A Senate committee examining the controversial decision to cut Sunday penalty rates for some workers has called for the move to be reversed.
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A ruling from the Fair Work Commission earlier this year said penalty rate cuts should be made to those in the retail, hospitality, fast food, and pharmacy sectors.
The committee was established to look at the need for penalty rates and the impact they had on businesses.
The report said penalty rates were not a luxury and that changes to rates could affect up to 700,000 workers.
“In some cases people seek to work on weekends, nights or public holidays specifically because the rate of pay is higher than at other times,” the report said.
It said while the discussion around penalty rates often revolved around younger workers, these rates were not always a temporary solution.
“A great many workers rely on penalty rates as a means to get by for the duration, or large portions, of their working lives,” it said.
The committee ultimately went on to recommend that Sunday penalty rates should not be dropped.
“The committee recommends that the government legislate to overturn the Fair Work Commission's decision to reduce Sunday penalty rates,” it said.
But a dissenting report from the Coalition rejected the recommendations.
“It simply defies credibility, how unions and the ALP can wage a political campaign decrying modifications to penalty rates for small businesses who rely on the awards system, yet wholeheartedly support cuts to penalty rates in enterprise agreement,” it said.
