A talkback caller to fairfax radio 3AW yesterday said retailers were wrong to complain about penalty rates for teenagers. They claimed they were earning $10 an hour. At the cheapest rate this is out by 50%. Add weekend penalty rates and the hourly rate doubles, even more.
It is frustrating Fairfax radio allowed the comment to go unchecked as it perpetuates the myth by a small band of anti-vaxer like people who claim retail employees are low paid employees.
I know of plenty of small business retail newsagents who would love to earn the equivalent of junior employee hourly rates.
We have the owner of a cabinet making style company out from the USA visiting our family. He was absolutely floored by our labour costs. When I told him what the Level 1 retail rate was and then the penalty rates he could not understand how we make money. My husband also told him about 17.5% leave loading, long service leave and redundancy payments just to really shock him. He had been considering establishing a presence in Australia however that ended quickly and will continue to import. His massive factory in the US costs only 25% more in electricity than my 120sq shop per month.
Stacey my US friends tell the same story. I know one person in their 40s getting $10 an hour. No penalty rates. Sackable with zero notice. 2 weeks annual leave. I don’t want to go to that model but I do want fairness around weekend penalty rates.
I have two drivers that deliver papers over Easter…one and a half hours each of the three public holidays now declared. Four and a half hours work for twenty two hours pay each…Fair work ??