Trade unions have stepped up their fight to protect penalty rates for Hunter workers, launching a new pitch in conjunction with survey results which claim majority support for their campaign.
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The Save Our Weekend campaign, backed predominantly by the Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees union and United Voice, was launched at the weekend with the results of a survey conducted on the Central Coast and in parts of Lake Macquarie.
UMR Research surveyed several thousand people in the federal electorates of Robertson and Dobell. Asked about Sunday penalty rates for workers in the hospitality, retail and entertainment industries, most respondents opposed any cuts to existing penalty rates.
In Dobell, 55 per cent opposed cuts, 36 per cent supported, with the remainder undecided or not caring. In Robertson, 49 per cent opposed, 40 per cent supported and 11 per cent were undecided or didn't care.
''Workers in the Hunter and Central Coast region are facing a multi-pronged attack on their penalty rates, including from employers, the federal government, the recent productivity commission report and local business lobby groups,'' the SDA's Newcastle secretary Barbara Nebart said.
United Voice's NSW secretary Mark Boyd said the survey showed that any plan to cut penalty rates was ''out of step'' with community views.
''People working around the clock in our restaurants, shops, hospitals and other vital facilities deserve to be compensated for missing out on our important weekend events,'' Mr Boyd said.
While the federal government and productivity commission have flagged penalty rate reviews, no concrete proposal is in place.
The NSW Business Chamber and its Hunter affiliate have argued that they are not opposed to weekend penalty rates, only ''excessive penalty rates''.
The chambers ran a campaign of their own over Easter which claimed excessive rates were forcing some small businesses to close on Sundays and public holidays.
In its submission to the Fair Work Ombudsman, the NSW chamber said it did not want penalties abolished.
''Sensible penalty rates should be paid for certain weekend and public holiday times, however it's ridiculous that penalty rates are now so excessive that businesses are forced to close to avoid making losses,'' state chamber CEO Stephen Cartwright said.
The latest union campaign will culminate in a ''massive day of action'' on September 13.