The Employers’ Association is seeking to remove weekend penalty rates which would mean that those workers employed in positions that require weekend work miss out on time with friends and family for no extra benefit.
USU members should be aware that the negotiations for the 2017 NSW Local Government Award have commenced. As part of the process the Unions have exchanged their respective logs of claim with the Employers’ representative (LGNSW). The USU is very concerned with much of the content of the Employers’ log and will be putting out regular updates to explain to USU members some of the more sinister claims within the Employers’ initial log of claims.
WEEKEND PENALTY RATES
Employers’ claim #15: to remove weekend penalty rates for recreation and community services functions, and insert appropriate definitions.
Weekends are a time when we seek to rest, relax, and socialise with friends and family. You may want to watch your kids or grandkids play sport, have a barbeque with friends and family, or finish that long overdue DIY household project. When you are required to work on a weekend there is a massive social cost and that’s why your award provides for weekend penalty rates for weekend work. The Employers’ Association is seeking to remove weekend penalty rates which would mean that those workers employed in positions that require weekend work miss out on time with friends and family for no extra benefit.
Under the current Award the majority of workers are entitled to 150% of their hourly rate for work on Saturday and 200% of their hourly rate for work on Sunday. There are some positions though which only receive 125% for Saturday and 150% for Sunday work and even in these instances, the Employers’ Association is seeking to totally remove weekend penalties and make working on weekends the same as working Monday to Friday.
Ask yourself this, who would voluntarily work on a weekend without weekend penalty rates?
Stand up for retaining your weekend penalty rates and fight this short-sighted and harmful employer claim by supporting your union!
What’s next?
Keep an eye out for further Local Government (State) Award Negotiation updates, and in the meantime speak to your fellow workers and ask if they want to have a say on the future of the Award by voting when the time comes, as only Union members will be voting and have a say when the vote comes in 2017 at the over 300 mass meetings that the USU will hold in councils across the state.
