GPC Asia Pacific to guarantee the jobs and pay of Melbourne team members affected by Stage 4 lockdown
Tuesday 11 August, 2020
Leading automotive aftermarket parts supplier, GPC Asia Pacific, announced today it will uphold incomes of Melbourne based full-time and part-time employees during the current stage 4 lockdown, including casuals. GPC Asia Pacific are first in the automotive aftermarket to make the supportive move in the face of a challenging and continuously changing business landscape. The announcement applies to over 1200 staff across the Repco, NAPA and AMX Superstore networks, all part of the GPC Asia Pacific portfolio.
GPC Asia Pacific CEO and Managing Director, Rob Cameron explained, “At a time like this, it’s incredibly important that companies who are able to, step-up and do the right thing to support employees. GPC Asia Pacific’s businesses are performing well in Australia and benefitting from the New Zealand economy moving back to a strong footing. Therefore, it is right and appropriate we do all we can to support our Melbourne team members during this period.”
“Our people are our most valuable asset, and we have put their health and job security at the forefront during this period. We have an incredible culture and our team members are the lifeblood of the organisation. They are all doing a magnificent job and have been extraordinarily engaged and as passionate as ever. We want to ensure they remain engaged and fully supported so we can springboard out of lockdown and drive the recovery of our Melbourne business to fully support customers as restrictions lift,” expressed Mr Cameron.
Despite its main operating entities being ineligible for the JobKeeper Program, GPC Asia Pacific generously self-funded a similar financial support model for employees during the first rounds of restrictions. In keeping with that approach, GPC Asia Pacific will maintain wages of all full-time and part-time employees in Melbourne throughout the stage 4 lockdown, regardless of hours worked. They have also developed a support plan for casual retail employees ensuring those working more than 12 hours a week maintain their usual wage. This covers half of Melbourne based casuals, with the other half being entitled to two weeks usual wages if they are not able to be rostered.
Notwithstanding these trying times, GPC Asia Pacific businesses located in Melbourne have successfully pivoted in line with the more stringent restrictions announced last week. They will continue to provide the community with support during each phase of the lockdown, meeting the needs of trade and retail customers who require service and repair parts to keep essential vehicles moving and supporting permitted industries. The lead brand in the GPC Asia Pacific portfolio is Repco, who fast-tracked their launch of four-hour home delivery and launched fifteen-minute Contactless Car Park Collect in the Melbourne metro market, to better accommodate retail customers. AMX Superstores implemented their own version of Contactless Pick-Up, having accelerated changes to their webstore. NAPA and its aligned branches in Victoria continue to support automotive trade customers with contactless deliveries as required in an effort to keep Victoria, and its essential workers moving.
“GPC Asia Pacific has 98 years of experience, and we acknowledge that the current climate is one of our most trying periods. We are, however, confident in our resilience, which is built on a highly engaged and passionate workforce. We are immensely proud of our team and delighted to be able to support them during this period,” concluded Mr Cameron.