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A Work Choices era pay deal at two Ballarat Bakers Delight stores is more punitive than similar agreements being challenged elsewhere in the state, the union has said.
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Bakers Delight stores at Wendouree and Lucas both operate under a 2007 “zombie” agreement, so-called because it nominally expired in 2013.
Documents lodged with the Fair Work Commission by Ballarat franchisee Barry Browning show base rates of less than $10 an hour for retail assistants aged 16 and under.
The contract also precludes protected award conditions including weekend and late night penalty rates.
The bakery giant has been in the spotlight since a 15-year-old employee from Melbourne’s inner east applied to terminate a 2006 agreement which her father told Fairfax Media had left her hundreds of dollars a month worse off than if she had been paid under the award.
This week Retail and Fast Food Workers Union will organise Bakers Delight workers across the state to terminate their individual agreements, secretary Josh Cullinan said.
Mr Cullinan said workers were “grossly disappointed” by their conditions but were “well aware” that they fell short.
“What’s been uncovered is legacy agreements are being used in many Bakers Delight stores to not pay penalty rates for weeknights and weekends,” Mr Cullinan said.
“The level of exploitation might differ (but) what you’re seeing in Ballarat is worse than that.”
A spokesperson for Bakers Delight said adults at the Wendouree and Lucas stores were paid in line with the award at $19.44 an hour, and juniors were paid a percentage in line with the modern award.
That would mean 15-year-olds at those stores earn $8.75 an hour (45 per cent), 16-year-olds earn $9.72 an hour (50 per cent) and 17-year-olds earn $11.66 an hour (60 per cent), Mr Cullinan said
The spokesperson said staff at those stores were paid 200 per cent on public holidays “despite being under no condition to do so” and pay rates had increased each year since the agreement was instated.
The agreement has “loaded pay rates” which cover Saturday and Sunday work, they said.