Butch, its Paul not Phillip, reporting from the Caribbean aboard my luxury yacht. Don't tell me that slacko' kid I employed on $10/hour isn't up to it! I knew I shouldn't have made him "shop manager" on those big bucks! And to think I let him keep 5% of the tips. How ungrateful can a kid get?
Do you think Fair Work will let me cut him back to $5/hour, but only on Sundays.

"They simply find some mug to work for very little to do it for them, and good for them too." I's not that what you advocate anyway?

One of the biggest meat packers in Australia supplies Aldi. Not sure about your bloke. I actually buy my meat from the local bloke down the road, have done so for about 40 years. now that's loyalty.

I don't like the idea of taking away penalty rates.
I understand your business is slowly getting squeezed by big business, and while I think that's a little unfortunate, I still think if you cant pay the same penalty rates that you may have enjoyed once yourself then you should shut your doors on Sundays.

That in itself sucks even more considering the bigger players just get stronger while your position becomes weaker, so I do feel for you situation.

Maybe its time to start selling coffees instead, if that's where the money is, sorry to say.

* Down at 'Aldi'*

Aldi have an efficient supply chain, with minimal staff and don't really need to worry about profits, as they are owned by a German family who happen to be one of the richest families on the planet.

Coles and Woolies are largely owned by Super Funds, who own these shares on behalf of all of you who have Superannuation. If they make less profits, it therefore comes out of your back pockets, which you just don't notice as it has never dawned on most, that you are in fact the real owners of these businesses.

Armchair, at least one can have a civil and balanced debate with you, and I thank you for that.

Butcher shops come under a different award to cafes with our Sunday rates being 1.5 times. Cafes and tourism used to be the same until Julia, while minister for employment, thought it would be wise to condense many different awards into a few. Hence a coffee now costs twice as much to make just because its a Sunday.

I have no issues with police, nurses, plumbers etc getting double time on Sundays, because that's out of hours, but cafes being open on Sundays is expected and I see no harm in Sundays being any different to Saturdays with a 25% loading. I suspect the FWC will hold the same view.

Paul, you bang on about kids on $10 per hour cash, while this may happen, they are the unskilled drop kicks that are all but unemployable, the ones who have spent 10 years a school having achieved nothing, regardless of the amount of tax payers dollars involved.

Are you also aware of the amount of cash deals done by traddies Paul, is this any different?

Some people have this obsession with Sundays being different, but in all honesty, in the café world its just another day ending in Y, and the sooner you can accept that, the sooner the missing tax dollars can flow.

Has this thread stopped for a coffee break?

Butch cash and traddies, yes my point exactly tax avoidance by small business.

You forget if you trade 7 days a week with longer hours one of the big fixed costs, rent, which can be much higher in a business than wages for the week is amortised over more hours reducing the hourly cost. so there are some automatic benefits already with having longer trading hours, particularly if sales increase proportionately.
I am sure all those retailers operating on a Sunday now, are not doing it for the benefit of the community, but are doing it for profit.

Retchub,
I think the rules should be the same for everyone, regardless of what industry you work in.
Sunday is the day where Aussie workers get their own back and say 'you want me slaving today, we'll you're going to pay through the nose for it'.
I don't think we should take away something that is the cornerstone of employment, that all Australian workers have historically enjoyed.

As for your situation, here's what I would do.

Take a loan from the bank and buy or build yourself a coffee shop.
It'll be insurance if the government and big business keep squeezing your butcher shop.
You can then laugh all the way to the bank as well, with your $45 a litre milk and $1000 sugar.

Next buy some shares in Coles and Woolies for peace of mind, to get your own back.
That way every time someone buys a piece of meat from the big guys - your competitors, you will also profit.
And every time the government gives out welfare, to young Aussies who have no drive towards employment, and have all kinds of rings and tattoos all over their bodies and faces, then you'll profit off those bums too.

This way the things that get under your skin will be a whole lot less annoying.