Threat to penalty rates prompts unions to launch national campaign, Save Our Aussie Weekends

Yolanda Coll, manager of Melbourne's Cafe No.5, says it is only fair to pay workers more on weekends.

Bosses pushing to scrap penalty rates on a Sunday have warned workers that double time is a 1950s concept that's killing jobs.

The threat to penalty rates has prompted unions to launch a national campaign today - Save Our Aussie Weekends.

But employers warn that paying casual waiters up to $40 an hour on a Sunday in some restaurants is forcing companies to the wall.

"We say that's archaic," National Retail Association executive director Gary Black said.

"Penalty rates were implemented in the 1950s in the context of a Monday-to-Friday manufacturing model."

Employers want a review of the award to consider options such as a flat rate, or only paying penalties when more than five consecutive days are worked, or removing penalty rates for small business.

Some workers are earning up to $35 an hour on Sundays with casual loadings taking the rate to nearly $40.

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

But research commissioned by the liquor and hospitality division of United Voice union reveals strong support for penalty rates among voters.

"We are trying to draw a line in the sand - weekend penalty rates are back on the agenda," United Voice's Louise Tarrant said.

"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 get right behind our website saveourweekend.org.au."

The research by Galaxy pollsters reveals 87 per cent of respondents believe workers should get more money on a Sunday. But support was even higher among younger Australians reliant on casual and weekend work, with 95 per cent support for penalty rates in the under-24 age group.

Only one in five people agreed that Australia was now a round-the-clock economy where weekends were just like other days of the week.

This week, employers will lodge submissions with Fair Work Australia outlining the impact of penalty rates on their business.

Workplace Relations Minister Bill Shorten said while flexibility was important, getting paid more to work on a weekend was only fair.

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

Restaurant and Catering Australia CEO John Hart said while penalty rates might be popular, they were costing jobs.

"You can't negotiate a flat rate to compensate for weekends," he said.

At Cafe No.5 in Melbourne's CBD, manager Yolanda Coll said paying better on weekends was only fair.

She said the trendy Centre Place eatery is open seven days a week and pays penalty rates to ensure it employs only the best waiters.

"It's a good thing," she said. "When people come to work happy they are more friendly to customers, so we sell more food and make more money."

The South Yarra resident, 33, said waiters working weekends deserved the higher pay rate because they worked harder those days.

"We pay more because the cafe is busier, especially at breakfast time, and we need more staff to do the work."

Even though it is not difficult to find people who would work for less on weekends, Ms Coll said the cafe got better-quality workers if it offered a little more money.

"Lots of people come in looking for work, but we want people who actually care about the job."

Source: The Herald Sun, 12 August 2012