Push to ditch “double dipping” public holiday rates
Business is pushing to scrap public holiday.
The problem, according to employers, is that the system now creates “double dipping” where workers can claim two lots of penalty rates.
The Australian Industry Group is telling the Baird government to bring in changes that would strip Christmas Day of holiday status if it falls on Saturday or Sunday. It also wants Easter Sunday to lose its holiday status.
The problem is that Christmas Day falls on a Sunday this year, which means hotels and restaurants will have to pay crippling penalty rates. They’ll also be up for penalty rates on December 27 which will be classed as the Christmas Day public holiday.
The penalty rate situation forces many restaurant and cafe operators to close over the Easter period as it is the time when there are four public holidays in a row where they have to pay double time and a half rates, which are greater than standard Sunday rates.
The Ai Group’s submission for the statutory review into the Public Holidays Act spells it out quite clearly.
“Ai Group urges the NSW government to substitute Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day public holidays which fall on the weekend with a holiday on the following Monday or Tuesday rather than declaring any additional days,” the employer group’s submission says.
“This would alleviate the cost and operational pressures on many NSW employers.”
It also wants Easter Sunday permanently stripped of its holiday status.
“NSW in particular is only one of three states and territories (along with Victoria and the ACT) that recognises Easter Sunday as a public holiday,’’ the submission says.
“NSW employers that trade over weekends are disadvantaged in terms of their costs and operational restrictions compared to businesses in other states, where public holidays during the Easter period are confined to a fewer number of days.
“Ai Group urges the NSW government to align Easter public holidays with the majority of other states and territories. This would result in three declared public holidays for Good Friday, Easter Saturday and Easter Monday.”
by Leon Gettler, July 22nd 2016
