Skip to main content

To: Liberal National Party and Shadow Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, Senator the Hon. Michaelia Cash

Protect Our Penalty Rates

Queensland Unions
We call on the Liberal National Party and Shadow Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, Senator the Hon. Michaelia Cash to publicly oppose the ARA’s push to cut workers' wages by ruling out any changes that would remove penalty rates or reduce associated workplace protections.

Why is this important?

Over a million Australian workers rely on penalty rates to ensure they are fairly paid for the work they do, including working evenings, weekends and public holidays.

The Australian Retailers Association, (ARA) backed by major retailers including Coles, Woolworths, and Kmart, doesn’t believe these workers deserve penalty rates. Despite the retail industry making over $7 billion in profit just last year, in a blatant attempt at cutting wages they have applied to the Fair Work Commission to cut penalty rates from Awards and Enterprise Agreements.

If successful, this would mean workers lose overtime pay, evening and weekend penalty rates, work breaks, and see reduced rest times between shifts—from 12 hours to just 10 hours.

We need to send a strong message to Coles, Woolworths, Kmart, and the ARA that Australians won’t accept cuts to penalty rates or reductions in fair pay standards.

Partner

Updates

2025-02-24 11:46:09 +1100

Workplace Relations Minister Murray Watt and the Albanese Government have reaffirmed their commitment to protect penalty rates, rejecting calls from big business to cut the take-home pay of workers.

But the fight isn’t over. The LNP has yet to commit to protecting penalty rates. Workers deserve certainty that their pay won’t be slashed at the whim of big supermarket chains and corporate lobbyists.

We call on the LNP to stand with workers, not big business, and guarantee that penalty rates will remain protected. Add your voice and keep the pressure on!

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-02-21/supermarket-push-to-scrap-penalty-rates-opposed-by-government/104962994

2025-02-03 20:26:23 +1100

1,000 signatures reached

2025-02-03 19:06:08 +1100

500 signatures reached

2025-02-03 18:36:42 +1100

100 signatures reached

2025-02-03 18:34:08 +1100

50 signatures reached

2025-02-03 18:33:05 +1100

25 signatures reached

2025-02-03 13:16:25 +1100

10 signatures reached