A newsagent friend has an employee away on jury duty with a cost to the business of $145 a day in wages to the employee and $152 a day for the casual employee brought in to cover. For the first 10 days the juror was compensated $36 a day and this comes back to the employer. After the first 10 days it increases to $72 a day – leaving the newsagent significantly out of pocket.
When the juror sought permission to be excused from selection because they worked for a small business which could not afford them being away for any length of time, the court refused and left the newsagent with an expense the business can ill afford.
While I understand that the jury system needs people of all walks of life, such a high cost imposed on small business employers seems unreasonable.
Ripping thousands of dollars off the bottom line of a struggling small business does not seem just.