Australia: the expensive country (A traveller's dilemma)

[terry57]

Australians are not really good in the service Industry because its looked upon as a lowly Job and stop gap until one gets a real job.

Saying that this Easter many restaurants just closed shop as workers were being payed $ 50 Per hour to work over this holiday period.

$ 50 per hour just to wait a table. WTF ?????

This is why everything is so expensive in Australia and running a business is a nightmare.

Google it up if you don't believe those wage rates.

[Boon Mee]

Australians are not really good in the service Industry because its looked upon as a lowly Job and stop gap until one gets a real job.

Saying that this Easter many restaurants just closed shop as workers were being payed $ 50 Per hour to work over this holiday period.

$ 50 per hour just to wait a table. WTF ?????

This is why everything is so expensive in Australia and running a business is a nightmare.

Google it up if you don't believe those wage rates.

The missus told me when she was down there the waiters/waitresses (when they could find a restaurant that had them) were somewhat less than polite/friendly too.

[terry57]

^

Na,

I would not go that far, most are good if treated with a bit of respect but Australians are notorious for not taking shit from punters whether working or not.

Working in Pubs is difficult, Alcohol and Australians = Arsehole.

At the End of the day the staff are just trying to do their job but working with the Public ain't a desired job.

That said, at $ 50 per hour it is. Penalty rates in Australia are lucrative for the employee.

We pay for that of course.

[jamescollister]

Australians are not really good in the service Industry because its looked upon as a lowly Job and stop gap until one gets a real job.

Saying that this Easter many restaurants just closed shop as workers were being payed $ 50 Per hour to work over this holiday period.

$ 50 per hour just to wait a table. WTF ?????

This is why everything is so expensive in Australia and running a business is a nightmare.

Google it up if you don't believe those wage rates.

Penalty rates are being removed fast in many areas, the use of so called consolidated rates or just plain flat hourly rate is the new game.

Would people really do low paid jobs with 24/7 shift patterns without something extra in there pay.
Don't know about WA, but Vic. Police, ambos nurses, prisons and fireys all get paid extra because of shift work.
Now the Government is trying to abolish penalty rates for all, would people give up Easter and Christmas for flat rate pay, may be with this high unemployment, yes, but they will not stay.

[baldrick]

or Asians in general, is how to generate and hold onto wealth

with property taxes and rates they would not find it so easy

Australians are not really good in the service Industry

the whole tourism sector is a service industry

for flat rate pay

as is common in most of the world

[Looper]

Bollix these penalty rates.

Booked a table at a nice gaff last weekend for GF's birthday.

Or at least I thought I did.

Left voicemails, emails.

GF gets all dolled up.

We rock up and the gaff is locked. Turns out they closed for Easter due to extortionate wages.

Managed to get a table at another place but not so nice.

[mingmong]

Australian Pollies are crying Poor! and do want to abolish the penalty rates, the Mining Booms over and the place is Bust?

on another note I've meet Truck Drivers in Darwin driving 'B' Doubles for $20.00 an hour! Darwin where the New Home starting price is $750,000!

and an Indian Hotel Clerk who started work in an Indian Restaurant for $7.00 an hour!
this was in Perth last year,

the Rates are all over the place, not every ones on the big bucks!

[terry57]

^

No one works for $7 per hour unless its under the table cash in hand. Illegal in other words.

This is exactly why we have a Union movement .This is to stop employers from extorting the worker.

If there was no Union we would have the exact situation as America where the minimum wage is $ 9 per hour.

On top of that one would find people working for much less cash in hand.

That said $ 50 per hour for a table bitch is fukin stupid.

No wonder the country is fuked.

In two weeks time I will be back in Perth to sort my Bi annual business out .

I have free accommodation but I will still drop 1 K per week pissing around the joint.

[terry57]

We rock up and the gaff is locked. Turns out they closed for Easter due to extortionate wages.

When a Employer is forced to pay the dish washer and shit can emptier $ 50 Buks per hour simply because it Easter why would that person even bother opening his restaurant. ????

There are plenty of people willing to work over Easter for a reasonable wage but the Unions have totally fuked up the program.

[ootai]

There lots of opinions on whether penalty rates should be abolished or not, but in my opinion (and to me its the only one that matters) they can be a good thing.
5 years ago when me and the missus had a takeaway shop business in Australia we were paying penalty rates on weekends and public holidays and I was happy to do so. The Subway shop a few doors down didn't pay penalty rates.
Both of us (us and Subway) used a lot of junior labour and guess what, every time it was a weekend or public holiday they were short of staff but we never had a problem.
The reason was because the juniors had an incentive to work on those days when really they would have preferred to be hanging out with their mates as the Subway juniors did. Mind you we also worked the roster to minimise the time we had adult staff on at those times by working ourselves, as the cost was too big to have too many adults on penalty rates.

As I think I have read Terry saying somewhere before "just saying like".

[terry57]

^

Give and Take EH, works both ways. Glad you were a successful small business owner, not an easy thing in Australia.

I'll bet you put many many hours into running your business.

Anyway, with us Firefighters there were no penalty rates, they were built into our hourly rate and compensated with extra days off per year.

We only received extra pay if held back due to Operational reasons, the overtime rate was lucrative.

Minimum two hours pay.

