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Penalty rates to get the chop by Danielle Cook ABC News South East SA
Forestry SA and the Forestry Union will enter into negotiations today after the union rejected plans to abolish double penalty rates for fire-related activities.
The current pay agreement expired in October last year - and while the union said the proposed two point five per cent pay rise is positive, plans to stop penalty payments are not.
Travis Lawson from the union believes workers won't be better off.
"Even though workers will receive a two and a half percent wage increase, if they were to accept the deal, at the end of the financial year, actually in some cases [they will be] worse off than if they had no pay rise and kept their double time penalty payments," he said.
Mr Lawson said without fire watch penalties, there's no incentive for people to give up family time to protect one of the South East's biggest industries.
"These men and women give up their weekends in fire season to spend with, what they would normally spend with their families, they give up for fire protection and to protect our community.
"We're really concerned that if they take those penalty payments away those employees, union members will no long volunteer for those duties," he said.
Mr Lawson believes a lack of incentive could put timber plantations at risk.
He said the cost of penalty rates would be less than one-per cent of Forestry SA's gross profit this year - a small price for protecting the South East's biggest economic asset.
Mr Lawson said they are not talking about 'millions and millions' of dollars.
"To talk about double time penalty payments for all fire-related duties, we're discussing a cost here in the vicinity of between 150 thousand to a maximum, very maximum of 250 thousand near cost," he said.
It is believed contractors could be used on fire danger weekends but Mr Lawson said they don't have training Forestry SA employees have and they also would not know the geographical layout.
With over two thirds of employees unanimously rejecting the motion, Mr Lawson said the best outcome for is for Forestry SA to keep the double penalty rates for all fire related activities.
Negotiations will continue tomorrow.
Forestry SA was unavailable for comment
