Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Katie spoke with SDA Workers' Union Secretary Josh Peake about the strain on retail workers around crime, and the extra Christmas public holiday in the NT this year

Transcript

Katie spoke with SDA Workers' Union Secretary Josh Peake about the strain on retail workers around crime, and the extra Christmas public holiday in the NT this year · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: And joining me in the studio right now from the
• 0:02
  Speaker 1: union which represents our retail workers, the SDA secretary, Josh Pete.
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: Good morning to.
• 0:08
  Speaker 2: You, Josh, good Akatie. Great to be here, and good
• 0:10
  Speaker 2: morning to all of your listeners as well.
• 0:12
  Speaker 1: Yeah, good to have you on the show again. And
• 0:14
  Speaker 1: what a good time to have you here, because there
• 0:18
  Speaker 1: is quite a bit going on in Catherine at the
• 0:20
  Speaker 1: moment and the fact that Woolies in Catherine has been
• 0:24
  Speaker 1: well on a number of occasions deemed a close contact spot.
• 0:28
  Speaker 1: Have you been in contact with those workers from the
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  Speaker 1: Woolies and various other retail outlets in Katherine and how
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  Speaker 1: are they going at the moment.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, Look, we're been in close contact with our members
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  Speaker 2: in Catherine but also Wilworth as well as the government
• 0:41
  Speaker 2: to really try to map through this has been an
• 0:43
  Speaker 2: incredibly stressful time. Good news today is that the store
• 0:45
  Speaker 2: has resumed normal trading hours, which is great. We've got
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  Speaker 2: a lot of test results back and a lot of
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  Speaker 2: negative test results meaning that a lot of workers are
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  Speaker 2: able to return to their usual hours. But lord, it
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  Speaker 2: has been pretty difficult time, and I mean I think
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  Speaker 2: it just reiterates once again the work that a supermarket
• 1:01
  Speaker 2: worker does is absolutely essential to our society functioning. Catherine
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  Speaker 2: can't eat left unless that store is open and trading properly.
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  Speaker 2: So it really has again demonstrated the essential work that
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  Speaker 2: those those workers do. It's been a very difficult couple
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  Speaker 2: of weeks and COVID. Whenever we have some kind of
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  Speaker 2: COVID exposure, it's retail out outlets that are always amongst
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  Speaker 2: the cod COVID exposure sites, and it's incredibly difficult for
• 1:29
  Speaker 2: those workers knowing that COVID's potentially been getting walked into
• 1:32
  Speaker 2: their supermarket and then workplace.
• 1:34
  Speaker 1: And it would be so tough, particularly and Catherine right
• 1:37
  Speaker 1: now when it has been deemed an exposure site on
• 1:39
  Speaker 1: numerous occasions and then meaning that those Woolies employees for example,
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  Speaker 1: having to go and get tested I'm assuming a couple
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  Speaker 1: of times, or has it just sort of been the
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  Speaker 1: once and then making sure that they're isolating.
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  Speaker 2: So each time there's an exposure, which i think is
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  Speaker 2: now seven times in that store there's been an exposure time,
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  Speaker 2: all of the staff that are working at that particular
• 2:00
  Speaker 2: time need to then go into ice isolation and away
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  Speaker 2: a negative result. So if you're someone who happens to
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  Speaker 2: have been at one of the previous exposures, then come
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  Speaker 2: out being tested, then been there again at a second
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  Speaker 2: time when there's been a further exposure, then you would
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  Speaker 2: have been required to have a couple of tests for
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  Speaker 2: each exposure. But if you are only working that particular
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  Speaker 2: one shift when the exposure occurred, so everyone's going to
• 2:23
  Speaker 2: have a different experience. But as multiple exposures occurred, it
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  Speaker 2: effectively knocked out different shifts of workers and got the
• 2:31
  Speaker 2: store to a point where it wasn't able to trade.
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  Speaker 2: We were looking at whether it wasn't able to trade
• 2:36
  Speaker 2: its full hours. We were looking at whether it was
• 2:39
  Speaker 2: possible to bring workers down to Darwin. We tried to
• 2:42
  Speaker 2: then navigate away from that because if workers were having
• 2:45
  Speaker 2: to go into Catherine from Darwin and effectively then come
• 2:48
  Speaker 2: out of the Catherine bubble, that have to then go
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  Speaker 2: into isolation here. So we didn't want to see that happen.
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  Speaker 2: I think we've managed to avoid it, which is great news.
