The world’s most valuable company, Apple, has been accused of trying to rush through a pay deal for 4000 Australian staff, mostly in retail stores, that would result in a real wage cut and let it roster store clerks on for up to 60 hours in a week without overtime.

Apple has been paying store staff under an expired agreement since 2018, but unions claim it is now setting rapid deadlines for its proposed new deal, which was unveiled only in early August.

Apple’s last pay deal for retail staff was signed in 2014 without union involvement.Credit:Bloomberg

Apple’s labour relations are in the spotlight as the company faces an international unionisation drive. Workers at one of its stores in Maryland voted to join a union in June, the first time this has happened in the US in the company’s history. A collective of US-based Apple employees operating under the banner of Apple Together have also emerged to challenge the company, arguing it has fallen short of its ideals on issues such as working from home.

Australian Apple employees, operating under the same name, are now holding briefings with the Australian Services Union and the Retail and Fast Food Workers Union.

A third union, the Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees Association, has filed a claim in conjunction with the ASU in the national industrial tribunal, alleging that Apple’s practices mean it is not bargaining in good faith to strike a pay deal with its staff.

In documents filed with the Fair Work Commission, the association accuses Apple of unlawfully denying entry to one of its stores to officials hoping to speak with staff, blocking a request for more time to consult with members and demanding claims from the union by August 19.

SDA national secretary Gerard Dwyer accused Apple of “trying to sneak through an agreement” that would send workers backwards while enjoying an image as a prestige firm. Apple’s proposed deal has 2.5 per cent annual minimum pay rises, while inflation was at 6.1 per cent in the June quarter.

“With inflation above six per cent and rising, this would see Apple employees already struggling with the cost of living finding it even more difficult to pay for food, fuel, shelter and the other essentials of life,” Dwyer said in a statement. “For a company that is making at least $11 billion in profits annually from its Australian operations, its behaviour is simply un-Australian.”

A spokesman for the $US2.7 trillion ($3.9 trillion) company did not specifically address the unions’ accusations but rejected claims of a rushed process in a general statement that said the company valued its team of nearly 4000 people in Australia.

“Supporting and retaining the best team members enables us to deliver innovative products and services, and we are pleased to offer very strong compensation for our teams across the country, including annual stock grants,” the Apple spokesman said.

“We announced our intention to form a new enterprise agreement in early August, and we welcome the opportunity for participation and engagement with our team members. Throughout this process Apple has not set any deadlines and we will continue to hold regular meetings to share and encourage feedback.”

The next bargaining meeting is on Thursday.

Apple’s previous agreement was signed in 2014 without union involvement in bargaining. Enterprise agreements keep operating after they reach their nominal expiry unless employees or the company move to terminate them. It is common for employees and a company to negotiate for months over a new deal in unionised workplaces.

Retail and Fast Food Workers Union secretary Josh Cullinan said Apple had “unlawfully” attempted to stop staff putting up flyers about unions.Credit:Penny Stephens

Josh Cullinan, secretary of the Retail and Fast Food Workers Union, said he was concerned that Apple’s haste was designed to stop employees pushing for rights, such as notice of different shifts and penalty rates, in line with industry norms. The union is also demanding a $31 an hour base rate, the equivalent of Apple’s American minimum.

“We are very concerned that Apple’s approach is entirely about avoiding direct action from workers,” said Cullinan, who has been representing Apple workers since 2016.

One worker, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Apple pushed its line on the negotiations in morning “daily download” meetings but that managers had removed flyers created by staff with independent information about the agreement and unions.

Cullinan said Apple had later backed down, temporarily allowing bargaining representatives to leave flyers in break rooms, after the union identified the ban as “unlawful”.

Under the proposed enterprise agreement, overtime is paid after an employee does 76 hours in a fortnight. The SDA argues this means that a worker could be required to do 60 hours one week, without overtime kicking in, if they then did a small number of hours the next week.

Another Apple employee, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said it felt like the company was trying to patch up issues with its last agreement and “rush it to a vote so that no further questions are raised”.

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