Bitter battle over Sunday pay


    SAMANTHA MAIDEN and BRITTANY STACK
    The Sunday Telegraph
    August 12, 2012


BOSSES pushing to scrap penalty rates on Sundays claim double time is a 1950s concept that is killing jobs.   

The threat to penalty rates has prompted unions to launch a new national campaign today - Save Our Aussie Weekends.

But employers warn the current regime of paying casual waiters up to $40 an hour on Sundays is forcing companies to the wall.

"We say that's archaic," National Retail Association's Gary Black said. "Penalty rates were implemented in the 1950s in the context of a Monday-to-Friday manufacturing model."

Employers want a review of the current award to consider options such as a flat rate, only paying penalties when more than five consecutive days are worked and removing penalty rates for small businesses.

Some workers are earning up to $35 an hour on Sundays, with casual loadings taking the pay rate to nearly $40.

But union United Voice is fighting the move.   

"We are trying to draw a line in the sand - weekend penalty rates are back on the agenda," United Voice's Louise Tarrant said. "What it really represents is the tip of an iceberg and that is the incursion of work into family life. We're asking families, church groups and sporting clubs to get behind our website saveourweekend.org.au."

A new Galaxy poll reveals 87 per cent of respondents believe workers should be paid more on Sundays.

This week, employers will lodge fresh submissions with Fair Work Australia outlining the impact of penalty rates on their businesses.

Workplace Relations Minister Bill Shorten said getting paid more to work on a weekend was only fair.   

"Australia may have come a long way since the 1950s but we haven't given up on the idea of a weekend," he said.

Restaurant and Catering Australia CEO John Hart said penalty rates were costing jobs.

"You can't negotiate a flat rate to compensate for weekends," he said. "That's causing a lot of pain. Businesses are going to the wall."

Paddington Inn bartender Michelle Congdon said casuals were entitled to the extra pay.

"When you work at night, some staff work until 5am or 6am and that could be considered overtime in another job," Ms Congdon, 25, said.

"And on public holidays we have to be on the other side of the bar while everyone else is having fun, so we deserve the extra money."   

Read more: http://www.news.com.au/business/bitter-battle-for-sundays/story-e6frfm1i-1226448246731#ixzz23MyIERKN

Mr Hart, if you want people to work on weekends, then how about paying the penalty rates?.  Like you should be doing.   

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penalty rates really should depend on how hard it is to get workers to fill shifts.  No so, penalty rates should be paid to all workers, that work weekends.  Regardless if it is hard to fill shifts or not.   

fair enough, but , for example, in the taxi industry, you probably have a much better earning capacity on a weekend then you do mid week.

so you may have to pay an extra incentive to get people to work at different times to just weekends

there is no ,"one size fits all" 

noone should be forced to work weekends but noone should be excluded if it fits with their lifestyle, study commitments etc etc.

If shops don't like paying sunday rates to their staff, they shouldn't open Sundays ....

I don't get these people ..first they argue to change trading hours to allow sunday trading in order to remain competative, then they cry that they can't stay competative if they have to pay penalty rates .... penalty rates were in before they asked for sunday trading, if it wasn't going to work they shouldn't have argued for it in the first place.

Frances wrote on Aug 13^th, 2012 at 11:22am:


Because the union is starting to gear into election mode, and I dont really care what they have to say.

Its the same things, Liberal bad, ALP good and the lies they spouted about workchoices was disgusting.  Like how AWA's werent allowed to bargain below an award, how AWA's had to be approved etc.  The union never told people that.

I know industrial relations like the back of my hand, I dont need union propaganda to influence my decision making, nor do I need any political interference full stop.

And if you want to shop on weekends how about a 20% surcharge on all prices? Does that work for you?
That is not my decision.  That is up to the employer.  However if they make prices to high, customers may go elsewhere.   

Dnarever wrote on Aug 13^th, 2012 at 4:01pm:


They don't do penalty rates in Asia.