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  • Aug, 2015

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    Penalty rates

    Do you approve or disapprove of the Productivity Commission recommendation to cut Sunday penalty rates to the same level as Saturday rates for workers in hospitality, entertainment and retail? 

      Total   Vote Labor Vote Lib/Nat Vote Greens Vote Other   Full time worker Part time worker
    Total approve 32% 24% 51% 21% 32% 40% 27%
    Total disapprove 54% 65% 40% 66% 57% 47% 62%
    Strongly approve 9% 6% 16% 4% 7% 11% 5%
    Approve 23% 18% 35% 17% 25% 29% 22%
    Disapprove 25% 29% 21% 31% 19% 22% 31%
    Strongly disapprove 29% 36% 19% 35% 38% 25% 31%
    Don’t know 14% 11% 10% 13% 12% 13% 11%

    32% approve of the Productivity Commission recommendation to cut Sunday penalty rates to the same level as Saturday rates for workers in hospitality, entertainment and retail and 54% disapprove.

    About half Liberal/National voters approve but other voter groups strongly disapprove.

    47% of fulltime workers and 62% of part-time workers disapprove. 57% of people earning less than $1,000 pw disapprove.

  • Jul, 2015

    Penalty rates

    Q. Do you think people who are required to work outside of normal hours – like night shifts, weekends or public holidays – should receive a higher hourly rate of pay?

      Total   Vote Labor Vote Lib/Nat Vote Greens Vote Other   Work full time Work part time   May 2013 Jan 2015
    Yes 81% 90% 73% 81% 82% 76% 85% 81% 81%
    No 13% 8% 20% 9% 11% 15% 9% 12% 13%
    Don’t know 7% 3% 7% 10% 7% 8% 6% 7% 6%

    81% think that people who are required to work outside of normal hours should receive a higher hourly rate of pay and 13% think they should not. There has been no change of opinion on this issue since this question was first asked in May 2013.

    A large majority of all demographic and voter groups agree that worker should receive higher rates for working outside normal hours – although Labor voters (90%) and Greens voters (81%) are somewhat more likely to support this than Liberal/National voters (73%). 85% of part-time workers agree compared to 76% of full-time workers.

  • Jul, 2015

    Likely result of cutting penalty rates

    Q. What do you think would be the more likely result of cutting penalty rates for hospitality and retail workers?

      Total   Vote Labor Vote Lib/
    Nat
    Vote Greens Vote Other   Work full time Work part time   Jan 2015
    Businesses will make bigger profits 61% 74% 50% 68% 68% 57% 58% 63%
    Businesses will employ more workers 20% 12% 31% 18% 23% 27% 17% 18%
    Don’t know 19% 14% 19% 13% 10% 16% 25% 18%

    61% think that cutting penalty rates will more likely result in businesses making bigger profits while 20% think the more likely result will be that businesses will employ more workers – a similar result to the last time this question was asked in January.

    A substantial majority of all demographic groups believe it will more likely result in bigger profits for businesses. Those most likely to think it will mean businesses will make bigger profits were Labor voters (74%), Greens voters (68%) and incomes less than $1,000 pw (67%)

    Only Liberal/National voters have a somewhat different view – 50% think it is more likely to result in bigger profits and 31% more jobs.

  • Jan, 2015

    Penalty rates

    Q. Do you think people who are required to work outside of normal hours – like night shifts, weekends or public holidays – should receive a higher hourly rate of pay?

     

    Total

     

    Vote Labor

    Vote Lib/Nat

    Vote Greens

    Vote Other

     

    Work full time

    Work part time

     

    May 2013

    Yes

    81%

    91%

    69%

    91%

    83%

    80%

    84%

    81%

    No

    13%

    7%

    23%

    7%

    11%

    14%

    10%

    12%

    Don’t know

    6%

    2%

    8%

    2%

    6%

    6%

    5%

    7%

    81% think that people who are required to work outside of normal hours should receive a higher hourly rate of pay and 13% think they should not. There has been no change of opinion on this issue since this question was asked in May 2013.

