Please find attached a media release from Restaurant & Catering Australia, issued today.
R&CA has lodged a supplementary submission to the Fair Work Commission's Annual Wage Review 2026, warning that the restaurant, café and catering sector cannot absorb further wage increases that are automatically compounded through penalty rates and loadings.
With profit margins as low as 2.3 per cent and 41 per cent of businesses already cutting staff hours, the industry is calling on the Commission to apply any increase as a flat dollar amount — preventing the headline rate from being amplified through the penalty structure.
R&CA National President John Hart is available for comment.
Restaurant & Catering Australia 1300 722 878 | policy@rca.asn.au
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