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The National Employment Standards have now been officially confirmed by the Federal Government. As mentioned in the May newsletter these 10 standards will be incorporated into the new modernised awards and be a basic safety net for employees – from 2010

The 10 standards cover:

• Hours of work

• Parental Leave

• Flexible work for Parents

• Annual Leave

• Personal, Carers and Compassionate leave

• Community Service Leave

• Public Holidays

• Notice of termination and Redundancy

• Long service leave
• Fair work information statement
• 
  

Hours, annual leave, personal/carers leave
These standards include provisions to request flexibility in working arrangements such as hours employees work so they can care for children. The request has to be made in writing, as must the employer’s response. The request maybe refused only on “reasonable business grounds” with the reasons for refusal included in they response. There is no proposed change to standards for hours of work, annual leave and personal/carers leave.

Parental leave
The current 12-month entitlement to unpaid parental leave will increase to 24 months. Both parents will be entitled to take separate periods of parental leave of 12 months each. Alternatively, one parent may request an additional 12 months unpaid parental leave. An employer will be able to decline a request only on reasonable business grounds.

Parents will be entitled to request flexible work arrangements until a child reaches school age. Employers will need to have reasonable business grounds to support any refusal to grant this leave.

Community service leave
Community service leave will be available for activities such as jury service. Workers are also guaranteed the right – under community service leave – to time off work for emergency activities such as fighting bushfires.

Public holidays
Public holidays will be guaranteed and employees will be entitled to receive award penalty rates or compensation for working on a public holiday.

Notice periods
Minimum notice periods for termination of employment will be retained.

Redundancy
In addition, employees made redundant within workplaces with 15 or more employees will be entitled to severance pay.

Information on workplace rights
Employers will be required to give new employees a statement containing information regarding workplace rights including a statement about the right to join a union.

IR Minister Julia Gillard says “These final national employment standards have been improved because we took a sensible and measured approach to generating them. These 10 standards are there for every employee, whether you are part time in a restaurant or whether you are surgeon in a hospital”

The standards will now go to the AIRC and will come into operation in 2010

If you need help navigating you way around these changes or any other industrial relations issues, please contact us today email This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or 9862 5900

Retention is the KEY!

A recent survey done by Kelly services, indicates that 35% of employers are intending to maintain their current headcount for the next 12 months. As a result 93% of respondents indicate that retention is their number 1 priority.

Despite the fact that the International Monetary Fund forecast that Australian GDP growth would fall to 3.2% for 2008, and to 3.1% for 2009, the skill shortages nonetheless continue to exist. Keeping the skills you have within your business will therefore be essential for continued growth.

It is our view that the traditional set of HR retention strategies need an overhaul. We need to start asking questions like:

• How are employees engaged in the workforce today? 
• What drives employees to volunteer extra effort?
  
• What drives employee’s decisions to commit to staying?
• How do you establish lasting, high performance relationships which support business needs?

By understanding the unique combination of levers that are relevant to your workplace you will be able to build strategies that are targeted and realistic for your team.

Keep the date: On Tuesday 26th August, Crossroads is teaming up with Douglas Workplace & Litigation, Safety Action and Nabenet to bring you a unique conference that will look at Retention strategies and contemporary OHS management in the workplace. More information on the Prevention and Retention Convention will be available soon.