Australian Retail Traders Association executive director Russell Zimmerman said many retailers had not employed extra staff or opened their doors on Sundays because last year's penalty reductions did not go far enough. He said this year's reduction of 10 to 15 per cent would be "more effective for retailers who are looking to increase staff numbers on Sunday or open their store". ARA executive director Russell Zimmerman. "I'm not disputing the fact that retailers had not opened their doors on a Sunday or had not employed more staff on a Sunday because the penalty rate has not decreased by much," he said. "The first reduction was only 5 per cent and there was a fairly hefty increase as well last year to the minimum rate."

A government spokesman said ABS trend figures show retail trade employment overall including part-time and casual work had increased by 30,900 (or 2.5 per cent) over the year to May 2018. The trend figures showed full-time employment fell by 2,100 over the past twelve months. Full-time employment in the accommodation and food services industry increased by 10,700 (or 3.0 per cent). Australia Institute economist Dr Jim Stanford said the government figures were consistent with his argument that "the penalty rate cuts did not spur superior job performance, and in fact have been associated with inferior outcomes". Dr Jim StanfordEconomist and Director of the Centre for Future Workat the Australia Institute. The shoppies union said hundreds of thousands of Australians will get an extra pay cut of up to $55 a month when Sunday penalty rates are reduced by 15 per cent for retail workers and 10 per cent for fast food workers on July 1. Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees’ Association National Secretary Gerard Dwyer said the penalty rate cuts would cost many retail and fast food workers between $2000 and $6000 a year. “This is a pay cut they cannot afford and do not deserve,” he said.

Winnie Dosani loves spending Sundays with her family, but the penalty rates she earns for working on that day have helped her keep up with her mortgage payments. From Sunday, Ms Dosani, who lives in the Sydney suburb of Wentworthville, is expecting a $55 cut in her monthly pay packet she gets from her supermarket employer. Labor's spokesman for Employment and Workplace Relations Brendan O'Connor. Credit:Dominic Lorrimer Ms Dosani, who is a member of the shoppies union, said she values spending time with her husband and daughter on Sundays but “needs that money” to pay the bills. “The reason why I am compromising my family time is that I need the mortgage to be paid,” she says.

Now that her penalty rates will be cut by 15 per cent, she is now weighing up the cost of the family time she sacrifices on Sundays. Federal Labor's workplace relations spokesman Brendan O'Connor said retail industry workers would see their pay cut by up to $2450.81 per year from Sunday and hospitality workers would lose up to $1884.37. Fast food workers would see their annual pay cut by as much as $1628.85 and pharmacy workers would lose up to $3273 or $50.95 per shift. Workplace Minister Craig Laundy. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen "The Liberals have had eight opportunities in the Parliament to protect penalty rates and they have voted against them each time," he said. Workplace Minister Craig Laundy said Labor "and their union mates have zero credibility on this issue". "They have been happily trading away weekend penalty rates for low paid workers for years, in return for big businesses making payments to big unions," Mr Laundy said.

"For example, a 24-year-old working at McDonald's over the past three years could now be up to $15,000 worse off thanks to these deals which cut penalty rates, not only Sundays but completely on Saturdays. That’s a chunk of their HECS debt, a first car or a head start on a home deposit. Thousands of young Australians are much worse off thanks to deals like this." Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry chief executive James Pearson said the second round of Sunday penalty rate reductions would be counterbalanced by the 3.5 per cent increase in base award wages that comes into effect on the same day. "The typical reduction - where they are passed on - will be less than $2 per hour, or $16 per eight hour shift," Mr Pearson said. "These changes will start to deliver the benefits which led the independent umpire to award changes to some penalty rates paid on Sundays. "More shops, cafes, pubs and pharmacies will open on weekends, more jobs and hours will be available to employees and job seekers, fewer proprietors will do the work themselves rather than hire other people."

"Any reversal of the penalty rates changes would be a serious blow to small business people, and will reduce services and jobs on Sundays."