    A large majority of all demographic and voter groups agree that worker should receive higher rates for working outside normal hours – although Labor voters (91%) and Greens voters (91%) are somewhat more likely to support this than Liberal/National voters (69%).

  • Jan, 2015

    Cutting penalty rates

    Q. Would you support or oppose cutting weekend and public holiday penalty rates for hospitality and retail workers?

     

    Total

     

    Vote Labor

    Vote Lib/Nat

    Vote Greens

    Vote Other

     

    Work full time

    Work part time

    Total support

    23%

    16%

    37%

    13%

    12%

    29%

    15%

    Total oppose

    68%

    76%

    53%

    82%

    77%

    62%

    71%

    Strongly support

    9%

    7%

    16%

    5%

    3%

    12%

    6%

    Support

    14%

    9%

    21%

    8%

    9%

    17%

    9%

    Oppose

    32%

    26%

    35%

    27%

    43%

    33%

    23%

    Strongly oppose

    36%

    50%

    18%

    55%

    34%

    29%

    48%

    Don’t know

    10%

    8%

    10%

    5%

    10%

    10%

    14%

    68% oppose cutting weekend and public holiday penalty rates for hospitality and retail workers and 23% support.

    While a majority of all demographic and voter groups oppose cutting penalty rates, those most likely to oppose were Labor voters (76%), Greens voters (82%), women (73%) and those aged 45-64 (76%). 37% of Liberal/National voters and 36% of those aged 65+ support cutting penalty rates.

  • Jan, 2015

    Likely result of cutting penalty rates

    Q. What do you think would be the more likely result of cutting penalty rates for hospitality and retail workers?

     

    Total

     

    Vote Labor

    Vote Lib/Nat

    Vote Greens

    Vote Other

     

    Work full time

    Work part time

    Businesses will make bigger profits

    63%

    75%

    50%

    77%

    66%

    61%

    68%

    Businesses will employ more workers

    18%

    10%

    32%

    8%

    18%

    22%

    14%

    Don’t know

    18%

    15%

    18%

    15%

    15%

    16%

    18%

    63% think that cutting penalty rates will more likely result in businesses making bigger profits while 18% think the more likely result will be that businesses will employ more workers.

    A substantial majority (over 60%) of all demographic groups believe it will more likely result in bigger profits for businesses. Only Liberal/National voters have a somewhat different view – 50% think it is more likely to result in bigger profits and 32% more jobs.

  • May, 2013

    , , ,

    Penalty rates

    Q. Do you think people who are required to work outside of normal hours – like night shifts, weekends or public holidays – should receive a higher hourly rate of pay?

     

    Total

    Vote Labor

    Vote Lib/Nat

    Vote Greens

    Yes

    81%

    88%

    74%

    92%

    No

    12%

    7%

    19%

    5%

    Don’t know

    7%

    5%

    7%

    3%

    81% of respondents agreed that people who are required to work outside of normal hours – like night shifts, weekends or public holidays – should receive a higher hourly rate of pay.

    79% of full-time workers and 88% of part-time workers agreed.

  • May, 2012

    , , , , , , ,

    TRENDS: Bosses’ flexibility arguments a bit of a stretch


    Jackie Woods says the bosses’ enthusiasm for casual workers is self interest at work.

    Australia’s business lobby has donned its loose cotton pants and signed up for yoga. And like many fitness enthusiasts, they can’t stop talking about it. It’s flexibility, flexibility, flexibility.

    Profits down, or just not high enough? Penalty rates getting on your nerves? Productivity sluggish? For big business, workplace ‘flexibility’ is the cure-all.

    The employer-driven agenda to increase workplace flexibility has led to a rise in casual work arrangements in Australia, a sleeper issue catapulted into the headlines by the ACTU campaign on insecure work.

    This has led to some extraordinary claims from business about the social benefits of casual work that follow a few predictable lines of argument.

    Read more at the Drum

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