‘Forget penalty ... raise wages’

ONE of the Gold Coast’s leading restaurateurs wants weekend penalty pay rates scrapped – and says wait staff would be the beneficiaries.

Simon Gloftis, The Fish House founder and owner of Hellenika, said if his radical proposal was ever adopted it should be accompanied by an across-the-board increase in minimum wage rates.

Mr Gloftis said it would be a fairer system for midweek workers if hospitality wage rates were markedly increased to replace penalty rates on Saturdays and Sundays.

The outspoken, highly regarded foodie said penalty rates were no longer working in modern society.

As an example, he employs a single mother who cannot work weekends because she is looking after her child, and misses out on penalty rates.

But he has university students who are on a pathway to higher incomes benefiting from weekend rates.

“I want to help that single mother, the person who needs it the most,” Mr Gloftis said.

“We should have the same rates of pay no matter what day of the week it is but it should be higher across the whole week.”

His comments come after the Fair Work Commission last week revealed it is reducing penalty rates paid on Sundays and public holidays for hospitality, retail, fast food and pharmacy staff.

The full and part-time Sunday rate for hospitality is dropping from 175 per cent – or oneand-three-quarter time – to 150 per cent, or time-and-a-half.

Public holiday pay rates are going from double time-and-ahalf to double time-and-aquarter for hospitality, fast food, retail and pharmacy full and part-timers.

The Gold Coast Combined Chamber of Commerce and Gold Coast Restaurant Industry Support Group joined business owners to cheer the move last week, saying it will hugely benefit the city’s tourist-heavy economy.

They said it would result in more businesses deciding to open on Sunday plus longer opening hours and job creation.

Mr Gloftis said the cuts could also help kickstart more of a tipping culture across the Gold Coast which could impact service levels.

Mr Gloftis said his hope was the Fair Work Commission went even further with penalty rate cuts in future and it would be “the best thing for staff ever”.

“I don’t want to hurt the industry ... but get rid of penalty rates, raise the minimum wage.”