Editor's Note: Take the hit now

It is my belief that ignorance is not always a terrible thing. Being blind, for example, to the fact you may have put on a few extra kilos over the winter may help preserve a fragile self-esteem.

Being unaware, say, that your fiance is about to pop down on bended knee after you have invested a decade in subtle hinting could help preserve a future.

Being oblivious, for argument’s sake, that your skirt is riding halfway up your back, thereby showing your nether regions to all and sundry, could help preserve a small part of your dignity.

But to play devil’s advocate for a moment, you will also be aware there are occasions where ignorance can be a bad, nay, a horrible thing.

Condemning or making assumptions about someone on the grounds of their race or religious background is one such example.

Being blissfully unaware you carry a gene that could strike you and future generations down cold in an instant is another.

And from an employer’s perspective, pleading ignorance of the new industrial relations laws is yet another.

As you will have read, fashion retailers across the country are struggling to get their heads around new IR laws which could potentially cost them thousands – in some cases hundreds of thousands – of dollars in back payments or fines. 

But first for some background.

The Modern Retail Industry Award (MRIA), set to commence from January 2010, radically overhauls minimum wage scales and fine-tunes the often murky area of casual loadings and award penalties.

The award provides penalties for hours worked on Saturdays (an additional 25 per cent), Sundays (an additional 100 per cent), public holidays (an additional 150 per cent) and on Monday to Friday evenings (an additional 25 per cent).

Hours in excess of the ordinary number of hours will also attract overtime penalties of time and a half for the first three hours and double time thereafter.

Changes have also been made to the rights of casual workers, with new penalty rates and a minimum daily engagement of three hours.

A poll conducted earlier this year of 300 Australian small businesses found four out of five small businesses were not ready for the introduction of the new laws. Of equal concern was the fact 45 per cent of those surveyed revealed they have no systems in place to manage industrial laws.

While this is a worry, of more concern is the number of small retailers burying their heads rather than confronting their responsibilities.

Agree with it or not, the MRIA is here to stay. And the sooner all fashion retailers get their heads around the fact, the better it will be for all.