Protect Our Penalty Rates

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.