The Services Union have claimed victory over a penalty rates dispute between council and casual Ballarat Art Gallery workers.
The union filed the dispute to the Fair Work Commission earlier this year on behalf of casual and part time gallery workers, who believed they should receive Saturday penalty rates under the council’s enterprise agreement.
The union alleges Ballarat Council argued casual employees were not entitled to penalty rates.
The Commission clarified that casuals in the role are entitled to the ordinary hourly rate plus a 25 per cent loading for weekend shifts.
It also said part-time employees of the gallery are entitled to a penalty rate of 1.5 times the ordinary rate for hours worked on weekends.
Deputy branch secretary for the union’s Victorian branch, Zoe Edwards, said workers are delighted with the win.
“It has been a source of great frustration that [casuals] work on weekends wasn’t recognized and a source of great unfairness when other workers at Ballarat were receiving these penalty rates,” she said.
In a statement, City of Ballarat’s Director of Corporate Services, John Hausler, said council acknowledges and will comply with the findings of the Fair Work Commission relating to the payment of weekend penalty rates to part-time and casual employees at the gallery.
He says council officers are working through implementing the findings with the impacted staff at the Gallery.
