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'I rely on weekends to pay my bills': How taking away Sunday penalty rates will hurt workers

Cameron Atfield

Caboolture hospitality worker Selina Young has been left wondering how she will pay her bills from July, after the Fair Work Commission decided on Thursday to slash her weekend and public holiday penalty rates.

The FWC announced Sunday penalty rates for full- and part-time workers in the retail, fast food, hospitality and pharmacy industries would be slashed, in some cases, from double time to time-and-a-half.

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Selina 'can't survive' on low wages

Caboolture hospitality worker Selina Young says cuts to penalty rates will make surviving "way too hard" on a minimum wage.

Ms Young, who worked at the Caboolture RSL, faced a reduction in her Sunday penalty rates from 175 per cent to 150 per cent, with the pay decrease to come into effect from July.

She said while she was not surprised by the FWC's decision, that did not make it any easier for her to swallow.

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"You expect it, but you don't want it," Ms Young said.

"This will impact my finances quite a lot, because you don't get a lot through the week when you're working in this industry.

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"I rely on my weekends to pay my bills, pay my rent and contribute to (buying) food.

"I sacrifice weekends with my husband so that we can afford to live, pretty much."

Ms Young, 32, said she had been in the hospitality industry since she was 18 and it had always been a tough slog.

It was a hardship, Ms Young said, that would be lost on the Fair Work Commission.

"The ones who are calling the shots here don't know what it's like to work nights and weekends," she said.

"They get to sit down for Sunday lunch with their family every week, while we miss out on all of this and we seem to be the ones who cop everything."

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said she knew how important penalty rates were for people who gave up their family time to work on a Sunday.

"I know that this has been a very vexed issue, people have very firm views on it but we have to accept the umpire's decision," she said.

But Queensland unions showed no sign of accepting the umpire's decision in the immediate aftermath of the commission handing down its decision in Melbourne.

They marched in Brisbane to the commonwealth government offices in Eagle Street to protest the decision on Thursday morning.

Queensland Council of Unions general secretary Ros McLennan said the FWC decision was a "game changer" for industrial relations in Australia.

"The independent umpire makes decisions based on the rules they are given," she said.

"These rules are contained in our laws. If it is possible that penalty rates can be cut, then it is clear these rules need to change."

But Chamber of Commerce and Industry Queensland state advocacy manager Kate Whittle praised the FWC's "common sense" approach.

"Today's decision has not seen an abolishment of penalty rates altogether, but a more sensible approach to how penalty rates are applied so small and medium businesses can continue to thrive and employ," she said.

Ms Whittle said the decision would allow many Queensland small businesses to employ more staff and give existing staff more hours.

"The policy behind penalty rates represented a failure to recognise the requirements of industries operating in the 24/seven economy, such as retail, tourism, accommodation, and hospitality," she said.

"... Penalty rates are a drain on productivity and Queensland business competitiveness. Reform has been long overdue.

"Queensland businesses have resoundingly told us that they want a workplace relations framework that meets the needs of their contemporary workplaces and positively impacts on their productivity and competitiveness – and penalty rates were a top priority.

"The current penalty rates regime inhibits economic growth by providing a disincentive to employers from having longer trading hours or offering staff additional hours."

Ms McLennan said there was "absolutely no evidence" reduced wages created more jobs.

"But we do know that it would be much harder for many families to pay their bills and put food on the table," she said.

For Ms Young, the commission's decision meant a potential re-evaluation.

"The problem is, you don't earn enough money to study to get a different profession either, so you're sort of trapped because you can't afford to go anywhere else," she said.

"I love my job, but I'm going to have to try to do something because you can barely survive now on a minimum wage job.

"It's just too hard."

- with Felicity Caldwell

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