South West Trades and Labour Council secretary Marg Donohue said yesterday that staff deserved to be compensated for working on days when most others enjoyed leisure time.

Easter Sunday and the Friday before the AFL grand final have been added to the official holiday list, meaning double-time-and-a-half pay rates of up to $60 an hour for casual staff, particularly in the retail and hospitality industry. 

Several restaurant and cafe operators in Warrnambool have decided to close for the whole weekend or reduce staff rather than face four consecutive days of public holiday penalty rates.

Ms Donohue said the push by employers nationally to wipe off high penalty rates was misguided.

“If you cut back on wages there’s less spending power in the community,” she said.

City councillor and Liebig Street trader Brian Kelson predicted the new grand final eve holiday could force some operators to close on what would normally be one of the busiest trading days of the week.

“Grand final Saturday is usually a write-off for retailers because most people just head to supermarkets before the telecast — to have the lead-up day as a public holiday would place extra cost pressure on operators,” he said.

“It makes it hard to remain open with these high rates unless you have a good family network.”

Ms Donohue said workers should be paid more for weekend shifts.

“Major sports events, weddings and other events are at weekends and those working are giving up significantly more than staff on nine-to-five, Monday-to-Friday hours,” she said. “No one in Australia is obliged to run their own business — they’re a decision either for lifestyle or to make money.”