I was fortunate to be one of twelve at an Australian Retailers Association lunch with Senator Eric Abetz, Shadow Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, yesterday. The lunch was held under the Chatham House Rule and so I can’t go into the detail of what was discussed. that said, it was terrific to have another opportunity to talk directly with a federal politician about newsagents and some of the challenges we face that those in Canberra can influence.
The hot topic was penalty rates. Plenty of the retailers around the table representing footware, music, bakery and services shared the concerns of newsagents about the cost of labour on our businesses on Sundays in this 24/7 world – a world government had helped create.
The more politicians who hear stories about challenges newsagents face the better.
Something needs to change, the current situation in untenable and both business and workers are missing out.
WE NOW CLOSE ON SUNDAYS JUST NOT WORTH IT
Unfortunately, in shopping centers we are not allowed to close, hence the unjustness of penalty rates on retailers.
@Brendan
How do you mean unjust? Did you not read your lease?
There are two sides to this. I wouldn’t want to work on a Sunday if I didn’t get penalty rates. The kids are only home from school on the weekend, and the weekend is still a time for family, sport, etc. That’s why we have penalty rates. Same for public holidays. Not everything is about profit. Community and family come first. Pushing this could make you look like the bad guys!
Andrew, penalty rates were actually there to compensate for additional work and for people working outside the norm. In today’s 24/7 world, there is no time outside the norm.
My daughter works in a small business and has signed as part time.She doesn’t get penalty rates and is more than happy to work on Sundays.She is at Uni and is willing to work for a lower rate of pay just to have a job.She did work in a newsagent prior to this job and got penalties but left due to the really bad management and the treatment she recieved.
So there are people out there that will work without being super greedy expecting ridiculous pay rates.
There is no way the business she now works at would survive if they had to pay the kids penalties.She is more than happy.
Her friends work in other shops and earn double her money and can’t believe she is willingly working for less.But each to there own.
Andrew, Even if one accepts your argument (which is the most common argument for penalty rates), it doesn’t mean that the actual % of penalty rate is correct, sustainable, or reflective of that position.
The current Sunday penalty rate is a whopping 100%. A number of states had a significantly lower rate before award-modernisation. NSW for example had a rate of 50%. There is no justification for doubling a penalty rate without any trade-off in another area. 100% does not reflect any real ‘penalty’ incured by an employee.
so andrew, the kids dont matter so much if the price is right?, or is it all about profit (for you that is?) either you want the time of to spend with the kids or you dont. your argument would suggest everything should be shut so we can all spend time with the kids on a sunday, i for one would not have a problem with that.