While employer groups and economic rationalists are already celebrating Thursday's decision by the Fair Work Commission to take an axe to Sunday penalty rates, it is unlikely hundreds of thousands of Australia's most poorly remunerated workers will be flocking to any parties.
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Retail, fast food, hospitality and pharmacy workers will be more focused on how they are going to absorb a significant pay cut at a time already remarkable for historically low levels of wages growth.
While defenders of the cuts claim there will be a pay-off in terms of employment growth and extra shifts for existing employees these "trickle down" claims have elicited considerable scepticism.
Australian Bureau of Statistics figures released on Wednesday indicated the national wage price index had only risen 1.9 per cent in the 12 months to the December quarter; one of the weakest results on record.
That prompted some pundits to predict that if the Consumer Price Index rose above two per cent over the next few months real wages for most Australian workers would actually fall.
This will be the case for retail workers from July 1 when the Fair Work Commission's decision to cut Sunday penalty rates for retail workers from 200 per cent to 150 per cent for full time workers and from 200 per cent to 175 per cent for casuals takes effect.
Little or no consideration seems to have been given to the fact the loadings are paid off what is often a low base hourly rate and, as a result, make a disproportionate contribution to an individual employee's take home pay.
Adult fast food workers, for example, are paid between $17.70 and $21.66 an hour. The minimum wage, which is all many workers employed in these industries but who are not covered by an award can expect to receive, is $17.70 an hour.
The current minimum retail wage is $19.44 an hour. This is less than two dollars an hour above the minimum hourly rate.
A permanent retail worker on the $19.44 an hour base rate currently receives, before tax, $291.16 for working a 7.5 hour shift on a Sunday. Once the new rates take effect this will fall to $218.70, a drop in weekly income of $72.46 before tax.
That is a nice pick up for the employer and a heavy impost on the employee.
High Sunday penalty rates have traditionally been considered a part of the overall remuneration package for workers in the retail and hospitality sector. They have offset what have always been relatively low hourly rates of pay.
If penalty rates are to be scaled back then urgent consideration needs to be given to revising the minimum hourly rates upwards so workers and their dependents are not disadvantaged by a measure that will put more money back in the coffers of companies that have already been promised significant tax cuts at the expense of social security recipients by the Turnbull Government.
