A MAJOR shake-up of penalty rates in South Australia has some Bathurst retailers, and the local business chamber, calling for a review of pay rates in NSW.
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Penalty rates will be dropped for Saturday and weekday even-ings and halved for Sunday under the deal between unions and retailers in SA.
But the deal comes with sweeteners for workers: a guaranteed three per cent annual pay rise and the right to refuse to work on the weekend, while permanent workers get the right to take every second weekend off.
Knickerbocker Hotel owner Scott Macallister employs 34 staff, 30 of them casuals who receive penalty rates under their award, and he says this represents a big portion of his wage bill each week.
He said a full-time staff member would have to work 1.5 weekdays to earn what a casual worker earns in just four hours on a Saturday.
“It’s all unskilled labour and they are getting $50 an hour,” he said.
With Easter looming, and four public holidays in a row (Friday to Monday), Mr Macallister said he will close the hotel on Easter Monday to save wage bills.
Mr Macallister said customers are the biggest losers when it comes to high penalty rates.
“Everyone in town can’t afford to stay open, therefore customers lose out,” he said.
“I think something has got to be looked at. At the end of the day it comes back to the customers, they’ve got to be looked after.
“It’s no longer just a five day week anymore ... It’s a win-win for everyone.”
News On William owner Adrian Smith agreed, saying lower penalty rates would allow him to better service his customers.
“I’d employ more people if I didn’t have to pay penalty rates ... [and] I could possibly open longer on a weekend,” he said.
“On a public holiday and Sundays my wife and I have to work to save wage costs.”
Bathurst Business Chamber president Stacey Whittaker said a number of local cafes had told her they will close their doors for part of the Easter long weekend to save wage costs.
Mrs Whittaker said those that choose to stay open may impose a public holiday surcharge.
“They have to make up that cost somewhere else. They may have a public holiday surcharge and people [customers] will have a whinge about that,” she said.
Mrs Whittaker would also support a review into penalty rates for NSW workers.
“I think they need to be looking into it, not just on behalf of the employee, but from a small business point of view,” she said.
