Aust Unionists bully small businesses for not losing money

The Daily Telegraph reports:

UNIONISTS have orchestrated a bullying campaign against small business owners who are shutting up shop over the Easter long weekend ­because they cannot afford to pay their staff exorbitant public holiday penalty rates.

A Facebook page created to “name and shame” businesses that decided it was cheaper to close than pay teenage staff $350 a day just to clear away plates is posting photographs of operators who have publicly called for a change to the penalty rates regime.

If the cost of paying staff to work is greater than the income a business will make that day, then of course they will close. Why wouldn’t they?

Union supporters are urging people to swamp the social media sites of businesses that spoke about the impact of penalty rates to The Saturday Telegraph and other media this week and condemn them.

How dare they point out that paying $350 a day to waiting staff impacts business profitability.

Ms Carnell said all operators were open to paying the penalty rates, but believed the double-time-and-a-half rate was no longer in line with community expectations. Many staff were comfortable to work for a lower rate rather than have the day off, but could not as it was illegal to do so.

Double time and a half!

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