In a first for South Australian workers, the Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees’ Association’s (SDA) has secured equal pay and up to a 20% increase in pay for labour hire workers at the Metcash Distribution Centre in Adelaide.
Following SDA’s Same Job, Same Pay Application in August, the Fair Work Commission has ordered that labour hire workers at the Metcash Distribution Centre, will now receive the same pay as workers employed directly by Metcash.
Before this order, labour hire workers could be paid the minimum rates in the Storage Services Award, which sets the casual rate at $31 per hour – over $7 less than in the union-negotiated EBA.
The minimum pay rate for a casual labour hire worker has now been lifted to $38.88 per hour from Monday December 2. This could equal up to $12,666 in extra pay per year for workers doing 38 hours a week.
The result follows reforms by the federal government which aim to close loopholes that deny labour hire workers’ fair pay.
The Metcash Grocery and Liquor Distribution Centre at Gepps Cross employs hundreds of workers and four Labour Hire companies operate on-site.
The order, made by the Fair Work Commission, is the first successful order that impacts South Australian workers.
