6 years ago
WORKERS TO LOSE UP TO $3273 BECAUSE OF CUTS
THE HON BRENDAN O’CONNOR MP
Today, low paid Australian workers in retail, fast food, hospitality and pharmacy will have their penalty rates cut again, and could be up to $3273 worse off.
At the same time as supporting cuts to penalty rates, Malcolm Turnbull has legislated to give millionaires a $7,000 tax cut.
Calculations show that because of the cuts to Sunday and public holiday penalty rates, workers in various industries will be dealt another blow to their pay packets by up to the following amounts:
- Pharmacy: $3,273.73
- Retail: $2,450.81
- Hospitality: $1,884.37
- Fast Food: $1,628.85
- Restaurant: $586.05
Even more cuts to Sunday penalty rates will occur next July and the July after that.
At a time when many working Australians are struggling with stagnant wages, we have a Prime Minister who supports cuts to penalty rates. He’s also doing everything he can to rob schools of $17 billion and giving it to the big banks as a tax give away.
Malcolm Turnbull and his government have had eight opportunities in the parliament to protect penalty rates and they have voted against them each time.
It is clear that the only way to protect penalty rates is to elect a Shorten Labor Government.