By Andy Young
The Australian wine industry is being called on to make contributions to a national review by the Productivity Commission into Australia's workplace relations system.
The South Australian Wine Industry Association (SAWIA) in collaboration with the Winemakers' Federation of Australia, is compiling the submission, which will deliver suggested changes on the structure and level of penalty rates, workplace disputes, and the hidden cost of compliance among other things.
The SAWIA is now urging the industry to get involved by completing an online survey, sharing their views and experiences in order to support change.
SAWIA chief executive Brian Smedley said: "The Productivity Commission's scope of this review is broad, ranging from the Fair Work Act 2009, the Independent Contractors Act 2006, enterprise agreements, Modern Awards, to the institutions operating under the Act, including the Fair Work Commission and the Fair Work Ombudsman."
"So this is a unique opportunity for wine industry employers, right across the country to have a say on how workplace laws effect our operations and also to suggest ways flexibility and productivity can be improved," Smedley added.
"Some areas we know are problematic such as penalty rates and public holidays and we also want to highlight the need to cut red tape and reduce the unnecessary compliance burden on wine businesses."
The SAWIA is working on a national submission and a representative of the Winemakers' Federation of Australia told TheShout: "The WFA would encourage members of industry around the country to get online and have their say."
The survey takes around 30 minutes to complete, will be open until Friday, March 6 and you can have your say here.
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