Junior pay rates for 18 year olds and over are being challenged in the Industrial court.
Millions of young people could get a pay boost due to a wages case disputing “junior” rates.
“Junior pay rates” apply to people below the age of 21 in agreements covering sectors that employ a lot of young people: retail, fast food and pharmacy.
Those discounts mean 18-year-olds are paid 70 per cent of the award rate, 80 per cent for 19-year-olds and 90 per cent for 20-year-olds.
It will not affect those 17 years and under so Maccas and Pizza Hut are relatively safe
These junior rates were originally written when 21 was the age of consent etc now it is 18 and has been since the Whitlam era. The awards just haven’t caught up.
My kids had part time jobs when they were still at school aged 14/15 at Pizza Hut, so many kids at that age work at Maccas or other fast food places too. These places sack kids when they get to 18 anyway.
It will be interesting to see what the Fair Work Commission rules.
I learned when I got my first job in Australia to always give your age as 21 (I was 19), no one checked in those days, too desperate for workers.
