WAGE PAYMENT SYSTEMS – AUSTRALIA

Cowin’s fee solution to penalty rate stand-off

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Original article by Sue Mitchell
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 4 : 18-Dec-15

Australian businessman Jack Cowin has warned that industries such as hospitality will be forced to increase their prices unless weekend penalty rates are reduced. The founder of Hungry Jack’s argues that fast food restaurants and hotels will need to lift their prices if they have to keep paying people higher wages for doing the same job on weekends as on weekdays. Russell Zimmerman of the Australian Retailers Association says lower penalty rates would enable retailers to employ more staff.

CORPORATES
HUNGRY JACK’S PTY LTD, AUSTRALIAN RETAILERS ASSOCIATION, DOMINO’S PIZZA ENTERPRISES LIMITED – ASX DMP, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, BUSINESS COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN GREENS

No vacancy? It’s just too expensive to clean hotel rooms

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Original article by Joe Kelly, Lisa Allen
The Australian – Page: 2 : 6-Nov-15

Accommodation Association of Australia CEO Richard Munro says Sunday penalty rates are forcing many hotels to delay cleaning their rooms until Monday, which has reduced the available of accommodation on weekends. He adds that some hotel operators are also delaying essential maintenance work and cancelling breakfast services on Sundays. The association wants the Federal Government to make a submission on penalty rates to the Fair Work Commission’s review of the modern industrial awards system.

CORPORATES
ACCOMMODATION ASSOCIATION OF AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT, MANTRA GROUP LIMITED – ASX MTR, THE WINDSOR HOTEL

Penalty rates are real money for real people

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Original article by Jo-Anne Schofield
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 63 : 29-Oct-15

There is pressure from employers in Australia’s hospitality and tourism sectors to reduce weekend penalty rates, but such a move would be unfair to workers. They often earn close to the minimum wage. Employers claim that the reduction in penalty rates would have beneficial effects, but their arguments are flawed.

CORPORATES
ACTU, VICTORIAN TRADES HALL COUNCIL, AUSTRALIA. PRODUCTIVITY COMMISSION, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, TOURISM ACCOMMODATION AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, UNITED VOICE

Penalty rates a relic of class war

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Original article by David Leyonhjelm
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 38 : 9-Oct-15

If the Australian Government is serious about job creation, it should remove penalty rates. A bill introduced by Senator David Leyonhjelm, of the Liberal Democratic Party, would remove obstacles to job creation in the restaurant, retail and tourism industries. The bill removes penalty rates for working on Saturday and Sunday. However, penalty rates would apply after the first 10 hours of work on any day.

CORPORATES
LIBERAL DEMOCRATIC PARTY

Let companies and workers set their own penalties

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Original article by Michael Angwin
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 63 : 8-Oct-15

The Productivity Commission has proposed reducing penalty rates in some industries for working on Sundays. However, penalty rates should not apply across-the-board in all industries. They could instead be applied on an enterprise basis, whereby penalty rates are only paid to employees as compensation for working what are deemed to be "unsocial hours". While there is some risk of employers abusing an enterprise-based system by reducing staff wages, most can be expected to treat employees fairly.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. PRODUCTIVITY COMMISSION, VUE DE MONDE

Turnbull hints at penalty rate cuts, compo

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 : 7-Oct-15

The Australian Government has indicated that the penalty rates regime may come under scrutiny as part of broader economic reforms. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull notes that the nation now has a seven-day economy, which will require greater workplace flexibility in the future. However, he has conceded that measures must be implemented to ensure that workers are not disadvantaged by any change to weekend penalty rates.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIAN GREENS

Shorten locks in penalty rates as key election issue

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Original article by Misa Han
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 9 : 6-Oct-15

Federal Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has refuted suggestions that penalty rates contribute to unemployment in Australia. He has vowed to make penalty rates a major issue for the next federal election, after Workplace Relations Minister Michaelia Cash indicated that the Federal Government is likely to use the election to seek a mandate for changes to penalty rates and the industrial relations regime.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FINANCE, LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA

Trafficking of workers ‘a spider’s web’

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Original article by Ben Schneiders, Royce Millar
The Age – Page: 8 : 5-Oct-15

Victoria’s Industrial Relations Minister, Natalie Hutchins, says the exploitation of both local and foreign workers is widespread. She warns that many people are setting up labour hire companies with the intention of hiring workers on below-standard wages and conditions. The State Government will shortly release a discussion paper as part of its inquiry into illegal labour practices. A recent Fairfax Media expose revealed the existence of a "black economy" in Australia, whereby overseas workers are employed for less than the minimum wage.

CORPORATES
VICTORIA. DEPT OF STATE DEVELOPMENT, BUSINESS AND INNOVATION, FAIRFAX MEDIA LIMITED – ASX FXJ, AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION, 7-ELEVEN STORES PTY LTD

Sunday penalties hurt businesses, cost jobs

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 4 : 1-Oct-15

Federal Employment Minister Michaelia Cash stresses that any changes to weekend penalty rates will be entirely up to the Fair Work Commission. However, she says Australia’s ability to be globally competitive is being hindered by Sunday penalty rates, which force many businesses in the tourism and hospitality sector to remain closed on weekends due to high wage bills. Cash notes that many women and university students would welcome the opportunity to work on Sundays.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, AUSTRALIA. PRODUCTIVITY COMMISSION, AUSTRALIAN BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION COMMISSION

Tasmanian MP joins call to rein in penalty rates

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Original article by Phillip Coorey
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 5 : 30-Sep-15

Federal MP Andrew Nikolic says the Australian Government must engage in debate about the need for changes to the penalty rates regime. Nikolic notes that penalty rates is a politically sensitive issue, but argues that the current system is a disincentive for tourism and hospitality businesses in his Tasmanian seat of Bass to trade on weekends and public holidays. A number of his Coalition colleagues have also called for the issue to be reviewed.

CORPORATES
LIBERAL PARTY OF AUSTRALIA, PIERRE’S CAFE, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY