6.30pm, 2nd April, 2020
Proposed Award Variation
Member Clubs are advised that on 1 April 2020 the Fair Work Commission issued a statement outlining a provisional view to insert pandemic leave and update the annual leave clause in the Registered and Licensed Clubs Award (Clubs Award).
The proposed clauses are included in full below. They will:
- Provide up to two weeks unpaid pandemic leave for employees who are required to self-isolate or are otherwise unable to attend work as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic.
- The leave will be available in full, immediately, rather than accruing progressively during a year of service.
- The leave is available in full to full-time, part-time and casual employees (not pro-rated).
- Employees will not have to exhaust other paid leave entitlements before accessing unpaid pandemic leave.
- This leave is not applicable to employees who are stood down.
- Provide for employees to take annual leave at half pay, by agreement with their employer.
- For example, an employee and employer could agree to taking two weeks of leave but only be paid for one week of annual leave, and only one week would be deducted from their annual leave balance.
- An agreement must be recorded in writing and kept as an employee record.
- This arrangement would be available to stood down employees.
The new clauses will operate until 30 June 2020, though this may be extended on application or on the initiative of the Commission. The Commission is expediting the matter, and parties wishing to oppose the insertion of the new clauses have until Monday, 6 April 2020 to make their submission. Clubs Australia Industrial does not intend to oppose the insertion of these new clauses.
More information on Schedule X - Additional measures during the COVID-19 pandemic can be found in circular 20-047.
For more information or any questions, please contact the ClubsNSW Members Enquiries Centre.