Pros
Employees are provided with decent employment benefits and pay that is generally reasonable for the level of experience required to operate within the role. Staff are given some opportunities to gain experience and receive appropriate training to serve customers on the shop floor.
Cons
It is very difficult, if not impossible, to schedule leave for when you would like to take it, regardless of how much notice you provide (including long service leave). During my time at Bunnings, and from what I’ve heard since leaving, legitimate annual leave requests made months in advance are often rejected with little or no explanation.
A former colleague, for example, requested annual leave around three months in advance for a week off in February and was rejected without reason. When he followed up, he was told he could not take leave because it was during stocktake and there was “no one else” available to handle cut-to-measure stock, despite the store having around 150 staff. He was also told that if he quit, they would simply replace him.
Towards the end of my employment, I had a similar experience when I requested to take long service leave across January. I was told they wouldn’t be able to cover me for that period, but if I resigned, they would find cover for my shifts. I ended up resigning, after which they had to find replacements for my shifts for an additional three weeks anyway.
While the EBA appears to align with relevant government legislation to protect both the business and its employees, in practice it is often used in a way that discourages or effectively prevents staff from fully utilising their entitlements. In my experience, the union was also not effective in rectifying these scenarios and, in my case, achieved nothing.
