NSW retailers call for clarity on ‘essential services’ after Harvey Norman and JB Hi-Fi listed as exposure sites
The retail sector in New South Wales is calling for clearer guidance around what businesses are “essential services” during lockdown after major retailers Harvey Norman and JB Hi-Fi were listed as casual contact locations for an active coronavirus case.
The public health order that plunged much of the state into lockdown on Saturday states residents can only leave their homes for specific reasons, including purchasing essential goods.
But the order does not specify what an essential good is, nor what an essential retailer is, leading to confusion about whether general retailers should remain open or not, said SDA, the union for retail, fast food and warehousing workers.
Major retailers Harvey Norman and JB Hi-Fi in Westfield Bondi Junction were listed as casual contact locations for an active coronavirus case on Monday night, sparking calls for greater clarity around the public health order.
Bernie Smith, the NSW secretary of the SDA, said the public health order needed to be more specific.
“There has been some confusion which retail outlets can open as it is not clearly defined in the public health order,” he said.
NSW Health have not responded to a request for comment on the issue.
Smith said the lack of clarity had left the decision on whether to open or not to the retailers themselves and, with many businesses and workers in precarious financial positions, many felt they needed to remain open during the lockdown.
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“People in insecure work may be tempted to turn up to work because they cannot financially afford to stay home,” Smith said. “This is a choice no worker should have to make.
“There is some confusion about what retailers can open. Some retailers like Myer have quickly adjusted and have closed their doors to the public but kept members employed by fulfilling online orders and doing click and collect.
“All retailers must put employee safety first in determining whether they should open or not.”
Smith called on the industry to more widely implement paid Covid leave for vulnerable workers, in light of the public health orders.
“We commend a large number of retailers, including Woolworths, Coles, Bunnings, Big W, Dan Murphy’s and others who have paid vulnerable workers leave in place for immunocompromised employees and workers aged more than 70, which means they can stay home and stay safe without loss of pay,” Smith said.
“We are also pleased with a range of retailers who have paid Covid leave in place for employees needing to isolate due to Covid exposure at work or in the community.
“However, while this has been achieved in a range of unionised companies, the fact that it is not yet universally available leaves workers and the community at risk.”
Dominique Lamb, the CEO of the National Retail Association, said many retailers faced a difficult decision after the health orders restricted the movement of residents.
“They are permitted to remain open, the difficulty is that the directive for consumers is to stay home unless you need to go out for essential supplies, and that restriction of movement means people typically don’t go to the shops and actually shop around, they only head there to purchase essential items and leave very quickly,” Lamb said.
“So whether or not they are able to trade is kind of, yes it’s good they have the choice but practically is it worth their while? In many cases, it’s not.”
Lamb said the directives were confusing, especially as every state and territory had taken a different approach to the industry when it came to lockdown. She called on the federal government to establish national consistency around lockdown guidelines.
“We’ve seen this happen for 18 months, every state and territory takes a different approach when it comes to who can and can’t trade,” Lamb said. “There is no national consistency here … every single time we have an outbreak, we get a different set of rules.
“And what we really need at this time is to support the small and family owned businesses, because it is tough, and every time this happens, they lose considerable opportunities to sell, which is how they survive.”
Lamb said she thought it was a positive that the retailers could chose to remain open, especially after a challenging 18 months.
“I think that it is in the interest of retail to be able to trade during these periods, particularly where they are able to implement the appropriate hygiene protocols amongst other things,” Lamb said.
“Sadly, when we have lockdowns and restrictions on movement, it just isn’t good for business. It just means that our industry is likely to see quite a significant decline in their sales.”