website under the Assessment tab on the course website.

Questions (remember clause nos. and page nos.!) Marks vary for questions.

1. What is the minimum daily engagement of a casual in the Award? (1 mark)

2. What percentage of an appropriate wage is a junior of 19 years paid? (1 mark)

3. What is a supported wage and what are the relevant clause and page nos. in the Award? Give an example of a person who might be on a supported wage. (2 marks)

4. You are a full-time Level 1 adult employee under the Award. (5 marks)

(a) Calculate your total wages for one week (show the calculation step by step) if you are rostered as follows Tues-Sat: You work normal hours (38/5 = 7.6 hours) on three days (Tues to Thurs)

(b) On Thursday, you are asked to work an additional three hours that evening, from 5 to 8 pm (check carefully in the Award that you have taken into account all that you are owed!)

(c) You work 7.6 hours on one day (Friday) but those hours end at 11 pm

(d) You work normal hours on the Saturday

(e) You must stock and refill the dairy case on one day

5. In general terms, what do ‘penalty rates’ refer to when you see the term used in an award? What different types of penalty...