Penalty rates: Productivity Commission recommends changes to weekend pay for entertainment, hospitality and retail workers   


Updated Tue at 8:04pm
ABC News

The Productivity Commission has recommended changes to weekend penalty rates, calling for Sunday rates to be brought into line with Saturday payments.   
Key points:

    No changes recommended to overtime or night penalty rates or shift loadings
    Commission says penalty rates should continue to be set by the Fair Work Commission
    Government will examine recommendations and any changes will be taken to next election
    Labor opposed to any changes to penalty rates

The recommendations — laid out in the commission's final report into workplace relations released on Monday — would affect workers in the entertainment, hospitality and retail industries, if adopted.   

The commission did not recommend any changes to overtime penalty rates, night penalty rates or shift loadings, nor changes to rates for nurses, teachers or emergency services workers.

"Penalty rates have a legitimate role in compensating employees for working long hours or at asocial times," it stated.

"However, Sunday penalty rates for hospitality, entertainment, retailing, restaurants and cafes are inconsistent across similar work, anachronistic in the context of changing consumer preferences, and frustrate the job aspirations of the unemployed and those who are only available for work on Sunday.

"Rates should be aligned with those on Saturday, creating a weekend rate for each of the relevant industries."

Announcing the report's findings, Employment Minister Michaelia Cash said the Government would examine the recommendations and, if the case for sensible and fair changes to workplace relations were outlined, they would be taken to the next election.

Senator Cash said the commission recommended that penalty rates should continue to be set by the independent Fair Work Commission and the Government has no plan to change the rates itself.

"The only recommendation that the Productivity Commission makes on penalty rates is directed to the independent Fair Work Commission and that is in relation to the weekend penalty rates for the retail and hospitality industry," she said.

"Whether or not the independent Fair Work Commission accepts or rejects this particular recommendation is a matter for the Fair Work Commission."

Senator Cash said any changes would be taken to an election.



"The Government has said that if there is a good case for fair and sensible changes to the workplace relations framework, these will be clearly outlined and they will be taken to the Australian people and we will seek a mandate at the next election," she said.

"That is what we promised and we intend to keep that promise."

The commission said that despite sometimes significant problems, Australia's workplace relations system was not systematically dysfunctional.

"It needs repair, not replacement," it stated.

The Commission made almost 70 recommendations unrelated to penalty rates, including:

    Commissioning a comprehensive review of apprenticeship and traineeship agreements
    The introduction of measures that encourage migrants to report exploitation
    Changes to unfair dismissal laws, including more hurdles to clear before taking it to arbitration

The Commission also recommended the creation of a new organisation to review modern awards and the minimum wage.

I think we need to do what right for the situation in our country  as it is in 2016........ I am all for people being asked for restraint...we have come a long way since Sunday opening was brought it...it is no different now to any other day.....unless you want it to be...

what I would like to see is.. the commission call for the

GRAVY TRAIN to be demolished.....as it too was brought in long before these pollies left with huge handshakes.. it is long over due...for extinction..


the freebee overseas holidays also.. in this day and age of computers...google and skype... get rid of it..