Key Points
- Thousands of full-time employees will have the option to work 38 hours over four days.
- The deal will be submitted to the Fair Work Commission for approval, after workers vote on it.
- Two-thirds of Australians believe working five days a week could soon become a thing of the past.
Hardware retailer Bunnings Warehouse will trial a four-day working week for thousands of its employees after a landmark agreement.
Thousands of the hardware giant's full-time employees will have the option to work 38 hours over four days or spread out their hours across a nine-day fortnight.
They will also be given a 10.5 per cent pay rise over the next three years, the company said.
The agreement reached with Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees Association (SDA) delegates will also entitle 40,000 staff to five weeks of annual leave.
Bunnings chief people officer Damian Zahra said the agreement will also change the retailer's approach to days in lieu relating to public holidays.
“We have a track record of providing industry-leading pay, benefits and bonuses, and our aim is to provide a new EA that continues to reward our team for the great work they do every day,” Mr Zahra said.
SDA national secretary Gerard Dwyer said the agreement was a “significant breakthrough” in work-life balance for retail workers and could set a precedent in the industry.
“These are advances the SDA will be pursuing in upcoming rounds of negotiation with other major retailers,” he told the Australian Financial Review.
“This package is good for workers and for this major retailer alike, setting Bunnings up as a preferred employer in a tight retail market.”
The deal will be submitted to the Fair Work Commission for approval, after workers vote on it.
Close to two-thirds of Australians believe working five days a week could soon become a thing of the past, .
Almost half the 42,000 workers conducted by recruitment firm Hays believe they'll be working a four-day week in five years, while another 16 per cent said it would be within 12 months.
A federal parliamentary committee has recommended a federal government-backed trial of based on the "100:80:100" model, where workers keep their entire salary and maintain full productivity despite working 80 per cent of the week.
A four-day working week is more productive for most staff and companies than the traditional five days, one of the biggest trials of its kind conducted in the UK reported.
The study found more than nine out of ten firms will continue with the shortened working week or plan to do so and Just four per cent will not extend it, organisers said in a statement.
