WAGES – HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY – AUSTRALIA

Penalty rates a poll bombshell

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Original article by Elizabeth Colman, Joe Kelly
The Australian – Page: 1 & 4 : 21-Apr-16

The Fair Work Commission may issue its ruling on weekend penalty rates in the retail and hospitality industries before the 2016 federal election. Employers are seeking a reduction in the penalty rates that apply for working on Sundays and public holidays. Australian Industry Group chief executive Innes Willox says penalty rates will be the key industrial relations issue during the election campaign. He argues that the current regime deters employers from hiring and training staff.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, THE AUSTRALIAN INDUSTRY GROUP, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY, ACTU, SHOP, DISTRIBUTIVE AND ALLIED EMPLOYEES’ ASSOCIATION, UNITED VOICE, TOURISM ACCOMMODATION AUSTRALIA, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIAN BUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION COMMISSION

Penalty rates ‘help lowest paid’

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Original article by Benjamin Preiss
The Age – Page: 3 : 14-Mar-16

The Victorian Government’s submission to a Fair Work Commission review of penalty rates in the hospitality and retail industries argues that many people on low incomes rely on penalty rates for basic household expenses. It also argues that penalty rates often cost companies less than expenses such as taxes and local council rates.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, THE AUSTRALIAN INDUSTRY GROUP

Fair Work to examine penalty rates

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 3 : 16-Feb-16

Employers’ groups must make their final submissions to the Fair Work Commission’s review of penalty rates by 1 April 2016. The full bench has ruled that employers’ submissions can include the Productivity Commission’s recommendations on reducing Sunday penalty rates in industries such as retail and hospitality to bring them in line with those that apply on Saturdays. Unions’ submissions to the FWC review must be lodged by 21 March.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, AUSTRALIA. PRODUCTIVITY COMMISSION, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, CONSTRUCTION, FORESTRY, MINING AND ENERGY UNION OF AUSTRALIA, BORAL LIMITED – ASX BLD

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

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

Pancake Parlour flips on old flat rate pay

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Original article by Nick Toscano
The Age – Page: 14 : 23-Sep-15

Pancake Parlour employees will be covered by the industrial award for the restaurant industry, after the group did not oppose an application to have its existing workplace agreement terminated. The new arrangement means they will now be entitled to penalty rates for working at night and weekends. The issue of weekend penalty rates has been under scrutiny amid concerns about the high cost to employers, and the business sector is likely to lobby Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to take action on the issue ahead of the federal election.

CORPORATES
PANCAKE PARLOUR, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET

Softly, softly IR push

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 8 : 5-Aug-15

Tourism Accommodation Australia chairman Martin Ferguson has urged the Federal Government to look at implementing the Productivity Commission’s proposed changes to penalty rates. The draft report recommends reducing Sunday penalty rates for workers in sectors such as hospitality and retailing to the level that applies for people who work on Saturdays. It also recommends allowing small and medium enterprises to offer new employees a statutory enterprise contract that does not have to be approved by the Fair Work Commission.

CORPORATES
TOURISM ACCOMMODATION AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. PRODUCTIVITY COMMISSION, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT, ACTU, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

Softly, softly IR push

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Original article by Ewin Hannan
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 8 : 5-Aug-15

Tourism Accommodation Australia chairman Martin Ferguson has urged the Federal Government to look at implementing the Productivity Commission’s proposed changes to penalty rates. The draft report recommends reducing Sunday penalty rates for workers in sectors such as hospitality and retailing to the level that applies for people who work on Saturdays. It also recommends allowing small and medium enterprises to offer new employees a statutory enterprise contract that does not have to be approved by the Fair Work Commission.

CORPORATES
TOURISM ACCOMMODATION AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. PRODUCTIVITY COMMISSION, AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF EMPLOYMENT, ACTU, AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY