The NSW Business Chamber is caught between a rock and hard place in its push for an overhaul of penalty rates legislation for the retail and hospitality industries.
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The chamber has long argued that penalty rates in the restaurant and catering industry have been a road block to employment opportunities.
So much so that many businesses simply close their doors at weekends and on public holidays because they can’t afford to pay penalty rates.
The most recent award for these industries shows that employees are entitled to 250 per cent of their regular hourly rate on a number of public holidays – such as Good Friday, Australia Day, Christmas Day and Boxing Day – in NSW when they fall on week days.
Slightly lower rates apply when those public holidays fall on the weekend, depending on the specific public holiday.
At the end of the day it means these traders lose business at a time when they could get many willing patrons through their doors.
Maitland Business Chamber president Craig McGregor is right when he says any resolution to the debate needs to balance the needs of customers, employers and employees.
He also pointed out that small business was the largest employer in our city and that many customers wanted to shop or eat out on public holidays.
It’s fair to say that employees asked to work on a public holiday, or weekends, deserve to be paid a penalty for working at a time when the rest of us take a well-earned break.
At a time of high unemployment, especially among our young people here in the Hunter Region, maybe it’s time to find a middle ground.