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  Speaker 2: We've had some workers do some really extraordinary hours, and
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  Speaker 2: I think the other thing that's really bothering us at
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  Speaker 2: the moment is that, and it's just a reminder to
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  Speaker 2: the community. We know that COVID brings along anxiety. It's
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  Speaker 2: already a stressful time in the lead in the lead
• 3:10
  Speaker 2: up to Christmas. But if you are feeling anxious, there's
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  Speaker 2: absolutely no excuse to abuse a retail worker. And so
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  Speaker 2: when you are shopping, if you are in Catherine and
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  Speaker 2: you're seeing those Woolies workers, even if you're feeling anxious,
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  Speaker 2: the best thing you can do is say thank you
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  Speaker 2: to them for their service over the last couple of
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  Speaker 2: weeks going to work, not being able to stay at home,
• 3:31
  Speaker 2: having to continue to rock up to work each day
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  Speaker 2: amidst all this anxiety. It is really important that we
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  Speaker 2: spare a thought for our retil workers that have been putting.
• 3:41
  Speaker 3: Up with so much.
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  Speaker 1: Do you think to yourself, you may be feeling anxious
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  Speaker 1: as a customer, Imagine how those staff are feeling when
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  Speaker 1: they're being exposed to this. They've literally had a situation
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  Speaker 1: where seven times I believe wool Works was announced as
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  Speaker 1: an exposure site. You cannot treat people that way. You
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  Speaker 1: cannot take your anxiety out on others regularly, those who
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  Speaker 1: are on the front line working and making sure that
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  Speaker 1: you're able to get in there and get your growth race.
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  Speaker 2: Look retail workers have put up with a lot over
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  Speaker 2: the last eighteen months, and to think that it's their
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  Speaker 2: workplace that is having COVID walked in walked into it randomly.
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  Speaker 2: We don't know by who, We don't know when, we
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  Speaker 2: don't you know, you can't predict that it's going to occur.
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  Speaker 2: It's just it is nerve wracking for them. It's nerve wracking.
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  Speaker 2: Then they're going into isolation, having to test for those
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  Speaker 2: that aren't. They're having to put up with all the
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  Speaker 2: additional workload. We've got workers pulling double shifts, you know,
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  Speaker 2: under extreme pressure. It's just so important that we treat
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  Speaker 2: these workers with respect too. As I said before, Katie
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  Speaker 2: Catherine doesn't eat without those workers. Going to work and
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  Speaker 2: getting supplied is such an important job that they're doing
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  Speaker 2: in the midst of this pandemic. We need to be
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  Speaker 2: thanking them, not making their lives even harder.
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  Speaker 1: Now, speaking of life being hard for some of our
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  Speaker 1: retail workers, we learned yesterday that it's a situation inside
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  Speaker 1: Casuarina Shopping Center where there was a young person allegedly
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  Speaker 1: with a knife with an aged weapon. I believe the
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  Speaker 1: Northern Territory Police described it as who threatened a worker
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  Speaker 1: inside a shop and a customer then had to try
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  Speaker 1: to help that worker inside the shop. Do you have
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  Speaker 1: much further detail on what's happened and whether the worker
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  Speaker 1: inside that retail story is okay.
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  Speaker 3: Look, it's a really shocking incident.
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  Speaker 2: And actually we had SDA organizers visiting Casarina at that
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  Speaker 2: exact time, and we're there at the scene of the
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  Speaker 2: incident moments after it had occurred, and the customer was
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  Speaker 2: actually cut and during during the incident's well, so, I
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  Speaker 2: mean that customer was, you know, just did such a
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  Speaker 2: good thing standing up for that for that worker who
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  Speaker 2: was put in an incredibly dangerous sit situation. We understand
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  Speaker 2: the police are obviously doing their their their investigation, so
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  Speaker 2: we don't want to prejudice anything there, but look, it
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  Speaker 2: just reminds us again that retail workers are on the
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  Speaker 2: front line. They put up with some extraordinary situations. You know,
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  Speaker 2: we've been calling for greater protections at Casorina for some
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  Speaker 2: for some time and increased police presence in that center
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  Speaker 2: because unfortunately, it is something that you know, we don't
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  Speaker 2: see violence with a knife or edged instrument very often,
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  Speaker 2: but we do know that there are incidents that occurred
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  Speaker 2: daily in that shopping center. Of the security under enormous
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  Speaker 2: pressure as well, we do think there can be some
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  Speaker 2: more that can can be done to protect workers.
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  Speaker 3: It is a just we're in the lead, we're in
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  Speaker 3: the lead up to Christmas.
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  Speaker 2: We've already talked about addition weighing anxiety amongst the community.
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  Speaker 2: But to see violent incidents like this is true, truly shocking.
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  Speaker 2: And you know, the union's been been running a campaign
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  Speaker 2: against customer of it's an abuse for some time because
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  Speaker 2: it is just something that retail workers put up with
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  Speaker 2: far too often.
