Australian Retail Employees Sign A New 4-Year Contract With Apple
by Joe White
June 6, 2014
Apple has signed a new four-year contract with its retail staff in Australia, according to ifoAppleStore. The move, which has seen employees receive an annual pay increase of two percent, is set to come into effect on Nov. 1, 2014.
Cupertino breaks retail staff down into a hierarchy of three levels: "Level 1" staff are front of house employees, performing tasks including customer assistance and repairs; "Level 2" employees take on more superior roles (such as supervisory positions), while "Level 3" staff hold managerial positions.
Apple's increased pay for staff in Australia has brought the full-time hourly wage for Level 1 staff up to $20.95, while Level 2 staff receive $25.26 and Level 3 employees are paid a yearly wage of $72,779. These figures are all in U.S. dollars.
In its report, ifoAppleStore continues:
Beyond the pay rates, the agreement sets out grievance procedures. working hours, how overtime is calculated, meal and rest breaks, suspensions and late night work. There are also sections that set out procedures for “Leaving Apple,” that is, termination during or after the six-month probation, and “Redundancy,” when a job position is no longer needed. Employees must receive a certain amount of notice, and will be paid up to 20 weeks in wages if they are laid off (up to six years of service).The new contract (which can be downloaded as a PDF) also details controversial "Bag/Locker Inspections" -- these were the focus of a federal lawsuit last year. Concerning the inspections, however, Apple simply notes: "Apple may conduct random bag and or locker inspections at any time. You will be required to participate and fully co-operate and present your bag/locker or personal effects for inspection." Beyond this, Cupertino adds that it also offers its staff a meal allowance of around $17 if they work more than 76 hours within a two-week period, and employees are allowed time off to donate blood, too. As mentioned, the full contract can be downloaded and viewed by clicking this link. See also: In Celebration Of Its 10th Anniversary, Sky Force Lands On iOS With New Features, In iOS 8, Users Also Get Prompted When Apps Continue Monitoring Their Location, and and Apple’s HealthKit Lets Some Health Product Makers Bypass iOS App Development.
