The Fair Work Commission has handed down its decision to raise minimum wage by 5.2 per cent after strong pushes from the Labor Government and workers’ rights groups.
Fair Work Commission President Iain Ross announced on Wednesday morning minimum wage will go up from $20.33 to $21.38 an hour, or from $772.60 to $812.60 per week.
Thank you sir, may I have some more?
Workers in most industries will get the rise on July 1 but it will be delayed to October 1 in the aviation, tourism and hospitality sectors.
Minimum wage goes up at the end of every financial year but this increase was about double what it usually is.
Labor made a submission to Fair Work earlier this month for an increase that would reflect Australia’s staggeringly high inflation rate of 5.1 per cent. The previous minimum wage rise in 2021-22 was 2.5 per cent.
The Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and various industry bodies also made submissions for rises of about 2 to 3 per cent.
Labor called for a 5.1 per cent increase as a way to help people keep up with the rising cost of living during its election campaign which obviously played well for them. The Coalition on the other hand made no commitments to make any dramatic changes to minimum wage.
Fair Work said it had to weigh up competing needs and moderating factors for employers and employees but ultimately decided that it needed to help two million of the most vulnerable people in Australia.
“The low-paid are particularly vulnerable in the context of rising inflation,” Ross said.
“The present circumstances warrant an approach which gives a greater level of support to the low-paid while seeking to contain inflationary pressures.”
It’s good fkn news but people receiving minimum wage say it’s not going to be enough to help them pay for petrol and rent and no way they’ll be able to afford lettuce.
And the most vulnerable Australians — those relying on welfare payments to survive — will not see the same generosity and will continue to live in poverty.
So now do the right thing and give the full flow-on to all Centrelink recipients, who are already well below minimum wage levels. There can be no justifiable excuse, what-so-ever, for not doing this
— Dougi (@2dougi) June 15, 2022
And don’t forget plenty of minimum wage workers are illegally underpaid so spare a thought for them today.
