Anger at shrinking penalties

PENALTY rate cuts are costing Gold Coast workers in the hospitality and retail industries more than $26 million, according to Labor.

In a 10-day period from Good Friday, the Opposition says Coast fast-food workers lost on average $218 in wages, hospitality employees about $281, those in restaurants $225 and retail staff more than $276.

The worst affected by the cut to penalty rates are pharmacy workers who have $370 less in their take home pay. On the Coast, the ALP estimates 71,000 workers are impacted.

“This is $26 million taken out of the Gold Coast economy,” Gold Coast-based Senator Murray Watt said. “It’s a big whack out of the economy. Small businesses need people to have that money in their pockets to spend in their shops, cafes and businesses.”

Labor in the northern Coast seat of Forde, held by the LNP’s Bert van Manen with a margin of 0.7 per cent, is confident that playing the penalty rate card will be a policy winner.

“On eight occasions we have tried to introduce legislation to overturn the Fair Work Commission decision to abolish penalty rates,” Senator Watt said. “All the Gold Coast LNP MPs have voted against it.”

Opposition leader Bill Shorten has promised Labor will overturn the Commission’s decision in its first 100 days of office. The law took effect in July 2017, reducing Sunday penalty rates for some workers from 200 per cent of the standard wage to 150 per cent.

Campaign workers for Labor’s Forde candidate Des Hardman said volunteers who were doorknocking had received “massive feedback on penalty rates”.

“There are a lot of young people there in the cafe and hospitality industries,” a campaign worker said.

“It’s a very strong issue. It’s not just in hospitality. Nurses are getting a bit worried they will be next to lose their penalty rates.”

Mr Hardman warned that even bigger cuts to Sunday penalty rates would occur in July, and the July after that, unless a Labor Government was elected.