Qld mulls Christmas penatly rates


It's only September, but insults are already flying about who's Ebenezer Scrooge and who's the Grinch that stole Christmas in a stoush over penalty rates for staff forced to work over the coming holiday period.

Because Christmas Day and New Year's Day fall on a Saturday, public holidays have been transferred to the following week, giving most workers consecutive long weekends, Queensland Industrial Relations Minister Cameron Dick said.

As a result, the Queensland government plans to introduce the Holidays Amendment Bill 2010 to ensure workers forced to be away from their families on Christmas Day this year will receive penalty rates.

Without the change to legislation, those in occupations that work during the Christmas-New Year period would not be entitled to penalty rates for the inconvenience of being separated from their families, particularly on Christmas Day.

"That is why the government has decided to change the law to allow Christmas Day 2010 and New Year's Day 2011 to be designated as public holidays as well," Mr Dick said.

"The only person likely to object to workers being paid their proper entitlements on Christmas Day would be Ebenezer Scrooge himself," he said.

But in introducing the change, the Bligh government is "the Grinch that stole Christmas for many Queenslanders", the United Retail Federation claims.

Scott Driscoll, national president of the federation, said the planned double up on penalty rates during the Christmas, Boxing Day and substituted holiday period will drive up prices for consumers across the Christmas period and beyond.

"Small businesses will be the hardest hit, with restaurants and cafes forced to put up prices for a family Christmas lunch or dinner.

"This is a mean-spirited decision that will put the Christmas Day family lunch or dinner at a restaurant well out of reach for the average Queensland family," Mr Driscoll said.

However, Mr Dick said the occupations most affected are thosethat either protect the community or make the holiday period more convenient and enjoyable for the rest of us, such as emergency, transport and hospitality workers.

Mr Dick said the decision would have virtually no effect on most Monday-to-Friday workers and businesses.

"We acknowledge that there will be some cost to those businesses that open on Christmas Day and New Year's Day, but we believe that this inconvenience is far outweighed by the benefits it will bring for workers," he said.

I didn`t think the unions believed in Christianity?