Cadbury workers’ court win could beef up your sick leave pay
Two Aussie Cadbury workers are now entitled to extra sick leave pay after winning a Federal Court case over their entitlements.
The workers and the Australian Manufacturing Workers’ Union (AMWU) were taken to court by Cadbury’s parent company, Mondelez, as the latter sought to have the workers’ sick leave paid out at 7.6 hours per day.
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Australia’s National Employment Standards mandate a minimum of 10 days paid personal leave per year, and Mondelez argued the workers should only be entitled to 76 hours of personal leave based on the standards.
But Cadbury workers Brendan McCormack and Natasha Tewson argued their sick leave should be paid out at 12 hours per day given they work 12-hour shifts, and ultimately won.
How does this affect me?
According to Mirage News, there are two similar cases already before the Federal Court, and this case could stand as precedent for shift-workers Australia wide, according to AMWU Tasmanian secretary John Short.
“Shift workers around Australia can breathe a sigh of relief today thanks to AMWU members Natasha and Brendan who stood up against Mondelez and won this case,” Short said.
“This was an appalling attempt by a very profitable multinational company to rob its workers of the leave that they are entitled to.”
"It's a great decision by the Federal Court. It's great for the Cadbury workers who work extended hours, but obviously it's got ramifications broader than that around Australia.”
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