Whether or not they realise what they’re doing, Australia’s business people, economists and politicians are in the process of dismantling the weekend and phasing out public holidays. And they’re doing it in the name of making us better off.
Historically, the two arrangements that have protected the weekend and public holidays from encroachment by employers are state government restrictions on trading hours and the requirement in industrial awards that employees required to work at ”unsociable hours” be paid an additional penalty rate.
Charging employers a penalty was intended to discourage them from making unreasonable demands on their employees unless absolutely necessary.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/politics/workers-pay-the-penalty-for-oneway-fle…