Head To The EKKA
The day the former Premier of Queensland put the final nail in his coffin was the day he tried to undo the EKKA, the annual show held in Brisbane in mid-August.
Why create such an uproar over one day? It is simple. Corporate psychopaths are inherently petty and frugal. You’ll find that many workplaces bullies are narcissists. That is a whole other world of horror show.
We are not talking Sideshow Alley horror show. There are no token show bags filled with little Bertie Beetle snacks and plastic merchandise, or anything that remotely represents gaiety. However, the biggest employment group affected by public holidays are casuals.
Rather than employers seeing public holidays as a hassle because it shortens the work week, it is better to reframe them as people working unsociable hours. Our society is set up on a 9-5, Monday through Friday framework and those in mainstream, traditional employment still see it the same way.
This mindset has to change, if we want a more fair and equitable employment arena. When you start to view it as unsociable hours, you start to realise it is not fair these people have to work on Easter Sunday when you’re at home eating Easter eggs or on New Years Day when they are pouring drinks, watching the clock hit midnight to the sound of a bad cover band.
A list of key dates for each Australian state and territory is on the Fair Work Ombudsman website.
There is a great reframe for the concept of working unsocialiable hours. It is this:
The day that the football grand final is played on a weekday is when we can say unsociable hours no longer exist.
What’s Your Worth?
The dates are not important here, but they are often a point of contention for emoloyers who use confusion as a way to keep their workforce in a state of disarray. What matters is the penalty rates. Workers required to work on public holidays should obtain a percentage for the inconvenience of having to show up on shift. Read more here but it is generally around double time.
Keep in mind, there are always exceptions and, for example, a chef in a restaurant on a salaried wage will not have access to those rates. Of importance is the employer is doing the right thing and is paying the wages they are legally obliged to pay. The website, Fair Plate, does cover correct wage payments. The easiest way to see if your local coffee shop or brunch / lunch / dinner destination of choice pays correctly is to ask:
So, are you guys getting extra money for having to work on a public holiday?
They’ll know. If not, pass on this information and tell them to find out more. Keep in mind, if you’re the one being underpaid and your boss is a douche or you’re scared of speaking up, you can wait until you have left the workplace all together.
Make contact with the Fair Work Ombudsman, who will help you find the information needed, based on your circumstances. It depends on the system you work in, state or federal, but there is a time limit, capped at six years, to claim unpaid wages in court. You have time but do get professional advice before proceeding.
Less aware of their workplace rights and sometimes lacking confidence, they are cheaper to pay because of their age.
Public Holidays.
NATIONAL EMPLOYMENT STANDARDS