Union push to increase casual pay for hospitality workers
Unions have called for a 25 per cent boost for casuals' overtime pay in the hospitality sectors.
United Voice has laid out its case for the Fair Work Commission to require employers to pay casuals their 25 per cent loading on top of their overtime penalty rates for the restaurants, hospitality and clubs awards.
United Voice argues that the pay boost would make permanent employment “a more attractive choice”.
“If a casual employee is consistently working hours in excess of 38 per week, the cost structure of the award should inform an employer to offer that person a permanent position,” it said in its submission.
Lat year Fair Work granted casuals overtime pay if they work more than 12 hours a day or more than 38 hours a week. Hospitality has the highest use of casuals in any sector and 11.7 per cent of casuals work paid or unpaid overtime, according to the latest data from the statistics bureau.
But employers have warned any pay boost would result in less casual being employed, with NSW Business Chamber CEO Stephen Cartwright saying it was a case of “the union trying to have its cake and eat it too”.
“We accept that casual employees should be paid overtime, at the same rate as permanents,” he said. “But claiming a casual loading during overtime makes no sense when the loading has never compensated for entitlements relating to overtime,” he said.
"This is just an attempt to increase pay rates by 25 per cent at a time that employers cannot afford this type of cost.”
Sheridan Randall, 30th July 2019
