West Australian workers in the retail, fast food, hospitality and pharmacy sectors will be $290 worse off in their 10-day pay packet over Easter because of changes to penalty rates.

Labor will this week ramp up its fight over jobs and wages, today issuing figures that claim WA workers would be between $135 to $292 worse off in the 10 days from Good Friday.

Fast-food workers would miss out on $163.66, hospitality workers would face a $189.34 hit, retail workers $219.33, pharmacy workers $292.98 and restaurant workers $135.24, according to the Labor calculations.

United Voice also said the Easter-Anzac Day public holiday “bonanza” would result in $80 million in lost pay for more than half a million workers nationwide, including $8 million from West Australians alone.

Shadow employment minister Brendan O’Connor said even bigger cuts to penalty rates would occur unless Bill Shorten was elected prime minister.

Mr Shorten has promised to reverse the 2017 Fair Work Commission ruling to cut public holiday rates within his first 100 days of government.

The election fight over penalty rates comes as The Weekend West can confirm WA will have to wait at least another year to get an extra public holiday. The McGowan Government said last August it was considering recognising Easter Sunday as a public holiday. The matter is still under consideration, but the suggestion has drawn criticism from the business sector, with warnings it could hurt the local economy.

“Penalty rates on Sundays and public holidays stop them employing more staff or opening their doors for customers at all,” CCIWA boss Chris Rodwell said.

Australian Hotels Association WA chief executive Bradley Woods said the idea made no sense. “For people working on Easter Sunday, the hospitality award already provides substantial compensation and anything further would be bad for hospitality businesses and jobs,” he said.

Under the proposal, police, nurses, retail workers and restaurant staff who work on Easter Sunday would be paid at the public holiday rate of 21/4 time instead of their normal Sunday pay rate.

WA has the fewest public holidays of any State, with 10.