The Australian Financial Review reported yesterday (page 7) that Assistant Treasurer said last week that shop assistants were paid between $15 and $16 an hour.
If that’s what Bill really thinks he should get the facts. Yes, there are shop assistants on that kind of money. But not adults. No, they are on $21 and more an hour and that is just for regular hours, not weekend or public holiday work.
Bill was probably not thinking about the 9% in superannuation, payroll tax and other on costs businesses carry for each employee.
I encountered the same ignorance from a Liberal politician a few years ago.
Our federal politicians need to spend more time in the real world. They make too many decisions from a position of ignorance.
I’d like to see a system of work experience for politicians, requiring every one of them to do at least two weeks work experience every year in a business drawn at random. The result would be more informed decisions and better representation.
Please don’t misunderstand this blog post. I am not calling for a reduction in wages. No, I am calling for more informed politicians and a more informed discussion about business costs, especially retail business costs.
We had a pollie at work day up here a while ago but no one was interested in coming in at 4am and doing a shift in the shop. Must be me?
Well said.
It really is another crack in the ribs to small business owners when Government make these intential misleading statements.
Questions – 1. Has Bill Shorten ever worked in a retail business?
2. Has he ever mortgaged his home to buy a retail business, or for that matter any business?
If not, how dare he tell the retailers and small business owners of Australia to smarten up their act.
and
Shorten is right that cutting wages isn’t going to help parts of retail that are struggling to cope with internet competition. $600 a week for a full-time junior and $800-900 a week a full-time adult (yes plus on-costs) is about right, I think.
If we cut wages then our customers will have less money to spend.
My gripe is not how much we pay staff in my business or even on-costs but flexibility. I should be able to hire and fire without Canberra getting involved. At all. If I want to sack someone because she looked at me the wrong way, or has blue eyes, I should be able to do so. It’s my money.
There’ve been times when I’ve needed more staff but have held back because I didn’t want the hassle of getting rid of them.
I waited for things to get quieter. Which has certainly happened this year!
Anyway, I think Shorten is one of the few impressive politicians we have in Australia. He even has an MBA which means he’s at least given some thought to business issues.
Whether he or politicians could learn more by waiting tables or whatever, I really doubt that.
What I want is to have less Canberra interference in my business not to scare off my customers with a bumbling MP behind the counter.
I vote Liberal usually but I don’t want politicians conned by the parts of retail that can’t or don’t want to compete with internet retailers. The sooner they learn that government can’t solve every problem the better for the country. The sooner the government gets off our backs in small business the better, too.
Alf, with respect I don’t think that having an MBA guarantees he has given thought to issues in a context which is relevant to small business.
The latest decisions from the Fairwork Australia Tribunal regarding individual dismissal cases, as reported by VECCI, are scary.
If we were to treat our employees in the structured and formal way that seems to be expected by FWA we will create a very unfriendly and adversarial workplace.
This atmosphere will progress into poor customer service very quickly.
For the good of consumers and our employees we need much more flexibility in the way we deal with our staff.
Paying fair wages is a reasonable thing. Having beaureacrats manage our relationship with our people isn’t reasonable, nor is it fair.
Alf
I agree that fleibility with staff is essential regarding working arrangements and should be left to the employer, however not every employer in small business is fair regarding flexibility, they abuse it. The minority spoil it as usual for the majority.
Regarding your comments regarding firing people, that is why Canberra does interfere, although said with tongue in cheek (the blue eyes comment)their are again employers who spoil it for the rest, large and small business, thus you have interference.
Kevin – I think I agree with you, hoping that meant you would mange your employees fairly which I am sure you do.
I think Bill is almost correct. I seem to recall the permanant adult rate is about $16.50 or so. Of course the casual rate is about $21.