Labor’s bill to protect the penalty rate changes has passed through the parliament. The ACTU is pleased. Sally McManus:

Penalty rates are an essential part of working Australians’ take-home pay.

They compensate people for working unsociable hours and giving up time away from family and loved ones.

Protecting penalty rates also protects the weekend. The minute employers can pay people the same no matter the day they work, Australians can kiss goodbye the weekend.

Unions welcome the Albanese Government delivering on this election promise. Without these laws, workers in retail, admin, banking, and finance would stand to lose thousands of dollars a year under proposals by big employer lobby groups.

Workers’ pay will no longer be at risk from employers engaging in a race to the bottom to strip away basic protections needed to maintain the services we all rely on.”