RSL leading fight to keep penalty rates

THE Southport RSL is pushing for more businesses to take a stance and pledge to continue to pay their workers the set penalty rates.

The call comes ahead of Labor’s last ditch effort to reverse the Productivity Commission’s decision to reduce or remove penalty rates from hospitality and retail workers from July 1.

The Labor Opposition has a bill before parliament to block the changes claiming it would be bad for the economy.

But the Federal Government says reduced penalty rates will mean more jobs.

The bill will be debated before the house in the next sitting.

RSL Club Southport general manager Paul Burton said the club was putting the workers first.

“We as a club, with the consent of our board of directors, took a stance very early on in the piece that our workers would not be subject to any penalty rate reductions,” he said.

“We are more than happy to look after our valued staff.”

As a club the RSL will not be affected by the upcoming changes but Mr Burton said there was concern the club award would soon be merged into the hospitality award.

Labor senator Murray Watt, who has an office on the Gold Coast, said the Moncrieff electorate was predicted to have the highest number of residents affected – some losing up to $77 a week.

“That is obviously going to be a devastating blow to those individual families but if you think about the effect on the Gold Coast economy more widely, these are people who put money through clubs like this, they put money in the shop here, they go to the cafes here,” Mr Watt said.

“If there is less money going into the pockets of workers, there is less money going into the businesses here and that is going to be bad for the economy overall.”

Mr Watt praised the Southport RSL for their stance.

“We would like to see more employers on the Gold Coast say they are going to do the right thing,” he said.

Tourism Minister and Moncrieff MP Steve Ciobo said a majority of Sunday workers would see no change.

“The Gold Coast is a small business and tourism town,” he said.

“The chambers of commerce, the council of small business, tourism peak bodies, all make it clear this decision will create jobs and boost tourism.”

Mr Ciobo accessed Mr Watt of running a “dishonest scare campaign”.

“It’s bizarre Labor is so arrogant they actually tell small and medium businesses, they tell tourism bodies, that Labor is right and they are wrong,” he said.