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  Speaker 1: Well, and this is bloody scary. You know, you're talking
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  Speaker 1: about a store where there are often a lot of
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  Speaker 1: young women in there, a lot of young people in there.
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  Speaker 1: I think it's quite heroic the fact that there was
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  Speaker 1: a customer in there who then tried to assist in
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  Speaker 1: this situation, and you said that person received a cut.
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  Speaker 3: That's our understanding here, which is very frightening.
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  Speaker 1: But I'm interested then to hear that you'd said as well,
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  Speaker 1: there does need to be greater protections for the staff.
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  Speaker 1: They're at Casarina. How often are we seeing different incidents
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  Speaker 1: for some of those different shops inside the shopping center. Well.
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  Speaker 3: Look, customer violence and abuse is a huge, huge ISSHU.
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  Speaker 2: Our national survey indicates about eighty five percent of our
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  Speaker 2: members are abused or assaulted on the job each year,
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  Speaker 2: so it's an extremely big problem. Finding a solution is difficult.
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  Speaker 2: Add to this, because shops are open, right, that's how
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  Speaker 2: they work. We can't control necessarily who's walking into shopping centers.
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  Speaker 2: We have looked at whether we can pursue changes to
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  Speaker 2: trespass law, for example, to give the greater protections. We've
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  Speaker 2: only got a twenty four hour ban process that occurs
• 8:13
  Speaker 2: in the Northern Territory, whereas liquor banding orders for example,
• 8:16
  Speaker 2: are a lot stronger than that. But again it's then
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  Speaker 2: working out of raging that can actually be policed, but
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  Speaker 2: then also has fairness as well. So finding solutions to
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  Speaker 2: this problem are very difficult. We've looked at the examples
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  Speaker 2: out of Europe where there's stronger penalties in place for
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  Speaker 2: workers that are assaulted, and one of the things we've
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  Speaker 2: been calling for for some time is creating an essential
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  Speaker 2: status for retail workers to give them greater protection. So
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  Speaker 2: there's certainly are policy solutions here, but in many cases
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  Speaker 2: it really just does come down to a risk assessment
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  Speaker 2: in that workplace as to what's necessary, and ultimately there
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  Speaker 2: is a requirement on the shopping center owner as well
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  Speaker 2: if they do believe there is a risk, which I
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  Speaker 2: think you know often there can be, that they do
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  Speaker 2: ensure there's appropriate security on and they work closely with
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  Speaker 2: police to make sure that their support. Ultimately, the employer
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  Speaker 2: is the one that's responsible for providing the safe workplace,
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  Speaker 2: but it's very difficult sometimes when you're in one of
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  Speaker 2: these shopping centers and they're so open the way they are.
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  Speaker 2: So we just are constantly engaging with both the employer
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  Speaker 2: and also the shopping center to make sure the protections
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  Speaker 2: are in place.
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  Speaker 1: And our members concerned. Have you got have you got
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  Speaker 1: members that work at the shops here in Darwin who
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  Speaker 1: are quite concerned about that situation?
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  Speaker 2: Absolutely, And we've run a number of campaigns at Casuarina
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  Speaker 2: before and you know, we used to have a police
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  Speaker 2: shop front there that was them removed and there's a
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  Speaker 2: whole bunch of stuff that we've been campaigning on at
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  Speaker 2: the casual and shopping center for some time, and particularly
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  Speaker 2: the car park around it is as as as well
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  Speaker 2: to protect workers not only whilst they're working, but also
• 9:54
  Speaker 2: when they're leaving after hours and walking to their cars.
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  Speaker 2: So you know, we certainly believe that the to be
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  Speaker 2: great greater protections. It's just getting that policy balance from it.
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  Speaker 1: And it must be tough, I would imagine for the
• 10:04
  Speaker 1: shopping center as well, because there is you know, like
• 10:06
  Speaker 1: while you can have security on there and try your
• 10:09
  Speaker 1: best to make sure that all those different shops and
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  Speaker 1: everybody inside is kept safe, you know, it's it is
• 10:15
  Speaker 1: difficult to have, you know, to have the right number
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  Speaker 1: of security staff there, I'm assuming, and some of that
• 10:21
  Speaker 1: work needs to be done by other authorities.
• 10:24
  Speaker 3: Absolutely.
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  Speaker 2: I mean security guards I only have certain powers. I
• 10:27
  Speaker 2: mean they're not police, and we do need to make
• 10:30
  Speaker 2: sure there's appropriate police presence at Kazurin a shopping center
• 10:33
  Speaker 2: and the other major shopping centers across Darwin to ensure
• 10:36
  Speaker 2: that workers are safe and feel safe, but also to
• 10:39
  Speaker 2: send a message to people who are going in there
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  Speaker 2: to do the wrong thing. I mean, let's understand this.
