All hair stylists deserve long service leave

Let’s make it fair

Long service leave is a workers’ entitlement that’s unique to Australia, but most hair stylists miss out. The average length of service in the hair and beauty industry is 15 years, but many hair stylists move between salons every 2-3 years – and every time you move, that clock resets to zero.

In an industry rife with workplace bullying, wage theft and underpayments, it’s no wonder hair stylists are on the move. The majority of hair stylists are also women, who take time out to have children, and may not be able to pick up work in the same salon when they’re ready to return to the industry.

Other industries, like contract cleaning and construction, have portable long service leave. This means that workers can move between jobs (as long as it’s in the same industry), and all that time worked still builds up.

What is HSA doing?

Labor MP in the ACT Bec Cody is introducing a private members’ bill, which is the first step to creating portable long service leave for hair stylists in the ACT. Bec is a hair stylist by trade and a former salon owner, and understand how difficult it is to stay in one salon for the 7 years required to build up long service leave.

HSA is supporting Bec’s push for a law change, and will work with the ACT Government and employer groups to draft a portable long service leave scheme that’s fair for both workers and salon owners in the hair and beauty industry.

This means that employers will pay a small levy (less than 2%) of workers’ wages into a state fund, which hair stylists will be able to draw from when they’ve hit 7 years in the industry. So no employer will be left to pay the full 6 weeks of leave upfront.

We want hard-working hair stylists to be rewarded with a well-earned break. Plus, portable long-service leave will keep experienced workers in the industry to mentor the next generation of hair stylists.

And we’re not stopping with the ACT. We think portable long service leave should be available to ALL hair stylists. So we’re planning on taking our campaign for hairdressers portable LSL to other states!

Sign our petition and show your support today!

What is HSA all about?

We’re Australia’s first union just for hair stylists, and we’re here to shake up the industry. HSA is an online-driven movement to bring hair stylists together and provide support and employment services for our members.

As well as joining our awesome nationwide network of hair stylists, members get access to:

Expert advice to help reclaim stolen wages.
Legal support for workplace disputes.
Our online library of rights and entitlements to keep you informed.
Reclaim and consolidate lost superannuation.
Support to ensure you receive full entitlements at work, including breaks, overtime, penalty rates and super.
Our network of amazing ambassadors and their professional advice.

Plus, you’ll be supporting all the work we do to help hair stylists across Australia, including:

Fighting to protect penalty rates at the Fair Work Commission
Raising awareness of workplace bullying and harassment
Outreach programmes in training academies