Restore penalty rates

The problem

Hospitality, pharmacy, retail and fast food workers will have their weekend and public holiday pay cut again from 1 July and will face more cuts next year and the year after depending on the industry.

This is a pay cut that these workers don’t deserve and cannot afford.

From July 1, these workers will face reductions in their weekend and public holiday pay every year for three-to-four years, depending on the industry.

On July 1, 2018, Sunday rates will be cut by another 15%: In total an estimated $1.3 billion would be cut from workers’ pay packets from the reductions in penalty rates.

Since the penalty rates were cut, consumer spending has declined and the jobs that were promised have no materialised.

The solution

The Parliament must restore penalty rates to the pre-July 2017 levels, and the law should stop business from being able to impose cuts to workers’ pay packets.

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