Yikes. The Fair Work Commission has awarded an increase to the minimum wage, and it falls far, far short of what the Australian Council of Trade Unions was seeking.
The commission has ruled that the minimum wage should rise 2.4%, meaning low-paid workers would see a $15.80 per week pay rise (i.e. from $656.90 to $672.70 per week) from July 1.
However, it falls far short of the $30 per week increase the ACTU were seeking, citing “flat-lining” wages and growing inequality. It’s actually far closer to the $7.90 to $10.50 per week increase that business groups had lobbied for.
(When stock photos lie) $15.80, or less than the smallest two of these stacks of coins. pic.twitter.com/O9gr5TbII3
— Tim Lyons (@Picketer) May 31, 2016
“A $30 a week rise for our lowest-paid workers is vital if we’re to half the alarming slide in living standards that is threatening the economic wellbeing of one in five Australians,” said ACTU secretary Dave Oliver.
The increase – which will affect an estimated 2 million employees – was aimed at addressing the “deteriorating” position of low-paid workers (many of whom live in households with low or very low disposable incomes), as well as addressing the gender wage gap (women are overrepresented amongst award reliant and low paid employees).
But this is still not enough to close the growing gap between average and minimum wages, says the ACTU.
“Now would have been the ideal time to lift the minimum wage,” said Oliver. “While inflation is currently 1.3% and the minimum wages rise is 2.4%, this gap will be blown away in the event of a returned Liberal Government that will bring increases costs to workers for essential health care and education. And if penalty rates are cut, workers will fall even further behind.”
pay me what you owe me.
Source: Fairfax / The Guardian.
