Labor leader Bill Shorten leapt into action after the Fair Work Commission handed down the decision, wheeling out a string of workers who explained how a cut in penalty rates would hurt their bottom line.
Chief among Mr Shorten’s “victims” was Western Sydney Coles employee Trent Hunter.
“My name is Trent Hunter and I’m a retail worker,” Mr Hunter told media at the opposition leader’s press conference on Thursday afternoon.
In what appeared to be powerful moment for the opposition, Mr Hunter described how the Fair Work Commission’s decision had left him feeling “gutted.”
“I will now lose $109 a week, that is insane because I rely on penalty rates to make ends meet,” Mr Hunter said. “I rely on my penalty rates to pay for my fuel, to pay for my rent and to pay for my food.”
Watch Mr Hunter speak at the press conference:
It was an effective political strategy and the message was clear: a cut to penalty rates would hurt him directly.
However, according to his employer, Hunter won’t actually be affected by the changes at all.
“Coles have an EBA (Enterprise Bargaining Agreement) in place, so the decision on the award doesn’t actually affect Coles team store members,” said a Coles spokesman.
When a workplace has an enterprise agreement, the modern award does not apply. Therefore, Coles employees won’t be affected by the Fair Work Commission’s decision.
Nevertheless, Mr Hunter was introduced by the opposition leader as one of the “people who are directly affected in the hip pocket by this absolutely appalling decision".
At yesterday’s press conference Mr Hunter urged workers “to stand up, join your union and fight back so we can win back our penalty rates".
However Mr Hunter’s close involvement with the Labor Party is no secret. He is a member of the ALP and his social media profiles show numerous photos of him at Labor events and campaigns.
During last year’s election campaign, Mr Hunter posted a selfie with Labor MP Emma Husar, urging his friends to vote.
"Come down early and vote for Emma Husar. Save Medicare and save penalty rates," he wrote on Facebook.
In another photo, Mr Hunter is flanked by Labor leader Bill Shorten and Ms Husar at a campaign event in Western Sydney. Ms Husar ultimately won a tightly fought race for the Penrith-based seat of Lindsay at the 2016 election.
Public-holiday cuts are scheduled to come into effect from July 1, but Mr Shorten has vowed that Labor would fight the Fair Work Commission if the organisation was to move forward with the cuts.
SBS has contacted Mr Hunter for comment.
