National Retail Association to renew push for short shifts for student casual workers

The National Review Association will renew its push for the minimum shift length for student workers to be lowered from three hours with a fresh application to Fair Work Australia.

This will be the third attempt by the NRA to try and push for the minimum shift length to be reduced to allow students to complete short shifts after school.

The first application was lost, while the second application was rejected by Fair Work Australia in July.

However, the FWA decision didn’t close the door completely on the issue of student workers, with the IR umpire saying that while it couldn’t approve a blanket reduction in the minimum shift from three hours to two hours, an application specific to student workers would be looked at differently.

With this in my the NRA have filed a very narrow application, requesting the minimum shift for student casuals in a retail environment by reduced from three hours to one-and-a-half hours, but only for after school work, only from Monday to Friday.

“In order to at least remove the prohibition on student casuals, we’ve had to take this very narrow approach,” NRA executive director Gary Black told SmartCompany.

He says he remains confident that FWA will approve the application, given its stance in the July appeal.

“The appeal bench didn’t need to leave the door open to shorter shifts for students as it did.”

However, the process will not be quick. With FWA set to have a recess over the holiday period, Black is not expecting a final determination on the matter until June 2011.

“It’s a torturous process.”