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Anthony runs a café in the Hunter Valley which has been affected by a flood in the region, leaving his business unable to operate. Anthony is unsure what to do about paying his employees. He contacts the Fair Work Infoline and is advised that the relevant enterprise agreement does not have any provisions that deal with business closures due to natural disasters. Anthony is able to stand down his employees during the period in which the employees cannot be usefully employed because of a stoppage of work caused by the flood. If possible, Anthony would prefer his employees be paid during the stand down. He checks their current leave entitlements as an alternative to an unpaid stand down. He finds that of his 3 employees:

• 2 have accrued annual leave
• 1 has accrued annual leave and long service leave. Fair Work Infoline: 13 13 94 On this basis, Anthony contacts each employee to advise them that the business is unable to remain open because of the flooding and he cannot provide them with useful employment at this stage. He also tells them that in accordance with the FW Act, he will be standing them down without pay until the business is able to reopen.