CUTS to penalty rates for people working on the Australia Day long weekend will hurt almost eight thousand Canberrans this year, says UnionsACT.
UnionsACT says 7900 workers in the hospitality, retail and fast-food sectors, who will be working on the Australia public holiday in Canberra, will lose an average of $95.46.
Secretary of UnionsACT Alex White says while the Federal Government continues to wage a conservative culture war about Australia Day, the truth is they don’t care about the thousands of people forced to go into work for less pay.
“Thousands of hard-working Canberrans are being forced into US-style working-poverty because of wage-freezes, wage-theft, insecure work and cuts to penalty rates,” he says.
“If Malcolm Turnbull and the Liberal Government genuinely cared about Australia Day as a national day of unity, they would restore penalty rates for all workers.
“Let’s face it, no one wants to work on a public holiday, that’s why public holiday penalty rates are so important for workers who are forced to make that sacrifice.”
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