Pharmacist pay dispute
October 19, 2012
CURRENT penalty rate provisions
are negatively affecting Australian
pharmacies, according to the
Pharmacy Guild of Australia.
Detailing its penalty wage stance
in a letter to the Senate Inquiry into
the Fair Work Amendment (Small
Business-Penalty Rates Exemption)
Bill 2012, the Guild argued that as a
result of the penalty rate provisions
in the modern award 54% of
pharmacies have decreased the
overall hours to employees, and
that in 39% of pharmacies, the
proprietor is now working more
hours.
The Guild took the figures from a
2011 survey of pharmacy owners,
which also found that under the
current award 34% of pharmacies
have reduced or ceased trading on
public holidays and were
re-evaluating their Sunday trading
hours.
“The growth of wages in the
pharmacy sector is having a
substantial impact on the operating
costs of our members,” the Guild
said.
In addition, the Guild argued that
non-standard working time
patterns are part of the community
pharmacy setting, and enable
pharmacy to provide healthcare to
the community.
The Guild also highlighted the fact
that between 70 and 80 percent of
pharmacy income is derived from
the PBS, meaning that it cannot
increase prices (as per normal
business practice) in order to offset
the increase in the cost of wages.
The Bill under consideration was
referred by the Senate for inquiry
and report in August this year.
The Bill would amend the Fair
Work Act 2009 to provide that a
modern award must not require a
business employing fewer than 20
full time employees in the
restaurant and catering or retail
industries to pay penalty rates to an
employee unless they have worked
more than 10 hours in a 24 hour
period, or more than 38 hours
total, in that week.
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