Unions Launch Save Our Aussies Weekends to Battle Threats to Sunday Penalty Rates

Due to dining and retail establishments push to scrap the penalty rate for Sunday work, unions have launched a counter offensive by launching the Save our Aussie Weekends campaign.

As part of the campaign, United Voice came out with the Web site saveourweekend.org.au to battle the efforts by employers to remove the weekend penalty rates. Employers are expected to file this week new submissions with Fair Work Australia to show the impact of the penalty rates on their enterprises.

Due to the penalty rates, employees who work on a Sunday earn up to $35 an hour, which due to casual loading the pay rate could go up to almost $40. The National Retail Association (NRA) is seeking a review of the present award regime and is pushing for other options such as a flat rate applicable only when employees work over five consecutive days in a week.

"We say that's archaic. Penalty rates were implemented in the 1950s in the context of a Monday-to-Friday manufacturing model," Gary Black of the NRA was quoted by News.com.au.

United Voice said that unions want to draw a line in the sand on behalf of workers who sacrifice weekend time with their families to serve other people.

"What it really represents is the tip of an iceberg and that is the incursion of work into family life. We're asking families, church groups and sporting clubs to be behind our Web site saveourweekend.org.au," Louise Tarrant of Union Voice said.

Workplace Relations Minister Bill Shorten backed the union and retaining the weekend penalty rate.

"Australia may have come a long way since the 1950s but we haven't given up on the idea of a weekend," Mr Shorten said.

Polls also favoured continuing the weekend tradition for Aussies. The latest Galaxy poll said 87 per cent of respondents support higher pay for people who work on Sundays.

The penalty rates affect mostly retail, dining and tourism-oriented establishments whose kitchen and frontline workers sacrifice a lot to feed and make other people happy on weekends and holidays.

"When you work at night, some staff work until 5 a.m. or 6 a.m. and that could be considered overtime in another job. And on public holidays we have to be on the other side of the bar while everybody else is having fund, so we deserve the extra money," Paddington Inn bartender Michelle Congdon told News.com.au.