Bretts Wharf Seafood Pty Ltd t/a Bretts Wharf Seafood v Australian Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous Workers Union, Queensland Branch, Union of Employees and Others [1995] QIRC 549 (1995) 150 QGIG 1112

1112 QllEF. SLAND GOVERNMENT INDUSTRIAL GAZETTE l3 1 ovcmber. 1995 d1sad,antage. Mr O'Brien pan1cularl)' relem:d w th.: \\,1ge rat.:, and hours of worl.. as areas of disadvantage "hen comran:J 10 the Clerical Employees Award - State. It "as submiued that the wage r.ites m the agreement arc IO\~cr than the award rates and also the .,greemcnt pro, ide~ for a 40 hour \,eel.. \\ hcrea, the a\\ard pro, ,Jes h>r a 38 hour \,eel.;. l)L' Ll '-SLA 'D INDUSTRIAl R.1-LA flONS COMMIS~ION Jndusmal Rela11ons ACI /990 s 158 - apphcauon for ce111tied agreement Brctb Wharf \eatood Pty Ltd (ACN 069 3~8 gq l trading as Breu, Wharf Seafood A D Au,lr,1han Liquor. l11lsp11aht) and Miscellaneous Workers I..Jmon , Queensland Branch. 1·nion ol E.mplo)e.:, and Others (.\o C 4-1-16 of I 995) BRF T I S \\ II ARF SEAFOOU O . Rl IFI F. D ,\GRt 1. \I F.;\ I <.OMMISSIOl\ER BOU(,Ol Rf- 24 October 19lJ5 \prro, al of <.ert1fied Agreement I mon Other Than Signa11•f) Sought 10 lntcf\ enc Com1m,~1on (,ranted Fntitlcment lo lntcf\ e111ng l 1110n Right 10 be Hc.ird /\grcemcnt Co,crs ··Greenfield Sue·· - 2 Clerical I mplo)ee~ Covered by /\grccmcnl [)"ad,antaged b} Ccn1ticd Agreement Refcn:nce 10 \\ age~ and Cond11ion, ol Clencal I mplo)ee~ A"ard - State Agreement Contain, Ad,antage~ 10 Offset Redui;.1ion of Certain Condi1111n, Reference to the Act - Agreement ·01 o\gain,I Public lntcrc~I - 1\ grecme111 /\ ppro, cd Mr C Barrell. for the ALHM\\ U. and Mr C. Agnew. for the Queensland llotcls Assoc1a1ion, Umon ot Emplo)ers (QHAJ. on b.!half of the emplo>er. gcnerall) ~ubm11 that disad,antagc do.:, not exist when the cond11ions of the whole agreement arc con:,idercd The agreement Joe~ pro, ide for an Annual l ca,c Bonus of 22.5% ror )Car 2 and be>ond and a 3°0 111creasc in wage rates after the lir,1 )ear and a funhcr 3°0 after a funhcr 12 month5 of opcrauon. Stall di,count, , ol' a nature not disclosed. ,,ill Ii<! a\ailabk and gra1ui1ie, will he :,hared by all staff. 1 he .igrccmcnt al~o pro, ,de~ for temporar) absence~ for illness and famil> reasons of I 2 days cach >car, "h1ch accumul.11es fhis laucr pnw1s1on seem:, to be !,(lmc"hat more generous than the rclc, ant 3\\ ard pnn is1on, ( ertllicauon of the agreement ,,ould re,uh 111 a reduction of the et11i1lcmenb of clerical cmplo)ee, in re,pect ol hours of \\Ori.. and ,\hen comp.ired \\llh th e Clerical Emrlo)CC~ A"ard - ~tale. \\Ould seem lo provide for some reduc11on 111 ,,age rate, llo"e,er the question of wagc rates under the Clerical Emplo~ce, A,~ar<l - "ilalc h,1s to he ,ubJect 10 ,ome uncenatnl) aho,·e le,el I. smce the appropn,ne le,cl under that a"arJ is de1em1i111:d h) the emplo)er. has,;<l upon the principal charactens11cs ol empln) mcnl 111 e.ich ea,,: In the case of I losritaht) Services Grade 2. a.~ pro, idcd for 111 th.: agn:i.:mcnt. the wage rate " clearl) lc,s than that provided for 111 the Clerical Lmrlo)ee~ A"ard - State 'I hu, the ngn:cmenl docs rro, id..: for a n:du~tion in the cnutlemcnts of clerical emplo)ees in the area of hours and wages 111 p.1rt1cul.ir anti 111s ncce,sal') to detcrmme. pursuant 10 s 160(2)(b) of the lndu,trwl Rc!la11ot11 A <"I I 990 (the Act). \\hcther th~ Comm1,s1on con,idcrs. "hen the cmplo) mcnt condi11ons ol the agreement are con\ldcrcd as a wh()lc. the reduction 1s agam,1 the public interest I am mindful that s.156(2) of the Act provide~ that the Comm,ssmn must, a, far a, practicable. rcrform 1lS functions 111 rcla11on to an apphcauon ol lhi, na1ure 111 a \\ ay that funhers