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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1999 Week 12 Hansard (24 November) . . Page.. 3654 ..
Granting an additional half-day on 31 December would add substantial wages costs across our businesses in A.C.T. In Coles Supermarkets alone this would add more than $25,000 to our wages costs.
We are particularly impacted in our supermarket operations because:
We have moved significantly away from a bias towards casual employees to a greatly increased reliance on permanent employment. Declaring the half-day holiday on New Year's Eve means normal rosters will become voluntary. We will be paying our permanent staff even when they are not there and then paying casual employees to fill the breech. Nationally the proportion of casual staff within Coles has fallen from over 60% five years ago to 32% now.
New Year's Eve trade is expected to be one of the busiest food trade days of the year with some community disquiet about Y2K. Providing service as usual will be very important in our ability to meet community food supply expectations. Service levels may be strained under public holiday circumstances.
Food stores traditionally trade longer hours than general merchandise stores (most of the general merchandise stores will probably close around 6pm in any case)
We urge the A.C.T. Government not to grant an additional half-day on 31 December. If you would like to discuss this further, please contact me via Kerrina Watson on 03 98293610.
Yours sincerely
TIM HAMMON
Chief Administration Officer
CANBERA SMALL BUSINESS COUNCIL INCORPORATED
PO BOX 105 AINSLIE ACT 2602
Telephone 6230 6622
4 November 1999
Mr Wayne Berry MLA
ACT Legislative Assembly
London Circuit
Canberra ACT
Dear Mr Berry
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