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  Speaker 2: You walk into a shop with a knife, You're going
• 10:46
  Speaker 2: in there through the wrong thing, you know, and being
• 10:50
  Speaker 2: able to identify who that person is beforehand is pretty difficult.
• 10:53
  Speaker 2: But if there's additional police presence, if there's security presence,
• 10:56
  Speaker 2: people are going to hopefully think twice before going in
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  Speaker 2: and doing carrying on in such an appalling way.
• 11:02
  Speaker 3: Now, Josh, before I.
• 11:03
  Speaker 1: Let you go, we know that there is an announcement
• 11:07
  Speaker 1: that the government has made today that Boxing Day, So
• 11:09
  Speaker 1: Sunday the twenty sixth is going to be recognized as
• 11:11
  Speaker 1: a public holiday. So it also means though that obviously
• 11:16
  Speaker 1: the twenty eighth is going to be recognized, So it
• 11:18
  Speaker 1: means essentially there's going to be an additional public holiday.
• 11:22
  Speaker 1: I know that this will be something that a lot
• 11:24
  Speaker 1: of workers are incredibly happy about. A lot of businesses
• 11:27
  Speaker 1: may be feeling a little bit worried about the additional
• 11:31
  Speaker 1: costs and maybe choosing to not open as a result.
• 11:34
  Speaker 2: Well, look, Boxing Day itself is an incredibly busy trading
• 11:37
  Speaker 2: day in the retail sector. I don't think we'll see
• 11:40
  Speaker 2: retail stores not open on Boxing Day because of the
• 11:44
  Speaker 2: public holiday being declared. Prior to today's announcement, the Territory was
• 11:48
  Speaker 2: the only place in mainland Australia where the twenty sixth
• 11:52
  Speaker 2: of December was not a public holiday. Every other jurisdiction
• 11:56
  Speaker 2: has both days, Sunday and the Tuesday. We've been calling
• 11:59
  Speaker 2: for some time for the entire Public Holidays Acts to
• 12:02
  Speaker 2: be fixed to resolve this problem going forward, and so
• 12:05
  Speaker 2: we can insure businesses have certainty the next time this occurs,
• 12:09
  Speaker 2: so that they know what's going to be our public holiday.
• 12:11
  Speaker 2: But it is good news that those workers, well, one,
• 12:14
  Speaker 2: if they are working the day after Christmas, an incredibly
• 12:17
  Speaker 2: busy time, you know, missing out on that time with
• 12:20
  Speaker 2: family and friends, that they are going to work the
• 12:22
  Speaker 2: day after Christmas, they will wear in public holiday penalty rates.
• 12:25
  Speaker 2: Many of them under our agreements will also have the
• 12:27
  Speaker 2: right to not work as well. There's a voluntary work
• 12:30
  Speaker 2: provision in most of our agreements for public holidays, so
• 12:33
  Speaker 2: that will give a lot of workers the opportunity to
• 12:34
  Speaker 2: have the day off. But it's not just retail CADI.
• 12:37
  Speaker 2: It's right across industries. So whether it be disability care
• 12:42
  Speaker 2: workers going to work to care for our disabled, whether
• 12:45
  Speaker 2: we work is in our hospital or our emergency serve services,
• 12:49
  Speaker 2: they will now be getting public holiday penalty rates on
• 12:51
  Speaker 2: Boxing Day, and that's a really good thing. Let's think
• 12:54
  Speaker 2: about who the people are that are working Boxing day,
• 12:57
  Speaker 2: and it sort of goes back to what we're saying
• 12:59
  Speaker 2: at the very start of this.
• 13:00
  Speaker 3: They are our essential workers.
• 13:01
  Speaker 2: They're the workers that have kept the territory going over
• 13:04
  Speaker 2: the last eighteen months throughout lockdowns.
• 13:06
  Speaker 3: They're the ones that are rocked up to work.
• 13:09
  Speaker 2: To think they would be going to be going to
• 13:10
  Speaker 2: be going to work on the day after Christmas and
• 13:12
  Speaker 2: not earning and public holiday penalty rates, I think was
• 13:15
  Speaker 2: a big, big problem, and we're incredibly pleased that the
• 13:18
  Speaker 2: Gunner government has recognized the central role they play and
• 13:21
  Speaker 2: done the right thing here.
• 13:22
  Speaker 1: Well, Josh Peek, the Workers Union, the SDA, the union
• 13:25
  Speaker 1: for our retail workers Secretary, I really appreciate your time
• 13:29
  Speaker 1: this morning. Thanks so much for coming on.
• 13:30
  Speaker 3: Thanks Catie, great to be here.