Kmart employees overwhelmingly support new agreement

Kmart employees have overwhelmingly signed on to a new enterprise bargaining agreement with a 91.7 per cent majority, preserving higher base pay rates and increased rates on weekends and weeknights.

The conditions of the agreement had been won over a number of years by the Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees Association, which closely consulted with employees in the months leading up to the vote.

“Kmart staff were very clear about what they wanted in this new agreement,” SDA national secretary Gerard Dwyer said.

“They wanted to protect their take home pay, improve penalty rates on weekends, lock in pay rises for all staff and protect the strong range SDA conditions they’d won over a number of years.”

Dwyer said the agreement gives Kmart employees access to voluntary work on public holidays, higher guaranteed minimum hours for part-time workers, 100 per cent pay for 20-year olds and rostering to take into account family responsibilities and safe transport home.

Additionally, the agreement now includes a 15-minute rest break, as well as two days paid domestic violence leave, and a further three unpaid.

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