The Greens are pushing ahead with their proposal to legislate weekend penalty rates despite Labor's claim it could open the door to a conservative government doing away with them.
The Greens unveiled their plan in the inner-Sydney seat of Grayndler, held by senior Labor figure Anthony Albanese, on Monday.
Adam Bandt, the minor party's workplace relations spokesman, dismissed the concerns of Labor frontbencher Tony Burke.
"On Tony Burke's logic we shouldn't have laws protecting annual leave or the rights for new mums and dads to take unpaid parental leave in case the Liberals want to come in at some later stage and cut it," Mr Bandt told reporters outside a shopping centre in Marrickville.
"That is an absolutely ridiculous proposition."
Given laws already state that weekend pay rates should be higher, it was a "short step" to set minimum rates of pay.
"The question is whether Labor has the guts to put that into legislation or whether Labor is going to wash their hands of it."
Labor leader Bill Shorten is on the record as saying he will respect a Fair Work Commission decision on Sunday penalty rates for workers in the hospitality and retail sectors.
The decision may be handed down before the July 2 election.
Finance Minister Mathias Cormann says the Turnbull government will respect the arms-length decision of the independent umpire.
