{"id":1954,"date":"2019-08-07T10:02:54","date_gmt":"2019-08-07T00:02:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.amt.org.au\/?p=1954"},"modified":"2019-08-07T10:03:05","modified_gmt":"2019-08-07T00:03:05","slug":"award-winning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.amt.org.au\/index.php\/2019\/08\/07\/award-winning\/","title":{"rendered":"Award Winning"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

by Rebecca Barnett<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

When I was a kid, I was the involuntary secretary of a tiny union representing some of the most poorly paid workers in Australia. My mum was the voluntary secretary and our family home was the official registered office because it was too small and too poor to afford an actual office. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

I say involuntary secretary because the home phone number \u2013 in those days just a single landline \u2013 was also the \u201cofficial\u201d phone number for the union, so I answered phone calls whether I wanted to or not, at all times of the day and night. Lots of phone calls. A plethora<\/a> even.  Our family home was the union equivalent of a 7-Eleven before they even became a thing in Australia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When Mum wasn\u2019t around, I took messages from the army of distressed, underpaid and exploited female dental assistants who needed help (yes, the occupation of dental assisting was 100% female in that era), and Mum would call them back. Over time, it became more efficient just to deal with the calls when Mum wasn\u2019t there \u2013 after all, there was a copy of the relevant Award strategically placed on the phone table for ready reference and I had absorbed the knowledge and advice that I witnessed Mum providing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Dental Assistants and Secretaries (State) Award was 5 pages long. Even a 14-year-old kid could navigate it and arm\/calm a distressed dental assistant with the knowledge they needed, since there was no handy internet to find out stuff. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, Dental Assistants are covered under the Health Professionals and Support Award 2010<\/a> (the Award), the very same award that covers massage therapists. Turns out, my fate has been chasing me down across multiple decades and a new millennium. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The pay tables alone from the Health Professionals and Support Award run for 28 pages nowadays. I am not even sure how long the whole Award is but, suffice to say, it\u2019s friggin\u2019 enormous. (If it\u2019s any consolation the Fair Work Act<\/em> is waaaaay longer.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, at its core, the\nAward is not that much more complicated than the 5-page award I referred to a\nbazillion times back in the day: there are minimum hourly rates of pay at various\ngrades, loadings for out-of-hours work (Saturday and Sunday, and public\nholidays), requirements around break times, allowances, uniforms etc, and pay\ngrades that reflect your level of qualification and experience. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But, I hear you say, you told us a few weeks ago in this very blog<\/a> that only 8.5% of massage therapists are employed under the Award . (Actually, in our more recent workforce survey conducted in July 2019, the percentage of massage therapists employed under the Award was only 6%!) <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"\/<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m a Contractor. Why Should I Care About the Award?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The Fair Work Ombudsman (FWO) website contains some tips for businesses on how to manage contracted labour<\/a>: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen you are looking to contract out labour, it\u2019s a good idea to make sure you understand the cost of employment. Your contractor\/subcontractor will need to pay their employees correctly as well as cover employment costs (like superannuation, workers’ compensation, payroll tax, insurance and licenses). If you understand these costs, it’ll help you make sure the contracted price isn’t too low.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>FWO<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

The FWO recommends that businesses follow 5\nsteps to ensure that contractors are operating lawfully:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. Know the pay and conditions that apply.<\/li>
  2. Ask potential contractors about their workplace practices.<\/li>
  3. Check the contract price to make sure it’s enough to cover wages.<\/li>
  4. Set clear expectations.<\/li>
  5. Make sure you know of subcontracting arrangements.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
    \"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

    In other words, contractors are still meant to meet minimum award wage requirements in their rate of pay<\/em><\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Hands up if you\u2019re a\ncontractor and you\u2019re aware of the pay and conditions that apply to massage\ntherapists under the Award? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Hands up if you\u2019ve\never looked at the Health Professionals and Support Services Award? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Hands up if you know\nwhether you are being paid more or less than the Award during a given shift as\na contractor?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Key Features of the Award <\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    The Health Professionals and Support Services Award sets out in detail award wages and associated entitlements for Remedial Massage Therapists. Along with the National Employment Standards (NES), it provides a safety net of minimum terms and conditions that cannot be altered to the disadvantage of the employee\/therapist. <\/p>\n\n\n\n