Following a formal appeal by the SDA, the new Grill’d Enterprise Agreement – which could have seen workers paid up to 20% less on Sundays than the minimum – has been dismissed by the Fair Work Commission
This is a major win for 4300 Grill’d workers across Australia who have been losing out on significant public holiday and weekend rates for too long.
For several years, Grill’d has operated under non-union enterprise agreements, which offer workers a higher base rate initially in exchange for lower or no penalty rates.
The latest Agreement put forward by Grill’d sought to use this same wage model.
This wage model sees workers’ penalty rates set at a dollar amount rather than a percentage of their base rate, which is how penalty rates are set in the Fast Food Award.
These Agreements may seem to leave workers “better off” when the Agreement is made but over time, workers’ wages fall below the industry minimum, and workers end up worse off.
By 2028, this Agreement could have meant workers would earn 20% less on Sundays than under the Fast Food Award.
What’s next?
The SDA is now seeking to terminate the existing Grill’d Agreement which would mean workers would be covered by the Fast Food Award moving forward.
The Fast Food Award would guarantee workers yearly wage increases and full penalty rates.