Australian unions won the right to be paid at overtime rates for working outside normal hours, on the week end and on public holidays. There is a concerted push by the Australian Government and capitalist groups to decrease penalty rates. The Australian union movement is campaigning hard to defend them. Unfortunately this campaign is being undermined by Australia’s biggest yellow union, the SDA. The SDA has recently done a deal with the South Australian state government to cut penalty rates while in a separate case it has allied with Coles, one of the biggest Australian companies, to take away penalty rates from meatworkers. Penalty rates were won by workers organised by fighting and independent unions.
Australian unions won the right to be paid at overtime rates for working outside normal hours, on the week end and on public holidays. There is a concerted push by the Australian Government and capitalist groups to decrease penalty rates. The Australian union movement is campaigning hard to defend them. Unfortunately this campaign is being undermined by Australia’s biggest yellow union, the SDA. The SDA has recently done a deal with the South Australian state government to cut penalty rates while in a separate case it has allied with Coles, one of the biggest Australian companies, to take away penalty rates from meatworkers. Penalty rates were won by workers organised by fighting and independent unions.
