Australia’s Fair Work Commission (FWC) has opted to leave untouched the senior managerial classification for hospitality workers, meaning no changes will be made to exemption salary terms under the current Hospitality Award.
As part of its four-yearly review into Australia’s award system, the FWC decided to exempt managerial staff from having their salaries annualised in line with frontline and junior employees, while maintaining the requirements for a minimum eight days off over a four-week cycle and equal time off for working on a public holiday.
The decision also reverses a previous FWC decision to impose caps on managerial employees of 16 and 10 days respectively on the average ordinary-time penalty rates and overtime hours which will apply to non-managerial employees upon the finalisation of its review.
Australian Hotels Association National CEO, Stephen Ferguson, said the decision provided certainty for thousands of employers nationwide when it comes to industrial relations.
“Today’s decision was an important victory for Australia’s hotels and hospitality businesses and is the direct result of the Commission accepting the arguments the AHA and TAA put forward on behalf of the industry.
“Importantly, the outcomes that AHA and TAA are achieving allow our members and the industry more broadly to grow, create more jobs for Australians and continue to deliver a world-class service to guests,” Ferguson added.