Peak retail industry body the Australian Retailers Association (ARA), in its final opportunity to present to the full bench of the Australian Industrial Relations Commission (AIRC), today submitted a costings analysis of the draft modern retail award, indicating an average 14 per cent wage bill increase for retailers across Australia.ARA Executive Director Richard Evans said this is an unnecessary financial imposition on retailers who are already struggling with the tightening economic environment.... ...Read more »
A restaurant owner who paid a full-time employee just $9650 for 18 months work will face the Melbourne Magistrate’s Court.The federal Workplace Ombudsman has commenced legal proceedings against Poh Meng Hong for allegedly underpaying staff at his former Malaysian restaurant at Box Hill. The restaurant, which was known as Kayu@Boxhill, no longer operates. However, the Workplace Ombudsman claims one former staffer who received just $9650 for 18 months’ full-time work there is still owed... ...Read more »
The Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, Julia Gillard, has advised that the minimum wage will increase from today.The decision by the Australian Fair Pay Commission earlier this year increases adult rates of pay in Australian Pay and Classification Scales (Pay Scales) by approximately $21.66 per week. From today, the new Federal Minimum Wage is $543.78 per week ($14.31 per hour) up from $522.12 per week ($13.74 per hour). The increases will flow on to minimum rates of pay for junior... ...Read more »
Forbes has released a list showcasing the ten leading celebrity chefs by earnings per year, with a number of unfamiliar names to Australians popping up. Gordon Ramsay surprisingly only came in at number three, behind American TV chef Rachael Ray, with a reported US$7.5 million in earnings a year. The figure appears conservative for the Scottish chef who has gained global notoriety for his shows “Hell’s Kitchen” and “Kitchen Nightmares”. Ramsay’s range of restaurants... ...Read more »
Australia’s skills crisis is becoming more evident by the day with fast-food giants McDonald’s and KFC forced to use the ‘457′ skilled visa program to recruit staff in Queensland.The ‘457′ visa, which is currently under review by the Rudd Government, is the most commonly used program for employers to sponsor skilled overseas recruits to work in Australia and allows for a stay of between three months and four years. McDonald’s Queensland regional manager Andrew... ...Read more »
Australian chefs are in demand and, with suitable chefs becoming harder to find, their wages could keep on rising. Over 200 advertisements for chefs have been added to job website Seek in the past three days alone and a further 450 for other positions in restaurants and cafes, with the industry one of the hardest hit by the skills shortage. Currently, the highest number of jobs available (according to Seek) is in Melbourne, as a seemingly endless stream of new cafes and restaurants open; putting... ...Read more »