[mikem]

The places that pay $50 per hour charge customers $10 per person

[Boon Mee]

The places that pay $50 per hour charge customers $10 per person

For what?

[terry57]

^

Because the Business is forced to pay $ 50 an hour for the person to wait on your table they levy a $ 10 charge on the bill for service charge.

In America you must tip minimum 15 %, we do not have that in Australia.

Our workers are payed proper money so no need to tip unless one wants to.

Saying that $ 50 per hour is obscene .

[Boon Mee]

^

Because the Business is forced to pay $ 50 an hour for the person to wait on your table they levy a $ 10 charge on the bill for service charge.

In America you must tip minimum 15 %, we do not have that in Australia.

Our workers are payed proper money so no need to tip unless one wants to.

Saying that $ 50 per hour is obscene .

You don't have to tip 15% if you don't wish to. There's no law that I know of that demands one to tip a certain amount.

[terry57]

^

Well,

There is the unwritten law that states, If you do not give me 15 % tip you will not be served again.

US service workers survive on their tips, they must get their tip because their hourly rate is pathetic and they can not live on the pay rate.

That's why wages are high in Australia, its so the worker can live a decent life without being at the whim of the tipping public.

Hence us Australians are not used to dealing with a tipping culture.

A New York barman I met in Thailand told me that if he does not receive his 15 % tip he will ask the punter if there is a problem with his service.

If the punter says " No" the word goes around the bar to not serve that punter.

Easy as that.

[Boon Mee]

^

Well,

There is the unwritten law that states, If you do not give me 15 % tip you will not be served again.

US service workers survive on their tips, they must get their tip because their hourly rate is pathetic and they can not live on the pay rate.

That's why wages are high in Australia, its so the worker can live a decent wage without being at the whim of the tipping public.

Hence us Australians are not used to dealing with a tipping culture.

A New York barman I met in Thailand told me that if he does not receive his 15 % tip he will ask the punter if there is a problem with his service.

If the punter says " No" the word goes around the bar to not serve that punter.

Easy as that.

That is indeed the way it works in the States and when I lived there had no argument with that system. The difference here being is folks generally view a waiter/waitress position as an entry-level job and do not intend to make a career of it. The other thing that factors in is if one does a good job (not talking about ass-kissing now) they can perhaps garner something better than 15%.

You called it yourself, Oz doesn't regard schlepping things for others or taking any shit off people as worthy tasks. Just different styles

[terry57]

^

In Australia people will Tip if they feel service or food has been exceptional.

But when we must pay large prices for the meal and drink and we know the floor sweeper is pulling $ 50 per hour we do not see much need to add to that.

Totally different gig in Australia mate.

[Munted]

on another note I've meet Truck Drivers in Darwin driving 'B' Doubles for $20.00 an hour! Darwin where the New Home starting price is $750,000!

Yes, Auckland is getting like that now. You got to be earning 100k to even get a foot in the door. 'B' doubles for $20 per hour? You’ll get more than that in NZ. Probably around $25-$26. Coach drivers will make around $20 per hour, the hours can be long and there are a few perks.

[terry57]

^

A guy earning 100 K in Perth who has a family is pushing shit up hill.

By the time Tax is paid, health care, car costs, housing, food costs, schooling and just living 100 K is bread line for the family man.

These days it's a situation where the wife must work as well if they want to get ahead.

Its simply fookin crazy.

So glad to be shot of the system.

[Munted]

^

A guy earning 100 K in Perth who has a family is pushing shit up hill.

By the time Tax is paid, health care, car costs, housing, food costs, schooling and just living 100 K is bread line for the family man.

These days it's a situation where the wife must work as well if they want to get ahead.

Its simply fookin crazy.

So glad to be shot of the system.

Then despite what the naysayers tell us Thailand is a wise choice. And there's much more amusement to be had here, sometimes for free if you just watch and wait for them to develop.

[Boon Mee]

^

In Australia people will Tip if they feel service or food has been exceptional.

But when we must pay large prices for the meal and drink and we know the floor sweeper is pulling $ 50 per hour we do not see much need to add to that.

Totally different gig in Australia mate.

I hear you but what's up with the price of soft drinks and beer so high?

[Munted]

^

In Australia people will Tip if they feel service or food has been exceptional.

But when we must pay large prices for the meal and drink and we know the floor sweeper is pulling $ 50 per hour we do not see much need to add to that.

Totally different gig in Australia mate.

I hear you but what's up with the price of soft drinks and beer so high?

It's greed. For instance the Aussie magazine I buy is $1.40 more expensive in NZ than in Aus. You can't tell me that breaks down to a pro-rata charge anywhere near that on the shipping cost of say 10000 magazines. Don't tell me about distribution expenses also. That's peanuts, for 10000 magazines including postage you wouldn't pay anywhere near 14k. It's a good thing the NZ dollar is near to parity with the AU dollar but Kiwis are still worse off as generally pay rates are worse than in Aussie.

[Boon Mee]

No wonder there's so many of y'all here in LOS

[jamescollister]

Things are getting bad, just reading about fruit pickers in Q'land, some inquiry going on.
Labor contract company were only hiring Asian backpackers, 25 to a room on mats and charging them for room an board.
Some only earned $7 a day after deductions and they say slavery is dead.