ASGA lockdown update - “Do I need to shut down? What Stage 4 restrictions mean for our industry

The ASGA has compiled an update to help businesses to ascertain whether or not to remain open, following confirmation from the Government Printing and Support, Pulp, Paper and Converted paper product manufacturing are included under the ‘Open for on-site work’ industries during the Stage 4 lockdown.

Shutting down or staying open?

Before you read on, review the “Guide for business - stage 4 restrictions” MSWord document at www.dhhs.vic.gov.au/updates/coronavirus-covid-19/premiers-statement-business-restrictions.

“The Government has broken down sectors to categorise us based on our primary business function,” said ASGA Victoria chair Mick Harrold, confirming the three levels of work that are permitted:

- Closed (for on-site works) – means you must close your workshop and staff are not to attend site. Staff can still work from home. Required to close on site operations from 11.59 pm on Wednesday 5 August.

- Open (for on-site works) - COVID Safe Plan – means your workshop premises can remain open, but must operate under a "COVID Safe Plan"

- Restricted Operations or Industry Specific Obligations – rules specific to a sector.

“I will try and break down the Sectors below. However, even if you decide that you are able to remain open, remember that most businesses will be closing or operating at somewhere close to 25% capacity.  It is an unfortunate reality for most businesses that your work will dry up very quickly. Within one week, you may find that you have little or no work regardless of your decision to keep operating,” added Mick, pointing out that due to the Stage 4 restrictions, many businesses may fail and many more employees lose their jobs.

“The hope is that these extreme measures allow Victorian Businesses to return to full operations as quickly as possible. We are encouraging everyone to do the right thing here and abide by these rules. The quicker that this is brought under control the quicker that we can return to normal.”

Mick went on to confirm details in respect of:

• Manufacturing - This covers printing, fabricating signs and so on. It covers everything that goes into producing the signs that we sell to our customers.
“A simple way of looking at this is things produced within the walls of your own business,” he explained.

Mick went on to provide a brief list of the items that may allow to remain open, such as:

- Goods and material necessary for or related to supporting defence or security industries

- Manufacturing to support residential building industry

- Printing and support services

- Manufacturing to support critical infrastructure public works

“The printing category does allow many of our members to remain open. However, it is likely that the work will dry up here and a skeleton crew at best will be required. If you do deem that you can stay open, you will need a COVID Safe Plan,” he said. 

Note: see our article in online news: “Ensure your business is COVID safe” for more information or go to  www.business.vic.gov.au/disputes-disasters-and-succession-planning/covid-safe-business/creating-a-covid-safe-workplace

 • Construction – this covers all on-site works, whether it is for a builder or the local Dominos.  It also covers all kinds of signs from stickers to pylon signs.

“While at first glance it may seem that some work will go on here, I will draw your attention to the rule that workers must ‘demonstrate not blending shifts and can only work at one site during Stage 4’.  Staff will no longer be able to attend multiple sites, meaning your installers can only attend one worksite (your workshop) and no other worksite,” explained Mick, who went on to confirm that the installation of signs will not be possible during this lockdown. 

“There may be some loop holes if you are working on large scale State Government works, or if your work is on critical infrastructure, but by and large, you will not be installing any signs.”

• Wholesale Trade - this covers businesses who supply signs, print and supplies to the trade. 

“The sign industry is almost exclusively Business to Business, so we are wholesale trade, not retail,” he said, pointing out that “Wholesale trade, unrelated to food and medical supplies, will cease except where it is critical to supply a permitted service."

“The point of note is ‘Permitted Service’ in this statement. It means that you can continue to supply signs to businesses that are permitted to remain open. For example, you can supply paper to a print company, or safety stickers to a food retailer. This will end up being a self-regulating rule, as only businesses permitted to operate will be ordering from you anyway.”

In conclusion, Mick says that by and large, most sign and print businesses in Victoria will be shutting their doors. Those that can remain open will be doing so under strict rules and with a vastly reduced workload. However, further grants to businesses are being advanced by the State Government.

In regard to questions about what you can do with your staff, Mick admits this is a complex question depending on your business. For this reason a number of  bulletins have been  released by the ASGA’s legal partner, Warwick Ryan at Hicksons, and are available to ASGA members.

Other resources of assistance include:

General Advice: https://www.business.vic.gov.au

State Government Grants:

https://www.business.vic.gov.au/support-for-your-business/grants-and-assistance/business-support-package/business-support-fund

Upskilling your Business:

https://upskill.business.vic.gov.au/?_ga=2.65821870.1658619941.1596490084-1332964672.1592976980

Australian Government Health Department:

https://www.health.gov.au

Fair Work Ombudsman: https://www.fairwork.gov.au/small-business-showcase?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIoYzmoo2A6wIVkiQrCh3sBATIEAAYAiAAEgL21_D_BwE