WRC recommends against retail worker’s claim over lump sum pay increases

The Workplace Relations Commission recommended against conceding a retail worker’s claim over how his 2019 and 2020 pay increases were paid. The recommendation was dated 30 May 2023. The worker said the increases were paid as lump sums rather than added to his salary, affecting his pension calculations. The supermarket said it paid lump sums to pre-1997 staff whose pay was already above the historical rate. The WRC found that the worker’s 2003 agreement did not require annual increases because the 2019 and 2020 increases were not collectively agreed pay increases.