No matter how desperate for employment a young person may be, it’s a tough ask for them to have to get up and go to work on a Sunday while family and friends are enjoying the traditional day of rest.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The proposition won’t become any more appealing if the federal government takes up a plan to make people work on Sundays at reduced pay.
The Productivity Commission has recommended that Sunday penalty rates be lowered to the same level as Saturday penalty rates in the hospitality and retail industries.
This could make as much as $10 an hour difference for some young workers.
Young people most commonly work in the retail and hospitality industries, which will be affected by the change.
It’s understandable that business owners would breathe a sigh of relief at the news, but is it really fair to ask the nation’s young people, many of whom are already earning a pittance, to work on a Sunday for no extra reward?
The change would put unfair pressure on young workers, especially casual employees who are not on permanent contracts and may feel that they are putting their livelihood at risk by asking for a Sunday off work to have a family barbecue or see their friends, like many of us do as the weekend wraps up.
It’s true that the change may mean more hours of work are available for young people, which could help combat the Lower Hunter’s astronomical youth unemployment rate – now hovering around the 18 per cent mark.
The Mercury understands that this change may also reflect a society that is rapidly moving toward a seven-day work cycle and would help businesses and the local economy.
But surely a solution can be found that doesn’t take the money from the pockets of workers.