the obJl!Cls of the rdc, ant part ot lhc /\cl In this case I am a.,ked 10 ccrtif) an agreement bct\\ecn Breu, \\ harf Seafood Pt) Ltd (the employer) and the Australian I ,quor. ll osrttahl) ,md Miscellane()u, Workers \ mon. Qucen,land 13ranch. l 111 0 11 ot Emplo)ec:, (the union or AU IMWl ). I ha,e bc.:n referred to ~anou, advantages pro, 1ded b> the agr.:emcnl On the i,~ue of public 1111crcs1. I am al~o aware that ~ome "1 lospiLalit) Award<· do pnn ide lor the worl..mg of ~ariou, clcncal du11c, relevant 10 the mdustr) 111 quc,11on at "age rate, ,omc-..h.it cons1,1en1 with the term~ ol thb agreement The /\cl require~ that I mJke a dc1ennina11on m lhc c11n1.:,1 of the employment cond111on, considered as .i "hole . A~ alrcad) 1mhca1ed, the agreement docs provide ,omc .idvantages for emplo) ec, which ma, he argued to othet an) reducuon 111 condition~ pro, 1ded for in the Clcncal I mplo}ccs ,\\\,ird 'i1a1e . (inml! ot the ad,nntagc, m que,11011 m,1) he readily cval.iatc<l. "hil,1 other-. ~uch as d1~counl.s and gratmtie,. arc largely 1,f unkn0\\11 , alue 1 he I.tiler m1gh1 m l.ict pro\C 1 111 b.! of con-idcrahlc villuc lhe Brells Wh.irf Con.pie, i, a --Grcenheld Si1e·· and i, due 10 lOmmence Qperallons on I !',ovcmbcr 1995 ·1 here arc 1m current emplo)ees I am mform,:d that a total ol 60 cmplo)ee, '"II hc e mrlo)e<l with onl) 2 clerical .:mplo)ee, being m,ohed. It" onh Ill rc,pe~I ol such 2 clerical emphl) cc, thJl a rrohlem i, ,a1J 10 cxi, 1 Both the emplo) er ,111d the union patties to the agre.:mcnt support cen1fica1ion. howc~er. Mr ll. O'Brien. for the /\ustrah,m \iu111c1pal. Admimstntli~t:. Clerical and Sef\tce, Union. Central and Southern Queensland Clerical an<l AJm111is1rati\e Branch, Cnion of I mrlo)ees and l·ederated Clerks' l 'nion of \ustralia. ".:Orth Queensl,md Branch. L'mun of I mplo)CCS. ha, suhm11ted Lhnt th e .igrcemcnt d1sad\ antages clerl..s .ind he therefore submits that clerl.s be ehn11na tc d trom the agreement The cmplo)Cr 1, an"ou, that the a~ cemcnl co, er all empl0) cc, on s11c 'i111cc d1sad, anlage 10 th.: clerical employees ,s the onl) issue rai~cd. that ,~ the onl) maucr upon \\ h1ch I ",II comment m this Jeci'1on 1he ,ubm1:,-ion~ before me "ere qu1h: brief In rcla11on to Basco upon the only matcnJI rlaced hefore 111e Jnd rcl)ing pnmaril) uron ad, antage~ capahlc of e, alua11on b> 111.:. I am s,msfied that \\hen the conditmn, as en, "aged h) the a1,1recrner11 are con,1dercd a,, a "hole. that the reduc11on in condmom, aforementioned is not again,l the pubhc interest. Therefore "ith :,(1me he,11a11on. I lind. pursuant 10 s 160( I )(a) of the \et that the agreement does not di,,1d,,1111age the clencal cmplo}ces l 1pon the material before me 1l "ould seem that there ha., been compliance w11h other requirements of the Act I "ill therefore certil) the agreement 1 he Commission order:, a1;corJingl) R \\ ROUGOl RI- Commis,1()m:r IC,8<l9 I DOC QUEENSLAN D GOVER TME 'T I 'DUSTRIA ------- ' L GAZETff: R \\' 801 GOI RF: . Commissioner Appe11ram ·e.1 ~lr ( Agne\\ for lhe Queensland II I [ mp lo~ e r,. un behalf of Breus \\ hart s:~;1~/\ssoc1a11on. \ nion ot Mr C 13 arretl lor the Australian 1 1 M,,cell.ineou, \\ orl.cr- 11111011 Q quor. I lospttal11y and I mp lv) ec, . • ucensland Branch. l'n1on of '-1r D ( r Brien for the /\u,tr.ihan \1unici al • • and "1cf\1cc, l l 111on Central and <.; lh P • Adtnml\trauve. Clerical Adrn1n1,,1rat1\e Drnnch l'nion or°~- c~ Queensland Clerical and <. lerl., · I mon of \u~;ralta 1\o h Qmp O)ces and the I edcrat c<l I rnplo) cc, • n ueenslaod Br.inch, l 111011 of Opcrau, c Dute· NIA Dcc"1on Breth \\ harf ~c.ifood Cenific<l /\grecmcnt Rcl ea,cd :!-t (ktobcr 1995 156659- 76 1113 16899 r DOC -- 1 of 1 --